How to Stick to Your Fall Fitness Routine

Without a doubt, summer is the season when we are most active. Warm weather, more daylight hours, and more time off from work all conspire to get us moving more and many times we do not even realize it.

However, once the leaves begin to change and the hours of daylight diminish, so too does our activity level. We begin to develop excuses not to be physically active. The most common excuses are too much work, too little daylight and bad weather. Well, this post is being written to help you overcome those excuses and stay active during the autumnal months. So, let’s get started…

• Weather the weather by dressing appropriately or changing your outdoor workout time. If it’s a bit chilly, dress in layers in order to shed a layer or two as you heat up during your workout. If you simply cannot stand cool weather or a bit of rain, try to alter your morning workout to the afternoon when it’s warmer. If it’s raining when you want to get outside, check the weather and get out there when it’s not raining. In other words, be weather flexible.
• Phone a friend to exercise with you or, when phoned by a friend don’t ghost them just to avoid a workout. You’ll be amazed how motivated you become NOT to miss a workout due to the guilt engendered by leaving your friend to workout alone. Also, tell your friend not to let you off the hook so easily when you don’t feel like working out and you return the favor.
• Stay indoors if you must. An indoor workout on a treadmill, spin bike or resistance machine (i.e. weights) is better than no workout at all. If the weather and/or your schedule conspire against you, stay inside and do the best you can with what’s available in your home or head to the local gym.
• Use the fall foliage as motivation to get outside to hike/walk. If you live in an area where the leaves change color, get out there and take it all in. Search for local hiking or walking trails that offer the best views of the oranges, yellows and reds that appear only during this time of year. Grab a camera or use the one on your phone and create a photobook, prints or a collage of your photographs…use Shutterfly to get started.
• Write your exercise time into your schedule and stick to it! Once we write something down (goals, memoirs, honey-do list, schedules) and then re-read what we’ve written, it tends to put more pressure on us to complete the task.
• Set a goal and, of course write it down. With the return of local 5ks there’s bound to be a Halloween run or turkey trot around you. Sign up for it now, put it in your schedule and place the flyer for it on your fridge or other prominent place. You could also create a reasonable weight loss goal or similar exercise themed goal.
• Try a new exercise this fall like hiking, trail running, outdoor yoga, kayaking, paddle boarding, road or mountain biking, rollerblading, golf (without the cart), geocaching (Google it), or tennis. I’m sure there are local groups in your area that can help get you started and offer support.

Just because the weather changes during this time of year, that’s no excuse to prepare for hibernation in your home. Take advantage of the cooler weather and stunning foliage to remain, or even become, more active. As some guy in fur robes once said on Game of Thrones, “Winter’s coming,” and you know what that means…freezing temps, wind, snow. hot chocolate and comfort food. Therefore, get out there this fall and go into winter in great shape.