Dark Mornings Are Coming
It was light at half five in June. This week it is not light until seven, and by the end of the month the clocks go back and it will not be light until the m…
It was light at half five in June. This week it is not light until seven, and by the end of the month the clocks go back and it will not be light until the morning sessions are finishing.
If you train in the morning, staying consistent this month is crucial for holding on until the year's end.
This is not about willpower. Your body clock depends a lot on light. Waking feels heavier because as far as your body is concerned it is still night.
Three things will help.
Get light on your face within a few minutes of waking. In summer that meant opening a curtain. Now it means every light in the room is on, or a lamp by the bed you can reach without standing up. It's not sunlight but it's the best we've got. If you share a room with someone who gets up later then sneak out and get into a room you can turn a light on!
Get outside during the day, ideally before eleven. Ten minutes walking to the school gates delivers more light than an hour under office lighting. We've all had days where we haven't seen any natural light and that isn't ideal.
Finally, get prepped for class the night before. Bag packed, class booked, snacks for post workout ready. Make it easy for early morning you!
Watch the other end of the day too. Caffeine after about two in the afternoon is still in your system at bedtime, and in a month when the light is already pushing your sleep around that is another barrier we want to avoid. I do have members that have coffee after dinner and have no problems, but these are the exception, not the rule. (Stan! I'm talking to you!)
Expect the first ten minutes of class will be the worst part. Morning training almost always feels hard at the start and normal once the warm-up is done. People who quit the 5:30 quit in the bedroom, not once they're here!
Our early classes run at 5:30 and 6:30 and they are busy all winter.
If the mornings are the only hour nothing else can claim, set it up now. Jeremy or Beth will talk it through in fifteen minutes on the phone, free and no obligation. crossfitchiltern.com.
