Ross: Morning people have the ideal lifestyle, it’s just science!

When I took this morning job, there wasn’t much competition. It was basically, “Dave, we need someone who can be here at 4:45 a.m., and we immediately thought of you.”

Nobody else wanted to wake up this early. And I understand why – it’s dark, it’s lonely, you can’t party the night before, and you miss breakfast.

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But I get the last laugh because, according to Fortune Magazine, I have the ideal lifestyle.

The article quotes Samantha Snowden, who teaches mindfulness; here is one of her videos from Headspace.com.

“I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and as a kid, I had every manifestation of every anxiety that you can imagine, from OCD to panic attacks,” Snowden told us.

But now — she is now an online star, with a degree in psychology, an acknowledged expert on meditation, and she told Fortune that rising before the sun increases confidence and reduces stress.

Why is that? Because getting up early is like getting a head start in a race. You’re not feeling like you’re trying to catch up. You’re on the road before everybody else. And it reduces the pressure on your brain.

And the nervous system responds by not flooding your brain with extraneous thoughts and what-ifs – because you know you have a cushion.

Of course, the experts also warn that you must still get your seven hours of sleep, or you risk depression and even heart disease. So getting up at five means you need to be asleep by 10. For me, it’s about nine.

And to make your early wake-up routine easier to handle, you can use what’s called “choice reduction” – reducing the number of decisions you have to make in the morning. One option is laying out your clothes, so you’re not digging through the closet in the dark or pre-positioning your cell phone, wallet, glasses, and keys.

You can also take a slow walk around the house to relax, check in on your body sensations, think optimistic thoughts, and pat your pockets to make sure you still have the phone. I usually do about 20 pushups (some mornings, I even go for 25 in case the Olympics come calling.)

The result of all this? Well, if you watch the video feed, you can see for yourself – the morning crew here is the healthiest work group in the Pacific Northwest. Colleen and Chris look like they could run a marathon, I still have a full head of hair (at least from this angle) as well as a chiseled physique– plus, here it is 7:36 in the morning, and I’m alert enough to read this commentary aloud without mistakes. Plus, I’m all caught up on the news because I’ve been listening to the radio all morning!

So, just as the article predicts, I am relaxed and totally ready for the day ahead! Which is the best part because, at this point, my day is actually about half over.

Let’s hear it for the early morning lifestyle, morning crew!

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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