Exercise in the dark

[Orangeblossom1977]

OK so now apparently people are walking about in the dark for exercise as they 'feel safer' according to the BBC

Really? I find this quite depressing, to 'walk slowly' in the dark. Also could be pretty dodgy in some areas to walk about alone...think the BBC are out of touch perhaps

But then I find the idea of the cold water swimming grim as well

Sorry link www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-55895737

Presumably the people doing it are enjoying it? It isn’t compulsory.

I did notice quite a few joggers out in the dark the other evening, just thought they were going after work rather than going then to 'feel safe'

Sorry, probably just my grumpy mood.

I saw that too and thought the same thing. The BBC does seem out of touch. Even though my area has quite low crime there's no way I'd want to walk around my local park on my own at nght.

My DD walks with her friend at around 8/9pm for an hour. DD's friend brings her dog and they've got fed up of trying to avoid people with dogs who want to talk about them so go later. She's 19 and chosen to do this.

Thousands of dog walkers do this for half the year anyway, I don't understand the 'walk slowly' comment

I exercise in the dark more now than before COVID. Mostly running. Sometimes first thing in the morning sometimes at night. It allows me to avoid others more easily which is good as I’m conscious a lot of people get nervous of runners nearby at the moment so I end up running in the road a lot of the time. It’s also generally the only time I can fit it in whilst juggling kids, work and home school.

I've been meeting my mum for a walk in the dark for the last few weeks. We go to nice places that was be rammed during the day. Take a torch and a large dog. Don't see the problem.

It’s much nicer to walk in the dark when it’s quiet than to have to walk in the road every 5 seconds because the pavements aren’t wide enough to socially distance. I’ve started walking at around 10pm and it’s lovely.

I do it ... much calmer, rather beautiful in the crisp weather... don't have time with work earlier.... BUT it does limit where I go - large well lit residential streets where I feel safe. Not parks sadly!

The 'walk slowly' comment was some advice from the clip

Do you not worry about getting mugged or something? Would have thought that was more of a risk than the extremely low risk of passing a jogger

*would be

I don't worry about being mugged no.

I walk in the countryside, and they'd have to be some pretty hardy muggers to hand around for hours in the sub zero temperatures we've been having, for hours on the off chance of someone walking past.

Also, as I said before, big dog!

It's winter so it's mainly dark when I can get out.
Once the days are longer I will be making sure I do it all in daylight, but it's not possible at the moment.
There are people around where I live so it's not unsafe in terms of being attacked and I feel safe in terms of catching Corona when I'm exercising, but I can't always see the road properly so I think I have a higher chance of tripping in the dark. It's also just much more pleasant in daylight, but well, winter is what it is.

I think a lot of people go out in the dark because it's the only time they can go.

At least it is getting a bit lighter in the evenings now. It's still daylight as I type this. Better than when 3.30 was the latest I could get out for a half hour walk in daylight!

I eat muggers for breakfast...

Honestly I live in a sleepy place which makes this easy. When I did live in little bad city... I chased away (with swear words) would-be muggers/perverts before and would enjoy doing it again. They can feckety feck off to feck.

I saw this on the news last night, the lady wandering through the hills with a lantern looked fantastic. Traipsing round the streets of the unsavoury part of SE London doesn't appeal to me quite so much!

It did look lovely on the news report last night. I don't ever feel fully safe even walking in my local area during the day so there's no way I would go at night - obviously it's different if you can go with someone. I'm in London though and the local green spaces are commons which have a long history of lone women getting attacked there.

In mid-winter it can be better running in the dark than on a gloomy day, and far nicer when the Christmas lights are out.

I'm more selective about my routes and stick to shorter runs in my suburb. Not great for trail. But in principle, exercising in the dark is fine.

I like going out in the dark as well - it's more peaceful and more relaxing. I don't see that exercising in the dark is any more dangerous* than exercising in the daytime - if anything I think the chance of a random nutter hanging around in the park in the dark, on the offchance that they can attack a lone female, is less than during the day.

*assuming you can see sufficiently to not trip over random tree roots or something

In a couple of weeks it will be light enough after work to go for a nice walk, I'm waiting til then

On a Friday night, my friend and I would have been found in the pub together.

So instead, we're going for really long walks, with a few cans of gin and tonic. It's been lovely actually, walking in the dark. Nice and quiet compared to the day.

I sometimes walk at night along the local canal...there are a few odd cyclists and the canal boats all moored up...i do take a very bright led torch with me...but there are muggers on bikes again being reported so have stopped going...

I'm CEV and do this - I do my exercise in the dark because quite frankly people do not understand social distancing where I am. I stick to well lit areas though with many houses around.

If I’m working I’ve always had to exercise in the dark in the winter or I wouldn’t exercise. But as I’m wfh I’m squeezing my runs in before work as that’s when I’d prefer to do it . I don’t mind the dark but I avoid quieter places and stick to main roads .