Fitting Fitness: Battling Darkness

By: LL
I cannot lie, when my alarm went off at 4:30 this morning for me to get up and go to the gym, I could barely even open my eyes. My first thought was that it couldn't be 4:30 because it was still too dark out. I know that Cool J had a similar experience this morning with her 8 mile run in the dark. Working out this time of year is harder than ever!

As the days get shorter and shorter, and the hours of daylight are less and less, it becomes much harder to squeeze in your daily workout. Whether you are a morning workout person or an evening workout person, you are not only battling your own schedule and motivation, but now you are battling darkness. I don't know about you, but I find it much harder to muster the motivation to get out of bed in the morning when the sun doesn't even rise until 7:30. Where I didn't necessarily love getting up in the summer either, at least I was awake when I headed out the door as the sky was already lightening by 5:00. And this battle is so much more than just motivational - it is biological.

As you might already know, in humans, the chemical melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature. Production of melatonin by the pineal gland is inhibited by light and permitted by darkness. For this, melatonin is often referred to as "the hormone of darkness." In short, melatonin is the regulator of our biological clocks, controlling our drowsiness based upon light change.

So enough with the biology lesson, and back to the issues at hand: fitting fitness in fewer daylight hours. Given this information about melatonin and our bodies response to lack of light, it is biologically more difficult to fit in fitness during this time of year. So how do you manage?

A few good suggestions from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) are:

1. Stick to a schedule (if you can). Don't switch up the time of day that you workout each day, rather pick a time and try to stick with it. This will form a habit (fact: it takes 32 days to form a habit and 64 to break it), which will assist you in getting up even without the biological trigger.
2. When you get up in the morning, turn on a few bright lights to trick your body into thinking that it is lighter out, which will wake you up before you step outside.
3. If you workout after work, plan an energy-filled snack approximately an hour before you will head out for the day. Fitness Magazine, among other online resources, provides a great list of healthy, energy-boosting snacks. Some good ones for work include low-fat microwave popcorn, an apple and peanut butter, or a few handfuls of nuts (such as almonds).
4. Avoid too much caffeine late in the day. Even though it might help you with your current energy levels, it will likely affect your sleep that night, which ultimately affects your energy the next day.
5. Bring your gym bag to work and head straight to the gym/out for a run from work. Avoid going home because it will only make getting to the gym harder as you get bogged down with things to do at home, or get comfortable in the warmth.
6. Work out with a friend or a group, which will hold you accountable and provide you with additional motivation, even if you don't have yours. Another person will also add safety and comfort when you are lacking light, such as increasing your likelihood to be seen by cars or see potential hazards.

If you run outside in the dark, keep in mind that safety is important. Run with a headlamp (as seen here). Run with pepper spray. Wear reflective gear. Try to stick to better lite paths. Run with others. Run cautiously if in the colder states so to avoid slick patches.

It might be harder to fit fitness during the fall/winter months, but it definitely is possible and VERY beneficial as you start to get into the feasting at the holidays!