The Early Birds Club started its first challenge called the 30-day Healthy Circadian Challenge on 1st July 2020. Through this challenge, we aim to achieve inner power, determination, and success by following three steps that focus on eating early, sleeping early and waking up early.
The first week’s challenge of eating early would mean finishing all our meals by 6 pm. Through determination and discipline, we are gradually trying to achieve something close to what all people essentially want in life; self-satisfaction, happiness, stability, and confidence. This process assists in changing our inner self, transforming us. At the very beginning of the challenge, our members commented on how it was helping them cope with their everyday life.
How can eating early change one’s life?
Our body doesn’t have an actual clock, but it does have an internal rhythm according to which it schedules major body functions. Called the ‘Circadian rhythm’, this internal clock helps the body adjust to environmental changes, sleep, and activities such as digestion and eating. Thus, the timing of your meals can affect your body’s weight regulation, metabolic regulation, heart, health and sleep cycle too. If we eat moderately during the day and finish with our meals by 5 or 6 PM, we are less likely to experience excess weight, insomnia, and heart issues.
Nutritionist Meher Rajput further lists down the consequences attached, “For people suffering from disorders like diabetes, thyroid, PCOD and cardiovascular diseases, it is advisable not only to have a light dinner but also an early one.” Restricting the eating to an early hour also ensures better heart health and keeps cardiovascular risks at bay. Meheradds, “As we go on hogging more carbs and sodium in our dinners, we put our heart and blood vessels to a greater risk of overnight blood pressure. For people suffering from hypertension, it is advisable to eat more complex carbs, oats and brown rice that can work as healthier alternatives.”
How can sleeping early change one’s life?
In the period between 9 PM and midnight, we can have the most benefits from a regenerative and deep sleep which is a time for healing the body. The time between 9 PM and midnight is also a very dense and binding time, a time of low vibrations. For us humans, this time is intended for sleep, so that we are not exposed to such energies. The more we are exposed to these energies, the denser we become, because like a sponge we absorb thick energies from the atmosphere, not so suitable for our growth. If we sleep during those hours, our body recovers and gets the strength it needs. In these hours while sleeping, our body regenerates, rejuvenates, works on itself and reboots. This brings us strength and health. Later, from midnight to 3 AM, the time is neutral, which is also suitable for sleeping and regenerating. Sleeping during these hours will make us feel more rested and fresh, ready for the following day. It will also bring us more concentration, stronger focus and we are much less likely to feel sleepy during the day.
How can waking up early change one’s life?
In modern society, we rarely have time for ourselves, which can be a problem, because basing our life on ‘ourselves, plus something’ – plus a gadget, place or a person, lowers our level of self-confidence, stability and immunity to life situations. Being attached to something or depending on something is a recipe for depression and disappointment. Why? This is because when that thing is gone, we feel lost. An example of this is the Coronavirus. There is a high rate of anxiety, depression, and suicides due to the restrictions placed on people.
So, when we wake up early and spend more time with ourselves, we become self-satisfied and stable.
Ancient Ayurvedic science says that the body regenerates between 9 PM and midnight. Between 3 and 6 AM, the mind rejuvenates and regenerates. Thus, going to bed early keeps the body healthy, and waking up early develops a healthy mind. These are the two basic foundations for a successful life. This way, we strengthen the inner connection that makes us more immune to the storms of life.
It has been proven that those who get up early are more emotionally stable. The period between 3 and 6 AM is the part of the day when our mind is in mental and emotional balance. Waking up during this time helps us to establish psycho-physical balance with the ability to bravely cope with all the challenges of life. It reduces our stress, anxiety, depression, insecurity and various other destructive emotions. Also, at this time, our mind is open to receiving much more information, so both learning and working at this time are much easier.
The information we collect between 3 and 6 AM, especially during the first 30 minutes after waking up, is usually retained throughout the day. Filling our mind with positivity during that time is of great importance. This will give us deep, inner stability, self-confidence, as well as productivity throughout the day. If we allow contamination or negative information to enter our minds at that time, every storm of life will shake us. Our levels of stability will decrease. So, it is important to expose our minds early in the morning only to positive thoughts, which is why the Early Birds Club has designed a unique program of balanced morning activities.
This precious time was also recognized by the ancient scripts of India where the period between 3 and 6 AM was deeply respected and was called ‘Brahma Muhurta’. It is known to be suitable for any positive actions that have a multiplied effect if performed during these hours.
Author: Mina Obradovic is a member of the Early Birds Club global board and a member of Mohanji Youth Club global board. Mina is a vegan activist and also serves as a Mohanji Acharya (facebook.com/mohanjiacharyas) and a Mai-Tri practitioner (mohanji.org/learn/mai-tri).
