26 Sep Fall into fitness: 5 ways to get most from autumn exercise

This is the third in a four-part series on exercising outdoors in the fall.
To enjoy the fall season, there are a variety of ways in which you can take advantage of the this truly unique time of year.
The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping some, but there’s still plenty of time left to exercise outdoors without freezing.
Here are five tips to get the most from autumn exercise:
1. Enjoy fall activities – Get some exercise and have fun with the family at the same time by enjoying a variety of fall activities such as pumpkin picking and carving, exploring corn mazes and raking leaves.
2. Take a fall trip – Get family and-or friends together to take a fall trip where you’ll hike at a state park or go for a long bike ride.
3. Sign up for a local event – Get involved by signing up for a local Turkey Trot race such as a 5K or 10K run-walk.
4. Go trail walking/running – Explore our nation’s many beautiful state and national parks by going on trail walks and-or runs.
The fall offers some of the most spectacular scenery there is in my opinion.
5. Work out in the yard – Fall is a great time to give the yard a final cleanup before winter arrives. Put on a flannel shirt or sweatshirt and make yard work by more fun by looking at it as a workot.
Briskly rake leaves, weed the flower bed or trim bushes and trees. This type of work can burn around around 150 calories every 30 minutes.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com