As the world’s weirdest summer draws to a close, I am sure most people are simply glad 2020 is almost over. The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler, which provides new opportunities to revisit your fitness goals. In the summer, it is often difficult to exercise outdoors due to the incredible heat. Fun activities - like hiking and biking – become much easier when cooler temperatures hit in the fall. This post will focus on ways you can revamp your fitness goals by utilizing the great outdoors and the changing seasons.
According to WebMD, the fall season is the perfect time to consider your fitness because “you’re going to create good habits for the holiday season and the upcoming winter months.” While most people consider New Year’s a time to reorganize your fitness goals, accomplishing this in the fall allows those good habits to go with you throughout the holiday season. This especially hits home for those who have kids going back to school in the fall (whether virtually or in-person) because back-to-school season is often a great time to get reorganized and ready for a great school year. See our blog post from August on this topic here! https://www.laughtonco.com/blog.htm?ID=6288
One of the main reasons focusing on fitness during the fall season is ideal is because the weather starts cooling down. While it might have been too hot to take that hike with your dog in June, in September the chill breeze will keep both you and your pup nice and cool! You can even incorporate both being active and celebrating the new season with fall-themed activities. Verywell Fit offers some great advice on this: "Plan fall activities that involve walking: apple-picking, hunting for the perfect pumpkin or enjoying the beautiful colors with some colorful autumn walking." Many of these outside activities are easy to do while maintaining social distancing guidelines, making them a great addition to this year’s list of fun, fall activities! Just remember, with the colder weather also comes the start of shorter days, so it's a good idea to optimize on the sunshine while it's out!
There are lots of ways to incorporate fitness into our routines, even if it feels like our schedules don’t allow it. It is always important to remember that fitness comes in any way that we can move our bodies, even just for a few minutes. And those few minutes of movement are a huge advantage for many of us who spend all day sitting, whether in an office position, working from home, or lounging in quarantine. Take the option to walk around your block while on your next conference call or offer to walk outside with a friend or coworker during a lunch break. The fresh air will get your creative juices flowing and the exercise will boost your metabolism for the day. Incorporating fitness into your everyday routine is a great way to make it a habit. As much as we don’t like it, housework is part of our daily routines, too. But did you know that there is exercise built into the tasks we must do as well? Raking and bagging leaves can burn as many as 350-450 calories per hour, while shoveling snow burns between 400-600 calories per hour (WebMD). So, the next time you’re watching leaves or snow fall outside your house, instead of dreading the chore, look at it as a quick way to get fit! It’ll change your mood and improve your motivation at the same time!
While the end of summer brings about feelings that are often bittersweet, it’s important to continue looking at the positives and keep moving forward. Time goes on and the seasons change, but that’s no reason to let our goals fall to the wayside. Focusing on exercise and fitness during the fall months can establish good habits for the rest of the year and incorporating movement into your daily routine or housework can help you get fitter, faster!
Jessica Hix is an Account Manager and Marketing Coordinator for The Laughton Company. While her day-to-day tasks in the Employee Benefits Department keep her busy, her monthly blog posts keep her sane! If you’re interested in more content from The Laughton Company, sign up for our newsletters or follow us on social media!
Sources
https://www.verywellfit.com/get-ready-for-fall-fitness-1231605
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/10-tips-fall-fitness#1