The very dark, cold days of winter have now transitioned into the much brighter and warmer days of early-mid spring with summer on the way. As we progress towards the summer solstice (June 21) we gain 2 minutes of daylight every day. Now, you may notice that complete darkness is not present until after 8PM and in the mornings, the sun is rising a bit after 6 am. In one more month there will be 60 minutes more of daylight and by mid June, 2 hours more.
During the winter, thoughts of waking up early and getting outside in the dark/cold to exercise are pretty negative. However, when the sun is rising, the temperatures comfortable and the birds are singing, the idea of morning exercise is not met with as much negativism. Additionally, after dinner, as the sun is still shining, this also presents an opportunity to get outside for some caloric burn off activities.
The use of the outdoor grills increases as the sunset occurs later and later. During mid-winter, who wants to go outside in the dark and cold and grill a bunch of protein? However, when it is still bright and mild in the evenings, not only can you comfortably go outside and grill up a great tasting protein and vegetable dinner, but you can also cook more protein for lunches the rest of the week. Perhaps, once the grill is on, additional dinners for that week can be prepared.
The increasing amount of light presents an opportunity for all of us to take advantage of the opportunities to exercise more and prepare protein meals. I remember a saying that fits this situation: “Make hay when the sun shines”, meaning when an opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it. In this case, take advantage of the light.