Dark Academia, Literally: Staying Active Once It's Dark by 5:30

I do this every year and every year I act surprised. In September I'm out most evenings because it stays light until nearly seven and walking after work feels like a treat. Then it's October, the sun is gone by 5:30, I look out the window and think nah. One night turns into a week and by the time I notice, the habit has quietly left the building.

Anyway, I went looking to see if this was just me and found a study from this year. They took Fitbit data from 1,157 people around the clock change and saw no net change in total daily steps, just a reshuffling of when people took them. After the clocks went back, people walked about 200 more steps in the morning and about 180 fewer in the evening, so over the whole day they came out roughly even. They'd moved the walking around, they hadn't lost it. The clocks change again on November 1, which means more light in the morning and less at night, so it's worth thinking about mornings or lunch now instead of in December.

I tried working out where my own steps could go instead. These are guesses at a normal pace, around 100 steps a minute.

Add those up and I'm at roughly 6,000 steps without ever heading out on a proper walk. The phone calls surprised me most. I pace the whole time without noticing and twenty minutes of it counts for a lot more than I'd have guessed. The free walking plan is there if you want something to follow, but I mostly wing it.

Making it nice enough to actually do

I only started going out again once it felt like something I wanted to do. Big coat, flask of tea, an audiobook I'm only allowed to listen to on walks, usually something gothic and a bit gloomy. The old brick houses near me have yellow light in the windows by 5:30 and it looks great. Twenty minutes of that feels more like a scene from a book than exercise, which is probably why it works on me.

When the weather's foul I don't skip, I just do less. Ten minutes, one lap of the block, hood up. It's nothing impressive, but it keeps the habit ticking over and I'd take that over a big plan I've dropped by Wednesday. When I get back my hands are frozen and my head is clearer and sitting down feels like I earned it.

I clip my 3DFitBud onto my waistband under the coat so it doesn't get lost in all the layers and I check it once I'm indoors with something hot in my hand.

The dark bit

Walking in the dark is riskier than walking in daylight and the numbers back that up. A recent safety report found that 76.5% of pedestrian deaths with known lighting conditions happened after dark. It doesn't stop me going out. It just means I stick to streets with lights, wear something reflective, face the traffic when there's no sidewalk and leave one earbud out. If I'm on my own I also clip a personal alarm keychain onto my bag strap. I barely notice it's there, which suits me fine.

FAQ's

• Do I actually lose steps when it gets dark early?

  Not in that study. Total steps over the day stayed about the same and just moved to the morning. Your own routine might look different, though.

• Is it fine to walk after dark?

  Mostly, yes, if you're sensible about it. Lit streets, something reflective and keep your eyes and ears open.

• Mornings aren't an option for me.

  Then use lunch, take your calls on your feet or do ten minutes after dinner. A few small walks beat one big one you never get round to.

• Where do I put the pedometer under a winter coat?

  Clip it on your waistband or belt under the outer layer. It stays put and you can check it as soon as you're inside.