Day 50, or, Status Report

Today we have gray skies and uncooperative animals, so it's the perfect opportunity for a status report. First, photographic proof of today's sunrise:

So, a question that came up recently is, what changes have I noticed since starting the sunrise routine? Through my recent studies it seems so obviously beneficial that I was surprised when I struggled to answer. So I swallowed the bite of peanut butter sandwich I just took, and I still struggled to answer. Frankly, at this moment I can't say I do feel drastically different compared to when I started back in November. I don't think that is unusual, however. For one, this is just one of many incremental changes I have made over the years to improve my well-being. Related to that, I came into this already pretty healthy. I didn't have any issue I felt a need to fix, so the change I see might be smaller compared to someone with multiple medical conditions.

Changes like this can be difficult to quantify, and that is tough for many to accept nowadays where everybody is looking for measurable and reproducible results. SMART goals are great and all, but not everything can fit into that construct and that doesn't mean the "thing" isn't worthwhile. I can say since starting the routine my sleep has been better, in spite of me still trying to listen to podcasts in bed (now that I put that out there that is the next habit to adjust). Also, I don't usually have too much trouble with grogginess or crankiness (cue eye roll from Mrs. Dr. Sunshine), but I definitely feel greater ease with getting up and out of bed in the morning. Over the last few days in particular I felt it very easy to adjust to getting up earlier to catch sunrise. Now, the true test will be in a few months when we're talking about sunrise at 5:30 AM. Another very non-scientific observation I have noticed is with Sunshine, Jr. He's just a couple days in and already up and ready to go with little to no prompting whatsoever. I will continue to study him and report back with any new developments.

So there you have it. I think I feel better. I can tell you one thing, I do believe I have set a new "normal" for myself where I may not notice the gain, but if I drop the habit I bet I will notice the loss. Conducting the exercise of the thought experiment is good enough for me on that one.

PS: In case this is starting to sound like medical advice, please remember I am here for entertainment purposes only and I am not providing medical advice. Please talk to your doctor before taking a walk on a sunny day, or a cloudy day. Or, feel free to reach out to me to see how we can work together.