daylight saving

It's time to spring forward and set your clocks ahead one hour this Sunday. Daylight Saving Time — when we reset our clocks every year — is meant to help conserve energy. Although we'll be losing an hour of sleep this time of year, we'll also be gaining more sunlight at the end of every day. To get you through the day (it does affect some of us like jet lag, after all) we've put together some helpful tips.

• Stay alert: For several days after the clock resetting, traffic accidents go up and work injuries increase, according to Scientific American. That means we should all pay extra attention and be super aware of our surroundings.
• Take advantage of the extra light: Several things — like jogging around the neighborhood, strolling on the beach, doing yard work, and just hanging out on the porch — are better left for when the sun's out. Use the hour to make them a part of your springtime routine.
• Reset all items with a clock: Many clocks on phones or computers will reset automatically, but don't forget to switch your analog devices and change all timers, such as sprinkler timers that go off every day.
• Ease into the time change: If you can, change the hour on Friday night or Saturday so that your body's not completely thrown off on Monday morning. If that's not an option, then try to get to bed an hour earlier than normal the night before.
• Make your morning easier: No one likes to lose an hour of sleep, but you can make the morning go smoothly by prepping the night before. Pick out your clothes or pack your lunch Sunday so that the morning rush feels less stressful.

Now that you've reaped that extra hour of sleep over the weekend, you may be annoyed at the fact that the end of daylight savings means that your days seem so much shorter. But instead of wasting that extra hour of morning sunlight still in bed, here are three good reasons for switching your workout to take advantage of the early morning daylight.

You may burn more calories: Research has shown that morning exercisers tend to work out harder and longer than afternoon or evening exercisers. It may be just in their personality, but scheduling has a lot to do with it, too — you're more apt to spend more time on your workout, and you may be more energetic and alert at the beginning of the day.

You'll get it out of the way: Constantly deciding between after-work plans or a trip to the gym? Can't stand a lunch workout because of the post-workout beauty routine? By working out in the morning, you won't have to think about schlepping gym bags to and from work or figuring out a time to shower before fancy dinner plans.

You'll stick to it: If you exercise in the morning, you are more apt to keep with your routine. That's because there's usually no reason to reschedule; you'll finish your workout before your day officially starts, and there's nothing like an exceptionally trying day at work to make you want to skip.

A.m. exercise may not work if you're not a morning person, but when we asked, many of you said you would be getting up early to work out in the morning. Tell us why you get up early to exercise!

Source: Flickr User lululemon athletica

I don't know about you, but these dark Fall mornings are making it tough for me to climb out of bed. When I should be at the gym getting my workout on, I'm hiding under the sheets waiting for the sun to pluck me from my slumber. With daylight saving ending this weekend things should get a bit easier, but I know I've still got a battle ahead of me. I'm pulling out all the stops with these tips and hoping they can help my fellow not-so-morning people, too.

• Before you go to sleep, set out your gym clothes in your bed so you don't even have to get out of bed to get dressed.
• Do some stretches in bed to get your body breathing.
• Keep a bouquet of flowers on your bedside table. Research shows that people feel energized by the scent of fresh flora.
• Skip the gym altogether and pop in a DVD for a personal exercise routine in your own living room.

Want to see the rest of the tips?

Working out in the morning is always difficult for me, and even more so with the sun rising an hour later thanks to daylight saving. Due to my mom duties, I cannot take advantage of the extra evening light, so mornings it is.

After talking to celeb trainer Valerie Waters, I am more inspired to set my alarm, and then get up and go, for simple non-fitness reasons. On the topic of morning workouts, she told me,

"I believe that exercise makes you feel better. It makes you feel more confident and relaxed. If you exercise in the morning, you tend to be more aware of food intake throughout the day."

I heard this little snippet run through my head after turning off my alarm this morning. Rather than roll over and snooze, Val's voice helped motivate me onto the elliptical downstairs. Since I want whatever calories I burned before dawn to have an impact, I abstained from the sugar cookies making the rounds at Sugar Inc. and snacked on fruit and nuts instead. Thanks Val!