Keep The Momentum Going With A Solid Fall Workout Plan

Cooler weather means hot cocoa, hoodies, and comfort food. It also signals the season that a lot of people stop following their workout routine and start packing on the winter weight gain. You don’t have to wait until the New Year to hit the ‘reset’ button on your routine. Fall is a great time to either continue the summer workouts that you started or set new goals for yourself. The cooler weather makes it more comfortable to work out as you no longer have to contend with the hot and humid weather.

Fall provides a unique opportunity to create a routine that you can follow throughout the holiday season. As the weather gets cooler, the days also get shorter, giving you plenty of reason to stay inside. Studies show that humans actually are wired to eat more as it gets colder and darker to try to stave off starvation. If that’s not enough, fat cells also have a positive reaction to sunlight, shrinking under blue light. All of these factors make it easier for people to gain weight, which is why it’s even more important to start a fall workout routine. By creating a routine that you will follow now, it will be easier to stick to it especially after the holiday season where you’re more likely to be sedentary.

Find Your Why

Before you just jump into a workout, the first thing you should ask yourself is why you want to start a fall workout routine. Sit down with a pen and paper and ask yourself the motivation behind exercising. Maybe your initial why is to look good or to attract a partner. However, it’s important to dig deeper to discover the real source behind your motivation. To do this, follow these steps:

• State your objective clearly for example you want to lose 15 pounds.

• Ask why and then write it down. Even something like you want to fit into your favorite pair of jeans.

• Now, ask yourself why you again, but this time why you want to fit into that pair of jeans. Maybe fitting into your old clothes would make you feel more confident and attractive.

• Finally, ask why you want to feel more confident and attractive. Maybe the answer would be that you want to feel happier about yourself.

You need something that will outweigh your desire to sit on the couch and eat junk food. Losing weight is a good reason to exercise, but it’s not necessarily a good motivator. Instead, ask yourself why you actually want to lose weight. Maybe it’s because you want to fit into a pair of jeans or maybe it’s because you want to ensure you live a long life for your children and grandchildren.

Understanding and pinpointing your why is a powerful tool to encourage you to take action and maintain your goals. Some of the most common reasons why people stick to a workout plan include:

• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to serious complications regardless of your weight. Considering many adults nowadays work desk jobs, people are far more sedentary than even 100 years ago. Unfortunately, an unhealthy lifestyle means you are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Exercise and diet can greatly reduce your chances of developing health issues later on in life.

• Decreased risk of joint problems. It might seem counterintuitive, but staying active can actually reduce your chances of developing arthritis. By maintaining a healthy weight, you don’t put as much strain on your joints.

Set Tangible Milestones + Support Methods

Once you understand your reason behind working out, it’s time to set up some goals and drill down those larger goals to manageable milestones. You can and should track your fall fitness journey. Not only will you be able to see where you’re struggling, but you’ll also be able to see how far you’ve come.

Fitness goals are important as they hold you accountable and encourage you to push through the temporary discomfort for long-lasting change. However, it’s important to know how to set fitness goals that you can actually attain. One of the best ways to approach it is by setting SMART goals. When done correctly, these goals are:

• Specific - instead of saying you want to work out more or lose weight, you’ll have a number in mind. Maybe that’s working out 3x a week for 30 minutes.

• Measurable - you should be able to track your progress and see how close you are to achieving your goals

• Achievable - while you should push yourself, you shouldn’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, set a goal that you know you can achieve whether that’s losing 20 pounds or running a half-marathon

• Relevant - this step ensures that your goals matter to you and align with other goals.

• Time bound -  Every goal needs a target date as a deadline can keep you focused.

Once you’ve created a SMART goal, it will be easier to set milestones as you already know what you’re trying to achieve. Maybe that means trying a new workout or mastering an exercise in a month. Whatever you choose, make sure to write these down as well as how you can stay engaged with your fall workouts after the first week. You should also note different support methods you’ll use like getting more sleep or eating healthier to help keep you energized.

Fill in The Blanks

All the goal-setting in the world won’t mean much if you don’t actually set aside some time to do your workouts. Open up your calendar and then schedule your workouts. While it might be tempting to kick off your newfound workout plan by trying to fit in daily exercise, you want to start off slow.

In the beginning, start off with one or two workouts a day. Your body and mind are resistant to change so you want to introduce exercise as slowly as possible. Not only does this give you a better chance of sticking to your new workout plan it also reduces your chance of getting injured. As time goes on and you get used to the routine, you can start slowly increasing your work out days and times. The best way to figure out how much time you should spend in the beginning is to check in with yourself. Are you feeling resistant to the amount of time or intensity of the workout? If so, reduce one and see how you feel. When you’re just getting started the main thing you want to do is get into the habit of working out consistently. Once you’ve found your rhythm, slowly increase the time or intensity.

