News: Want to lose weight? Get up to watch the sun rise.

Ah, morning light. It might be something you only have time to appreciate on summer cottage weekends with a lounge chair and a cup of coffee in hand. But if you’re looking to drop some pounds, you might want to make exposure to morning light part of your every day routine.

A new study, published in PLOS One, shows that people who are exposed to earlier sunlight (as opposed to afternoon sunshine) are slimmer.

Strange, but true.

‘Light is the most potent agent to synchronize your internal body clock that regulates circadian rhythms, which in turn also regulate energy balance,’ senior study author Phyllis C. Zee, M.D. said in a press release. ‘The message is that you should get more bright light between 8 a.m. and noon.’

Looks like it’s time to start waking up a little bit earlier to head outdoors – whether it’s for a morning walk, or just to sit on your deck absorbing the a.m. rays.

Of course, if the only chance you get to spend some time outdoors is on your lunch break, you should still take full advantage of that. Nature can boost your health, and so can a midday walk break.

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

Related:
‘ 6 steps to becoming a morning person
‘ How nature can make you healthier
‘ How daylight savings time affects your health