Lack of physical activity is a global health concern. Determining an appropriate time to motivate individuals for consistent outdoor exercise is challenging. Early morning outdoor physical activity (PA) has proven health benefits. However, in spite of known wellness benefits, people report motivational barriers such as lack of time, lack of enjoyment to experience morning outdoor PA. Smartphones are increasingly used as a tool to assist in outdoor PA. We have leveraged the smartphone technology capabilities to address the motivational barriers in early morning outdoor physical activity. PURPOSE: The main purpose of our work is to share findings of an exploratory study for improving motivation of outdoor physical activity. METHODS: We developed an intervention called “Rise and Smile” led by one healthy participant and followed by 280 online followers for 365 consecutive days. The participant performed daily 15 minutes of early morning PA of walking or running to reach an outdoor Sunrise viewing location. The participant then captured a photo of the beautiful view of nature during sunrise on their smartphone camera upon completion of their PA. The participant then instantly published the photo on a social media page. RESULTS: The individual participant self-reported increased energy, better sleep and increased productivity. The virtual participants (n=281) showed positive acceptance via social media with regular sunrise photo likes. The positive reaction to the Sunrise photo also motivated the individual to establish the daily wellness habit. The positive experience of watching sunrise and the picturesque photos of nature during sunrise were used as motivational tools. The participant’s motivation was used as a primary outcome measure and was reportedly improved upon successful completion of this study. The study also showed the influence of unique sunrise photos for emotional benefits and positive behaviour change. CONCLUSION: Our smartphone-enabled study suggested that use of technology to record unique picturesque outdoors during the sunrise can provide meaningful motivation for outdoor physical activity.