At Sunrise Every Soul is Born Again

Larks read on. Owls this may not be for you.

Have you noticed how much lighter the mornings are? Spring is finally around the corner. The change in light and temperature builds anticipation for the weeks and months ahead.

Muhammad Ali had a great quote to welcome in every new day, “At sunrise, every soul is born again.” How you start afresh each day, sets the vibe for what you get out of it.

I’m a morning person, having spent my working life rising before 6am to avoid the Northern Line rush-house crush. And even now, with more time at home, I still get up early, to enjoy the morning tranquillity.

Rising just one hour earlier can really change the day for the better. When everyone else is asleep, this time to yourself is empowering, invigorating and can be rewarding.

Try using it for three rewarding tasks to set up your day.

Value Add 1: Prepare for the day ahead

Your body needs to be woken and refreshed. First rehydrate from the night before with a large glass of water. Then step into the daylight, so that natural light hits your retina and resets your body clock, or circadian rhythm. Direct light (i.e. not filtered through glass) tells your brain to stop making the sleep hormone melatonin, so you feel more awake. Day light also nudges the body to produce the stimulating hormone cortisol, which helps to improve decision making and mood. And the daylight instructs your body to start making melatonin 14 hours later, so you sleep better.

For more information on the magic of morning light, see webmd’s article.

Ideally, we need 15 minutes of day light, which could be enough time to enjoy a real cup of coffee and experience the invigorating smells and sights of nature. This is also a good time to reflect on what you have – your home, family, health and financial wellbeing. Gratitude is the antidote to worry. For those who write a journal, this is also an opportunity to reflect on yesterday’s experiences and what you’ve learned.

If you’re always too busy doing, this extra time ensures you don’t start the day in a hurry and can contemplate the day ahead. It’s a great time to consider the one or two things you want to achieve from it. How can you use it to grow yourself? How could you help others? By planning just a few key takeaways, the day will have a purpose.

Value Add 2: Make Exercise Habitual

Try to do 20 to 30 minutes of exercise. Routines built into the morning, before the whirlwind of unplanned interruptions, are much more likely to become habits.  I use alternate days for cardio and strength exercises. My cardio exercise is at 60% to 70% of my maximum heart rate with a final 3 mins at 90%. My strength exercise is a programme of 10 reps with free weights heavy enough to make the last two repetitions exhaust me.

Of course, mental exercise is equally as important, whether that’s the morning crossword, an online game, such as Connections or Wordle, or learning a new language. However, these can be built into your normal day routines.

Value Add 3: Have A Protein Breakfast

In 1917 Kellogg’s coined the slogan “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. Whilst I don’t recommend refined carbs or added sugar, I do agree with the message. With extra morning time, you do not need to skip breakfast, nor snatch a piece of toast on the go, instead eat breakfast like a king.

Prepare a protein breakfast. This sets the body up for the day and reduces mid-morning hunger cravings. In fact, a protein breakfast is a key part of a weight management programme.

As we age, we need to consumer more protein just to trigger the process for cells to create protein (called protein synthesis) to maintain and grow muscle mass. It has been shown that older adults need to consume a minimum of 25 to 30 grams of protein to kick start this process.

Also read my blog for examples of how to increase your protein intake. 

Larks and Owls

Whilst an extra hour in the morning can set us up for the day, you can’t burn the candle at both ends, as 7 to 8 hours sleep is non-negotiable. So, if you want to value your mornings more fully, you may need to review your night-time schedule and mealtimes.

Our morning and evening wakefulness and energy is also dependent on our chronotype. This is hard wired by our DNA, a discovery that won a Nobel Prize in 2017.

Some of us are larks and others are owls. Larks naturally prefer early wake-up times and early bedtimes. They are most alert and productive in the early morning and struggle to stay awake late into the night. In contrast, owls prefer later wake-up times and bedtimes. They are most alert and productive in the evening and prefer to stay up late into the night. Understanding your chronotype can help you optimise your daily routine, improve your sleep quality and well-being.

Whichever chronotype you are, waking up a little earlier will always add value to the day. Any change should be gradual, which means shifting routines, including mealtimes, by no more than 15 minutes per day.

In summary, with Spring in the air, it’s amazing what we can experience and do when we get up just one hour earlier. This is the most glorious part of the day – with its misty beauty, tranquillity and early light. Stepping outside allows us to absorb the direct morning light and reset our body clock. It also gives us time to plan our day, incorporate some exercise and enjoy a protein breakfast. However, to achieve this, we may also need to alter our sleep habit.

An earlier morning may not be right for everyone, but it’s worth trying it.

Let me return to Muhammad Ali. His full quote was, “Rest but never quit. Even the sun has a sinking spell each evening. But it always rises the next day. At sunrise, every soul is born again.” That’s a truly inspirational way to live every day as we move into later life.

Autum will also help you plan your day with loads of inspiring ideas to be physically, mentally and socially active. Download our app and use our day planner to find your inspiration.