Turn yourself into an early riser with these simple steps!

Even if you're not a natural morning person, you'll know how refreshing it is to wake up earlier than usual. 

There's time to actually choose a proper outfit, do your make-up properly, eat breakfast at the table rather than en route to the bus, and get a workout in before hitting work or college.

All in all, waking up early gives you a great headstart to the rest of the day – but it's actually doing it that's the problem. You may have had the best of intentions last night, but the snooze button always tends to work its black magic on you when 7am hits.

Here are a few techniques to help you on the way to becoming a natural early riser!

1. Get to bed earlier
Obvious, we know, but SO important. There's no point in forcing yourself to get up at 6.30am after six hours sleep if you're going to be knackered for the rest of the day. The recommended amount of sleep is between seven and nine hours per night – some people need more and some need less. Get enough and you'll wake up refreshed and motivated for the day ahead.

2. Go to sleep when you're tired
There's no harm in going to bed super-early every once in a while. Most of us have a "normal" bedtime that we try to stick to, be it 9pm, 10pm, 11pm or later. If you find you're yawning and feeling sleepy earlier on in the evening though, listen to your body and hit the hay. Powering on through can make you over-tired, meaning you'll find it harder to drift off later.

3. Get up at the same time every day
This doesn't just mean setting your alarm for 7am every morning – it means actually getting out of bed at 7am every day, too. Establishing a morning routine helps your internal clock to stabilise itself, meaning you'll begin to feel more energised in the morning. The bad news? Sleeping in on weekends will only throw everything out of whack again, so try not to lie in too late.

4. Get moving as soon as you wake up
If your room is dark when you wake up, open the curtains and get going. The more you move and expose yourself to natural light, the less groggy you'll feel. Head into the kitchen for a glass of water, turn the coffee machine on, jump straight into the shower or go for a jog – whatever you need to do to wake yourself up, do it!

5. Schedule workouts for the morning
Not only will this motivate you to get up on time each day, but an early workout will also leaving you feel bright and refreshed for the day ahead. A morning gym session is a great way to boost your metabolism and keep you energised. Plus, once your workout is done, it;s out of the way – no dragging yourself to a spin class in the rain after work.