Getting Fit for Fall

Fall is the perfect time to start a fitness program because it creates good habits for the upcoming holiday and winter months! Here are a few tips on getting fit for fall and what you can do to keep the momentum going!

Stay Fit This Season

Take advantage of the weather.

Fitness in fall stimulates the senses: the crisp air, pumpkin carving, fall foliage, and the season’s festivities. This is a great time to exercise outdoors and takes advantage of the cooler temperatures. You can discover new park trails while taking in the beautiful scenery as the leaves are falling, whether you’re walking, biking, or jogging.

If you live where it snows early, consider trying cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Adversely, if you live near the beach or in a warmer climate, it’s a perfect time of year to play volleyball, golf, or just play fetch with your dog.

Motivation

Goals, hopes, and dreams aren’t enough to get you where you want to be; you must be self-motivated by your daily workouts! Choose something you enjoy doing, and by doing so, you will be likely to keep up with the routine, whether it’s walking or hiking, working with a trainer, or taking part in a class at the gym.

Creating a challenge for yourself helps with self-motivation, encouragement, and accountability. You know when you’re doing a good job and when you’re not, and remember: anything worth having takes work to get it.

Integration

You already hear all the obvious suggestions like parking farther away from wherever you’re going. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking around the building during your lunch break. Here are a few other less obvious ways to integrate exercise into your fall routine:

• If you have kids: when taking them to the park or soccer practice, instead of reading a book or visiting with another parent, walk around the outside of the field while they practice, or warm up and cool down with the kids to show your support and help out the coach.

• Try walking meetings: get the team outside to brainstorm and exercise together.

• Be music-minded! To motivate you for fitness or other life goals. Get inspirational music or find a motivational talk and download it to your iPod. It helps with creativity, too! Exercise while you listen for at least 30 minutes.

30 Day Rule

Always remember the 30-day rule as a reference for change. It takes approximately four weeks for the body to adapt to lifestyle changes. This is why most people who give up on their exercise goals generally do so within the first 30 days. Always try to stick with a fitness program for at least a month. After that time, your behavior patterns will have adapted. And it will be much easier to stick with your new routine afterward.