Waking up to the chirping of birds is a
growing trend in Goa. With a new class of ‘early to bed and early to rise’
individuals, the members of the 5am Club are increasing in number. As exclusive
as this may sound, this club doesn’t require any membership and there aren’t
set rules to follow. All you have to do is wake up early and begin your day
with renewed energy by exercising, meditating and getting organised.
Rajesh Malhotra, owner of professional bike
retail store Probyk, lives in Miramar. While an early morning, pre-sunrise jog
on the streets of Miramar makes for a lovely experience, Rajesh prefers
cycling. He wakes up at 5am, has a cup of green tea, gets dressed and heads out
with his bicycle. “I cycle for around 30-40 kilometres per day and return home
by 8am. I rarely go for a run. I enjoy the calmness of the morning which gives
my day a calm, smooth beginning. If I wake up at 7am, the day has already begun
and everything is moving and it is difficult for me to ease into the day.
Waking up early gives me more space and time,” say Rajesh who winds up his day
by 11pm for an early start the next day.
Sapna Sardessai runs a publishing and
advertising business called Printer’s Devil in Porvorim. As she is tied up with
work during the day, her only option is to wake up early and exercise. She hits
the bed at around 9:30m or 10pm so that she can get adequate sleep. “I wake up
at 5am to get freshened up and head to the gym to join the first batch of the
day at 5.30am. I have been doing this for over a year now. Once back home, I
have to complete my cooking and then leave for office by 9.30am. I prefer
waking up early because if I get up late, it upsets my routine. Mornings are a
great time to regroup your thoughts when it is quiet and I enjoy the clarity,”
says Sapna.
Endurance cyclist Terence Moniz from Panjim
is a member of the popular cycling group Cycling Goa. Terence’s workout regime
has programmed his body to wake up exactly at 5am. “I used to get up at 4.45am
earlier and once by mistake my alarm didn’t ring, but I still woke up exactly
at the same time.” He adds, “Though I get up at 5am, I know people who are
awake even at 4.30am and already out jogging on the beach. I go cycling or do my
core exercises in the morning.”
“It is important to get up in the morning
for most endurance cyclists because if we have to compete in a 1,200 kilometres
cycling brevet it has to be completed within 90 hours which leaves very few
hours to sleep in a day,” explains Terence.
Dr Belinda Viegas-Muller has been waking up
at 5am since her student days and nothing has deterred her from changing her
routine. A practising psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Belinda recently
participated in the 2nd Edition of Daal Bati Choorma, a 1,200 kilometre
Enduride in Delhi, after completing the Goan Yoyo, a 1,200 brevet in Goa.
“I either cycle or exercise for nearly 2-3
hours per day. I reach my clinic by 8am and some days I cycle for a few hours
more and head to the clinic by 10am. I don’t miss getting up early. I feel like
I’ve accomplished something for the day. It even gives me more time to read and
write,” says Dr Belinda. She goes to bed by 10pm and takes a power nap of
around 20-30 minutes in the afternoon. “I feel rejuvenated for the rest of the
day,” she adds.
