Exercising after dark: what helps women feel safer

The clocks went back on Sunday, and for a lot of the women I train that means the evening run or walk suddenly feels very different. You're not imagining it, and you're not alone. New research out this week puts numbers on something many women already plan around every winter.

What the new research found

Sport England's This Girl Can campaign has brought back Let's Lift the Curfew for a fourth year, timed for the clocks going back. Its survey, run by Censuswide with 1,000 women and 1,000 men aged 16 and over, found:

• 55% of women feel unsafe exercising outdoors alone after dark, compared with 33% of men
• 69% of women are concerned about sexual harassment and intimidation when exercising outdoors after dark, up from 60% in 2023
• 52% of women fear being followed after dark
• women are more than three times as likely as men to stop exercising outdoors entirely after dark (11% against 3%)
• 61% of women agree that safety worries can be a bigger barrier than bad weather, lack of time or lack of motivation

It's a survey of how people feel rather than a count of incidents, but it matters because fear changes behaviour. As This Girl Can's Kate Dale put it, "many change or step away from exercise altogether because of fear".

The BBC spoke to running groups in Shropshire who said members change routes, avoid certain areas and some stop running after dark altogether.

What women say would help

The This Girl Can write-up lists the three measures women chose most often:

1. Better lighting (55%, up from 36% in 2023)
2. Someone knowing where they are and how long they'll be out (38%)
3. Being part of an exercise group (38%, up from 22%)

The campaign is clear that safety shouldn't fall only on women changing their routines. Five-time Olympian Jo Pavey said creating safer public spaces "is so necessary". Plenty of men in the survey agreed they have a part to play: 58% said so, and 46% said they'd changed how they pass a woman after dark. If that's you, giving people a wide berth and not running up close behind someone on a dark path is a simple start.

Keeping your training going this winter

Nobody should have to give up exercise for five months of the year. Here's how I help clients keep their routine when the evenings close in, without pretending any of it fixes the bigger problem.

Join a group. Running clubs, parkrun, walking groups and gym classes all give you company. This year's campaign lists more than 400 walks, runs and activities on its national map, so it's a good week to try one.

Move the session, not the goal. About a third of women who change their routine in winter start exercising earlier. A lunchtime walk or a weekend long run keeps your weekly minutes up. The NHS guidelines ask for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and you can spread that however suits you.

Bring strength work indoors. The NHS also asks for strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week, and those are easy to do at home on a dark evening. A simple circuit of goblet squats or bodyweight squats, reverse lunges, push-ups against the kitchen worktop if you need them easier, and glute bridges covers most of the body in 25 minutes. Add mountain climbers between rounds if you want your heart rate up.

Use a gym for the dark months. A well-lit gym or leisure centre can carry your cardio through to spring. Treadmills, rowers and bikes aren't as exciting as the canal path, but they keep your fitness ticking over. If you're not sure where to go, our gym finder shows what's near you.

Tell someone. If you do head out, the survey's top tips are the practical ones: a route you know, a charged phone and someone who knows when to expect you back.

If you'd like a home plan and a workout log ready for the dark evenings, you can try FitFitCity free for a week.

The bottom line

The research says what many women already know: the hidden winter curfew is real, and it's getting worse rather than better. Training in groups, shifting sessions into daylight and having a solid indoor option all help you stay active until the light comes back. And if you're someone who shares the path, you can help too.