Rise And Run: How To Become A Morning Runner
- By Linzay Logan
- Published Feb. 10, 2012
- Updated Feb. 13, 2012 at 12:37 PM UTC
Expose Yourself To Natural Light
“The most effective way to switch [from night owl to morning person] is by using light exposure or light therapy,” Marks says. “This is especially true for people who have a tendency to stay up late and not feel tired.” She suggests flooding your room with natural light as soon as you wake up if the sun is out. “Early morning light exposure can help shift your body clock so you are more alert early in the morning and you follow the pattern of getting tired early in the evening,” explains Marks. “Sunlight can do this”
However, if you are waking up before the sun or live in a climate that doesn’t see the sun as often, using a light box offers similar light exposure that will help make you more alert and successfully shift your sleep schedule. Marks recommends light boxes such as the Lite Book and the Phillips Go Lyte. “[Lite boxes] can be very effective in changing your body rhythm so you can wake up naturally on your own,” she says. “Lite boxes trigger our brain for the sleep/wake schedule.” Just 15 to 20 minutes of exposure upon waking up can help make you more alert and ready to run.
FILED UNDER: Training
Linzay Logan
Linzay Logan is the copy editor for Competitor magazine and cares about punctuation probably a little too much. She particularly loves to avoid commas as well as add exclamation points whenever she can get away with it! She also loves to run marathons and half-marathons—probably a little too much. Don’t let her small size fool you; she’ll still try to outrun you anytime. Even though chances are she probably can’t.