Light has a powerful effect on people. Almost everyone has heard that the lack of light affects the psyche and can lead to depression, the so-called autumn/winter depression is the most prominent example of this. However, light also has effects on the body. The most extreme example is probably rickets in children or osteomalcia in adults, a disease that can occur due to light deprivation over a long period of time and in which the bones demineralize due to a lack of vitamin D, which in the worst case can even lead to deformations of the skeleton. In addition to these extremely impressive extreme examples, light has many other effects on humans. Blue light, for example, as emitted by tablets or smartphones, influences the circadian rhythm of humans, i.e. the day and night rhythm, and is suspected of causing sleep disturbances. Light color also affects whether we perceive a place as clean or how we perceive our bodies. So lighting design and lighting engineering play a major role in almost all areas of life today - from the changing room in a clothing store to the sophisticated lighting design in a modern car. Find out what role light plays in the gym and how lighting affects members here.
Lighting in training areas and classrooms
In the gym, there are different areas with different lighting requirements. On one hand, lighting needs to promote member wellness; in other places, lighting needs to help prevent injuries. But the lighting in your gym can do much more. The right light intensity and color can even improve workout results.
Comfortable, glare-free lighting helps prevent accidents during exercise. Horizontal illuminance on the workout floor should be at least 300 lux. Light intensities of 100 lux are sufficient here, but higher values improve the well-being of your members. It is also important that on training areas with equipment, the displays are easy to read and are not disturbed by reflected glare. In general, a lot of brightness is useful and beneficial, but glare should generally be avoided. Asymmetrically radiating luminaires or wallwashers therefore have a positive influence on the training experience.
In group and course rooms where trainees work in lying positions, classic ceiling luminaires should therefore generally be avoided. In course and exercise rooms, you should choose a warm white light color . Warm light generally provides a feel-good factor, cold light colors are associated with sobriety, coldness but also cleanliness. Dimmable light is also a good choice for such areas, so the light can be pleasantly and easily dimmed during rest and regeneration phases or during meditation; this is ideal for yoga, for example, and ensures a pleasant, holistic training experience.
For course rooms, color-changing lighting can be useful. For dream journeys or meditations, a pleasant, gentle color change is conducive to relaxation. Good, continuously color-changing LED lights are not expensive today, but you offer your members a particularly beautiful training experience.
Fragrance marketing in the gym
Lighting in changing rooms and sanitary areas
Bright and cool white light increases the feeling of safety and suggests cleanliness. For this reason, you should also place value on a light intensity of at least 300 lux in the changing rooms and sanitary areas. Color temperatures from 2700 Kelvin support the impression of hygienic cleanliness.
Collective changing rooms require a uniform lighting level. Take care to avoid "dark corners." Uniform lighting creates a sense of security, while the famous "dark corner" can often create a feeling of anxiety. In addition, varying lighting levels automatically suggest unkemptness - no matter how hygienic and clean your changing areas actually are. For individual cubicles, in addition to general lighting, each cubicle should have an extra individual light, and cubicle aisles should also have extra lighting at the beginning and end of the aisle. If you work with motion detectors you can save electricity especially in off-peak hours.
In all wet rooms such as bathrooms, toilets or shower facilities, luminaires with a higher degree of protection must be used. The IP 44 standard means that the luminaires are splash-proof, luminaires with the IP 65 standard are protected against water jets, but to be on the safe side, the IP 67 standard can be used directly in the shower. Luminaires with the IP 67 standard are waterproof in case of temporary immersion.
Bright light promotes physical performance
An international team of researchers led by Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss of the University of Basel has demonstrated in a study that optimal lighting at the right time promotes endurance and improves athletic performance.
At14.5 hours past the midpoint of the nightly sleep period, light had a particularly intense effect on the physical effects of exercise. Subjects were exposed to light levels greater than 4000 lux or as low as 230 lux for 160 minutes before exercise and during exercise. The light positively influenced all exercisers, but those exercisers who got up earlier had a significantly stronger effect than "late sleepers". The time of getting up probably plays less of a role than the integration of training in bright light into the daily routine. 14.5 hours after the middle of the nightly sleep period was significantly more effective here than just 11.5 hours.
With this study, the researchers proved for the first time that light has a significant influence on physical performance, while the influence on mental performance has long been demonstrated.
Standards and regulations
The standard DIN EN 12193 (2008-04) contains the specifications for the lighting of sports facilities and pursues the goals of improving the visual reception of information during sports, maintaining visual performance during sports, defining acceptable visual conditions, limiting stray light and optimizing the light for film and television broadcasting of sports events.
Depending on your state, you may be required to install security lighting. In Bavaria, for example, medical practices, fitness studios, galleries or studios are among the buildings where safety lighting in accordance with DIN EN 1838:1999 is required. The aim of this standard is to enable people to leave the building safely in the event of a power failure.
Conclusion
With the right lighting, you not only reduce the risk of injury during sports, but you can also increase the feel-good factor of your exercisers. Light has a proven effect on the body and mind. With a clever lighting concept, you can make your studio stand out from the crowd of competitors, increase ambience and the feel-good factor, and even increase the training efficiency of your members. Important legal principles are the standards for the lighting of sports facilities as well as the federal state-dependent standards for safety lighting.
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Editorial fitnessmarkt.de (DG)
Photo credit: #236732526 Prostock-studio / stock.adobe.com
Published on: 19 August 2019