Don't Let Shorter Days Interfere with Exercise

You’ve all probably noticed how it is getting darker earlier these days. It will get dark much earlier when Daylight Savings Time ends on Nov. 5, and we turn our clocks back an hour. It’s nice to get that extra hour of sleep, but it’s not so easy to keep up an exercise routine when you get home from work and it’s dark outside.Here are a few tips that can help you stay fit even with the shorter days:• Get a gym membership. As the days get shorter and colder, you can go to my gym 24 hours per day. It is well lit, temperature controlled, and completely safe at all hours of the day. Although, you shouldn’t work out too close to bedtime or you might have problems falling asleep.• Work out to videos. These days, you can find workout videos everywhere! Check out YouTube or download a workout app on our phone. With these, you can exercise right in front of your television.• Invest in a good flashlight or headlamp and go walking in your neighborhood. You don’t have to make it a marathon walk, just walk for 30 minutes or so.• Do active housework like sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, doing laundry, or washing the windows. You can stay active while you keep your home looking good.• If you can swing it, by either negotiating with your boss or altering your schedule, working out in the midday is a great way to be outside during the warmest part of the day and not have to deal with the dark mornings and evenings.• Change your exercise routine to the morning. Exposure to morning sunlight helps to synchronize your internal body clock and adapt it to the new time. Get your light fix by going for a run or a brisk walk outside. The added tiredness will also help you to sleep better the next night.No matter what you choose to do, remember that it’s just as important to exercise in the fall and winter as it is in the spring and summer. Exercise helps boost the immune system to fight off the colds and flu that are going around in the winter months.