• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Stop the Clock: The Permanent Daylight Saving Revolution

We change our clocks twice a year in the U.S. because of Daylight Saving Time, and it costs the economy $434 million annually.

Craig Marker

Written by Craig Marker Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

Last weekend’s time change was my last and I urge you to do the same.

The time change affects our daily rhythms and affects our productivity. The week after a time change has been found to lead to more car and work accidents, heart attacks, and headaches, as well as decreased work productivity. It is estimated the resulting loss in productivity costs the United States economy $434 million a year.

Instead, I’m opting for Permanent Daylight Saving Time (PDST). PDST maintains the same time throughout the year. It is based on local daylight savings time and avoids the abrupt shifts associated with changes to and from Daylight Saving Time. The disadvantage, of course, is having to adjust when the outside world is out of sync with you. You may also have heard of Farmer’s Time, where the person uses natural daylight for time cues, but PDST is a little different than that.

Let’s examine all three of these approaches to time, how they came to be, and how we can choose to abide by them – or not.

Government Involvement

The original motive for the time change was to save candles at night. By “extending” daylight at night, fewer candles would be used. Similar thinking was used during World War I and II in an effort to save electricity.

“Much of the difference has come out of efforts to cool our homes. As we extend the time we are awake in daylight, we also extend how much electricity is used for cooling.“

In the United States, local and state governments were allowed to set the time standards until 1966. In 1966, Congress attempted to unify time changes and set up the standard system of Daylight Saving Time. The U.S. wasn’t alone in these attempts. British Summer Time originated in 1916 and originally jumped the clock forward with four twenty-minute steps.

There has been mixed research on whether these steps save electricity. Much of the difference has come out of efforts to cool our homes. As we extend the time we are awake in daylight, we also extend how much electricity is used for cooling. Thus, on warmer days we might use more electricity on cooling than we are saving on lighting. Farmers describe problems as animals expect to be fed at the same time and the animals have no notion of human time.

Farmer’s Time

Farmer’s time is the idea that we build our day on the natural rhythms of daylight. In the winter, we would spend less time outside as there is less daylight. In the summer, we would want to spend more time outside. Daylight and sunset dictate to us when we should get up or go to bed. Thomas Jefferson said, “Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun.” He also noted that the sun never caught him in bed.

“Farmer’s time is the idea that we build our day on the natural rhythms of daylight. In the winter, we would spend less time outside as there is less daylight.”

As kids, we might have best known farmer’s time during our school breaks, as school did not dictate when we needed to get up or go to bed. Playing would occur from sunrise to sunset.

How to Function with the External World

Farmer’s time sounds quite appealing to me. However, it is probably difficult to function in this manner with external demands. PDST is probably more realistic. For most of the year, you are in perfect sync with external demands. In winter months, you would get up an hour earlier than others. Your workplace or school might demand you work an hour later (as they are on a different time dimension). If you are fortunate enough to have flexibility at work, then you can adjust your schedule.

“My experiment worked well the first month, but over time, I slowly migrated to everyone else’s clock.“

I attempted to live by PDST over the winter months. I kept my clocks set to Daylight Saving Time and I adjusted meetings so they would appear on my time. I changed my computer to act as if I were located one time zone away. By doing this, meeting invites automatically adjusted to my time. My mobile phone was a bit more difficult as it automatically adjusted the time (However, you can modify the settings).

My experiment worked well the first month, but over time, I slowly migrated to everyone else’s clock. It was just easier to get up an hour later. That said, I think I learned enough in this experiment to make it stick next time.

Summary

As evidence accumulates, it seems the supposed benefits of Daylight Saving time are few and the disadvantages are far greater. As many governments have not made any movement on changing to a different system, it might be up to us as individuals to make the change.

If enough of us stay on PDST, then eventually workplaces and the government will see the benefit of making the shift. I recommend you start thinking about the last time change being the last time change you make.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

  • How Does Time of Day Affect Your Workout?
  • When You Train and What It Might Mean About You and Your Exercise
  • Sleep Quality and Exercise: Are You in the Dark?
  • What’s New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Craig Marker

About Craig Marker

Craig Marker, Ph.D. CSCS, StrongFirst Senior Instructor, is a fitness enthusiast who has spent his life trying to help people improve their lives. He is an Associate Professor at Mercer University teaching psychology and research methods. He works with students on how best to understand research and place it into context. He has published over fifty articles on psychology and research methods. As a researcher, he understands the latest cutting-edge research on fat loss, muscle gain, sports performance, and nutrition.

As a psychologist, Craig has focused on research and treatment of anxiety disorders, which positions him to understand motivation and the fear of making life changes. His upcoming book, the AntiFragile Self, takes on the topic of building a stronger person in the mental and physical domains.

As a certified StrongFirst Kettlebell Instructor, Craig views kettlebells as one tool in the trade of forging a better person. He also has certifications in CrossFit, CrossFit Mobility, and CrossFit Gymnastics. He uses the Functional Movement Screen and multiple corrective movements to make sure his students are performing at their best for the rest of their lives. You can visit him in person at CrossFit Empirical in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Fergus Crawley 5K Run Tips Photo
Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K
Actor Chris Hemsworth in gym performing dumbbell row
Chris Hemsworth Diagrams a Killer Upper Body Workout Fit For an Action Star
Hugh Jackman Deadpool 3 Workouts Spring:Winter 2023
Hugh Jackman Returns to Wolverine Condition in Workouts for “Deadpool 3”
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About