You can't fail to have noticed that winter has truly arrived. It's been dark, cold and mostly wet. Most people find this grim, me included. The only daylight we have seen has been during working hours when perhaps we've had a few minutes respite between meetings and have taken a glimpse out of the window.
The last few weeks I have been busy. Having recently got back to work after having a few lovely months off, I have been keen to progress things. I've not had many breaks during the day and I failed to notice that I haven't seen much daylight.
On Saturday morning the sun was shining brightly, it was a lovely frosty start to the day so Richard (my husband), Barney (who you've recently been acquainted with) and I got up early to take a walk to our local monthly Farmers Market.
Wow, what a difference it made to my start to the day! I came home feeling fresher, brighter and ready for the day and I also got my exercise done early. It was also a good reminder that I haven't been getting enough daylight in my life the last few weeks.
When reflecting on this, I recalled earlier in the year when a team I was working with had a conversation about the small things we could do to help with our personal wellbeing.
During the conversation we were each asked to select a card randomly. Each card had a practical suggestion for us to consider adopting, stuff easy to do but delivers benefits far outweighing the effort, like preparing vegetables for the week ahead on Sundays (I do this) and switching up snacks for healthy ones (I don't do this). The card I picked was 'start every day by looking at the sun for a few minutes'.
Getting sunlight in the morning, especially with a walk, helps to regulate your body's internal clock and has the following benefits:
Improves night-time sleep...those who get a dose of bright light in the morning find it easier to fall asleep at night and have better sleep quality.
Vitamin D production...helps boost your mood, reduce stress, can help reduce inflammation, support healthy bones, manage calcium levels, better sleep and more. From March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight!
Physical activity and boosting cortisol....cortisol is a natural energy booster and gives your body a wake up call.
Regulation of circadian rhythm...reinforcing your internal body clock making it easier to feel sleepy at night and wake up in the morning.
Serotonin boost...the neurotransmitter that helps your feelings of wellbeing and happiness, helping you feel more alert and make your start to the day feel more positive.
Melatonin regulation...this hormone is responsible for sleepiness. Sunlight in the morning will suppress its production and signal to you that it is time to wake up and be alert.
Better sleep patterns...daily exposure to morning sunlight can help regulate your sleep patterns and improve the quality of your sleep.
Enhanced mood and energy...by triggering those natural mood boosting endorphins.
Increased productivity...through greater focus, concentration and overall improved productivity. Especially helpful if you have stretching tasks to do first thing!
Saturday I was reminded to restart the action on that card. So from now on I will be ensuring that I get morning sunlight back in to my life. If I can't make the early walk, I will still get myself outside for a few minutes every morning.
Give it a try and let me know how you get on!
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