Don’t forget to Spring Forward

The first quarter of the year is almost behind us and this weekend, time will be springing forward, as Daylight Savings Time begins. Time is set to change at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14. With the time change, sunrise and sunset will be about an hour later on March 14 and more light will be seen in the evening.

The beginning of daylight savings time means Summer is that much closer. Daylight Savings Time will run through Nov. 7, 2021, when clocks will once again Fall backward gaining more light in the morning time. Many of the countries in the Northern Hemisphere utilize Daylight Savings Time such as North America, Central America, Europe, Asia and northern Africa.

Over the past several years the discussion has taken place on if Daylight Savings Time should be utilized and while heavy opinions have been presented on both sides of the argument, the majority of the United States is still adhering to the DST practice. There are however several states that have passed bills in favor of permanent DST, but Congress has yet to pass a federal law allowing any state to observe DST year-round.

According to information provided by Timeanddate.com, U.S. Inventor Benjamin Franklin first proposed the concept of DST in 1784, but the modern Daylight Savings Time was first suggested in 1895. George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand presented the idea of a two-hour daylight saving shift. An interesting fact is while in the U.S. Clocks are moved forward or turned back an hour, in Lord Howe Island in Australia clocks are only moved 30 minutes forward.

For some the switch that takes place at Daylight Savings Time can be a tough one. In order to help adjust to the new schedule, there are a few tips to help ease into the time shift:

• Set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier Sunday

• Eat some good breakfast meals this week breakfast is the energizer of the day; don't skip it if energy is lacking

• Get some sunlight - soak in the sunlight while you can

• Keep up your routine exercise schedule - just because time is shifting doesn't mean your schedule has to change up and exclude activities that benefit your day to day health and positive energy

• Drink extra water, limit caffeine, alcohol and sugar

• Manage stress with whatever stress busting technique works best for you - this is where the exercise routines come back into play; utilize the energy you have and use your environment around you to fuel the positivity in the day as well as eliminate the stress.

• Go to sleep a few minutes earlier - if the time shift is causing you to hit the snooze button a couple extra times in the mornings, adjust your bedtime and gain a few extra minutes of sleep by going to bed earlier than normal.