06 Sep Fall into Fitness: Part I

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, and a time when many people stop to reflect on their summers. It’s also a time to start focusing on the days to follow in the fall and winter.
This week is also the perfect time to take stock of your personal fitness regimen.
The temperatures will soon be plummeting, changing what you can and can’t do outside.
Here are five tips to transition into Fall Fitness:
1 Go for a bike ride – Many falls days make for the perfect temperature to go for a 20 or 30 mile bike ride, or maybe even longer if you’re a seasoned rider.
2 Power walk – Plan ahead for what the weather might be and dress accordingly for a brisk hike on a trail in the woods, or even just a jaunt around the neighborhood.
3 Yard work – Get a good workout while doing your seasonal early fall chores at a brisk pace, such as cleaning flower beds, trimming trees or bushes and winterizing the house. Your place will look a lot better, you’ll burn calories and feel good overall about being productive.
4 Organize a pickup game – Whether it’s football, basketball or even a fall-ball softball game, get some people together for some friendly outside competition on some of the last good days of the year to do it in cold-weather states.
5 Get your inside workout room ready – Take some time to plan ahead for where you’ll work out once the weather does force you inside more – unless you’re a Nordic, winter games type athlete.
Do things such as cleaning your workout equipment, making sure your treadmill and/or elliptical are working correctly and maybe consider adding new fitness equipment to your home gym.

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