When choosing your workout times, be honest with yourself. You don’t have to force yourself to do early morning workouts if you’re not a morning person. At the same time, if you know that you are exhausted after you come home from work, you might have to make concessions. Essentially, you want to choose a time you know you will stick with. Maybe that means you split up your workouts into quick 10-minute activities in the morning and evening.

Find an accountability Partner

Having another person in the trenches with you can give you that boost you need. Find a friend, family member, or partner who is willing to join you on your fitness journey. There will be days where you just won’t want to work out. For those days, knowing that there’s someone waiting for you can be the motivation you need to go to the gym. Of course, you will also act as an accountability buddy to your workout partner. 

Even if you can’t find someone to physically work out with, there are now apps you can use to connect with people online. Many of these apps allow you to find accountability partners who will check in to make sure you’re working out and provide motivation. Some provide even more incentive in the form of cold, hard cash. For example, you and your assigned work out buddy put money into a pot and state what your workout goals are for that week or month. If you manage to hit the goal, you will get a piece of the pot. If you don’t, you’ll be out some money. It’s a great motivator for a lot of people.

Make Sure You Have the Right Gear

Depending on where you live and what workouts you plan to do, you might need to get some new gear. If you plan on doing outdoor exercises like jogging, you will need to start layering up as the weather starts getting cooler. Items like gloves and hats will be essential to keep your body warm. Other key pieces you should wear include:

• A light long-sleeve shirt

• A vest/shell

• A breathable snug, light coat

• Shoes with proper traction

You’ll also want to take stock of your indoor equipment as, once winter hits, you’ll probably be spending more time indoors. If you don’t have space for weights, invest in some resistance bands. There are also plenty of bodyweight exercises you can practice, which doesn’t require any special equipment.

Seasonal Food Choices That Support Exercise Habits

There’s the saying that you can’t outrun a bad diet and how true that is. Working out will help improve your energy levels and overall health a bit, but if you want to kick your workout plan into high gear you’ll need to change your eating habits. That means saying no to that piece of apple or pumpkin pie. 

Luckily, with fall comes an amazing array of vegetables and fruits such as:

• Apples

• Pears

• Beets

• Sweet potatoes

• Cranberries

• Pumpkins

• Brussel sprouts

• Pomegranates

These fruits and vegetables and packed with nutrients and provide your body with fiber and complex carbs to keep your blood sugar level even. You don’t have to eat all of these items raw, of course. There are plenty of hearty soups, warm fall salads, and tasty side dishes you can create to complement your main dish.

It doesn’t matter what season it is, healthy eating habits are in style year-round. Remember that a well-balanced diet means eating plenty of vegetables. Unlike the old food pyramid that was taught to children back in the 80s and 90s, fruits and vegetables should actually make up the majority of your diet. In terms of ratio, on a plate, vegetables should take up around 50 percent of a plat with carbs and protein taking up 25 percent of the plate respectively.

Consider Supplements

No matter how well you eat, chances are that you won’t get 100 percent of every nutrient and vitamin. A healthy natural supplement can help fill out the missing pieces and keep you healthy. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common issues people face, especially in the fall and winter when the days get shorter. Fall is also the season for colds and the flu, so you want to make sure you get enough Vitamin C as well.

Before you start adding supplements to your diet, you should first consult with your doctor or dietician. Taking too much of one thing might lead to an imbalance in the body. If you’re healthy, you probably don’t need to take anything. With that said, there might be some cases where it would be beneficial such as when you’re pregnant, taking certain medications, are over the age of 50, or eat a restricted diet.

Incorporate Cardio Workouts

Strength training is great and should be a part of your routine, but cardio is just as important. During the fall it’s easy to get in some cardio since the weather tends to be mild and you can admire the beautiful scenery from home. However, it starts to get harder once the snow starts falling. Depending on where you live, this could happen as early as September/October.  

Luckily, there are plenty of cardio workouts you can do at home. If you have space, it might make sense to invest in a small exercise bike or treadmills. For those who don’t have that luxury, you can still get in a good cardio workout without equipment. Activities like jumping jacks, burpees, and jump roping can all get the heart pumping. You can also replace the StairMaster with actual stairs whether at your office or your home. In general, you want to get around 30 minutes of cardio exercise a day so get creative! Of course, there are still plenty of outdoor activities you can do once winter comes like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.

Continue To Excel and Achieve Your Fitness Goals With A Solid Fall Workout Plan

Instead of waiting for the new year, you can get started on your fitness goals today with a solid Fall Workout plan. Fall is the perfect time to implement a good workout routine. When planning out our routine, you want to keep in mind that the days will get progressively colder and shorter, which can affect the types of workouts you practice.

Remember that you need to have a plan of action and actually set aside time in your schedule to focus on your workouts. Otherwise, it will be all too easy to brush them off. In addition to starting your fall workout, you should also start adjusting your eating habits. The holidays are a tempting time as there is plenty of tasty food and snacks. If you’ve already set good eating habits, it will be easier to resist the temptation of having another piece of apple pie. By eating healthy, you’re also giving your workouts a boost.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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