Moving your daily, weekly, or monthly sport or activity to the end of the day can be a way to ease you of an extremely hectic schedule. Whether you’re a university student or working in the office five days a week, taking up a nighttime sport or activity may be for you! Here are our top picks.
1. Running
No time to run during the day? Why not pull on your trainers and join the Midnight runners to get your endorphins going. The London-based running group Midnight Runners have late-night running groups currently taking place all over the world.
All levels and abilities are welcome which means there’s something for everyone. Join their bootcamp runs where you’ll be running 5-10km, followed by body weight exercises or their party run which is a little different. You’ll be following a shorter version of the bootcamp run. Think DJ’s and dancing till the venue closes.
Before the run make sure you have downloaded the Heylo app as it contains all of Midnight Runners bookings and safety tips specific to your area.
For Midnight Runners member Julie, 30, the group has completely turned her life around “in the best way possible.” After starting to run at a young age and developing anorexia, running was what taught her to appreciate her body for what it can do.
They’ll bring the music, the energy, and the high fives – all that’s left to do is lace up your trainers and run. “Midnight Runners brought me a community from the first moment I met them, they treated me as if we had been friends all of our lives,” she says.
https://www.midnightrunners.com
2. Fishing
Fishing at night takes a little more skill and confidence compared to doing the activity during the day, however, this can be rewarding as a lot of species, such as catfish and conger eels swim and feed freely after dusk. Fishing at night can be dangerous, with more potential hazards than if you’re casting your line during the day because you’re working without light.
It’s always best to arrive as the sun is setting with the natural light present. LED headlamps are popular among anglers, as well as lights for rod tips. To prepare ensure that you dress for the weather conditions (check the forecast so you can be sure), and have a fully charged phone or radio, a first aid kit and a spare light.
3. Surfing
If you’re lucky enough to live by the sea or want to make the most of your coastal break, this could be the night sport for you. From the size and speed of the waves to your own judgement and instincts surfing at night provides a multitude of differences compared to catching a wave during the day.
While some surfers can’t beat a midnight drop-in, newbies to night surfing should remember that when the sun goes down, the water will be less busy which does mean more space to surf, but fewer people to notice if you get into trouble. The low light means you may have more difficulty reading the wave as it is less visible.
Ensure your safety by only setting off into the sea with someone else so you can stay safe and enjoy the surf.
*The sea at night can be extremely dangerous, sea levels are more than likely to have risen, riptides continue to be present, and sharks and jellyfish are more active. To stay as safe as possible make sure you never lose sight of the shore and ensure it is well-lit, wear a low-profile life jacket, a whistle, swimming shoes – to avoid cuts and scrapes when retuning to shore, and ensure you do not swim further than you can swim back. Find further safety tips here.
4. Rollerskating
Lace-up your boots and grab your neon leg warmers, because Nox is taking you back to the 80’s! Roller skating is a fun activity that can be done both indoors and outdoors. It’s a fun way to de-stress after work or on a first date without the awkward chit-chat.
London Street Skates is a skating group taking to the paths of Hyde Park and occasionally cruising routes through central London.
Meeting at 7:45 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays (subject to weather conditions), the group runs from April through to September meaning during spring and autumn you catch the sunset and early evening dusk.
5. Yoga
Yoga is beneficial at all times of day, however, at night it has particular benefits of helping you to wind down after a stressful day. If you want to stay in, there are a multitude of influencers who post routines on YouTube and TikTok – our favourites are Yoga With Bird and Jessica Richburg – who have posted some extremely relaxing bedtime yoga videos.
If you’re looking for something more upbeat, we’ve got the solution for you. Disco Yoga (London) offers classes full of movement, dancing, laughing, chatting and connecting. Starting classes at their ‘glitter station’ the class is full of “blissful, energising sequences to a glorious mix of disco classics will rejuvenate your mind, body, soul, reboot your body.”