Transitioning into autumn has that ‘back to school’ feeling where everything feels fresh and new. Maybe because I’m a learner at heart. I feel like this is the time that the year starts for most people. You feel more energetic after summer and you can use it towards your health and fitness goals. If you think about it, this is the time of year that you want to start building new habits and practices. That way, you are way ahead by the time spring comes because you’ve put the foundational work in already. Here are my top fitness and lifestyle tips for this time of year.
Set A New Goal
With summer and the ‘beach body’ tag coming to an end, don’t slip off all the hard work that you’ve put in to get there. You are most likely want to spend more time inside, wrapped in layers and watching seasonal movies. Why not add a new goal to keep you motivated throughout the autumn months? If you have always want to learn a new sport like swimming, sign up for swim classes. This is the time to set the foundation so you’ll be swimming during your next summer holidays with confidence. Start shifting your schedule around and make time for those classes. Whatever you choose, give yourself that boost in energy and stay committed to seeing that goal through.
Eat More Seasonal Fruits And Vegetables
You know that eating all the colours of the rainbow is important. Luckily, autumn provides us with a range of colours from squashes and root veggies. Green veggies such as artichoke, spinach and broccoli to red fruits like apples, cranberries and pomegranate. Autumn harvest tends to include a variety of nutrient-dense foods filled with antioxidants to boost your immune system. This is a great time to try out new recipes with ingredients that you don’t usually eat to get the best of both worlds.
Enjoy The Autumn Foliage
We all know that autumn is one of the most beautiful time of the year with all that autumn foliage. The leaves are starting turn shades of brown, yellow and orange. It’s the season of harvest, apple picking, chestnuts, pumpkins, grapes, layer and more. If you were not able to enjoy summer to the fullest, make sure to enjoy the next season and all its changing colours.
Get Outside
To do that, you have to get outside and breath in that crisp air. There are so many ways that you can stay active outside and enjoy everything that comes with the season:
- Hiking or climbing
- Camping
- Walk to your local farmer’s market or through a park
- Do a traditional seasonal activity and meet new people
- An picnic or a scenic drive
Connect Your Mind and Body
Exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your body. When I was a child, we used to have boardgames and jigsaw puzzles stored in our living room and a huge library on the third floor. We used to play Scrabble at one point very often. My siblings and I saw Scrabble as a challenge to know more words to win the game. In this analogy, your mind are is the collection of boardgames, jigsaw puzzles and books waiting to be used and challenged.
Unfortunately, it is very easy to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or “winter depression” and feel lost as we get deeper into the last few months of the year. If you ever feel that you are in that space, challenge and keep your mind fit by playing some board games, solve a jigsaw puzzle or read a book to get engaged into some critical thought. Aim to exercise your mind in a new way this autumn or you might risk being a board game covered in dust after months of not being used. Don’t let this become you.
Stay Accountable
Having a support system or an accountability partner to encourage you on the days that you don’t feel like being committed is a great way to keep you grounded and ready. Find someone who shares similar values and/or working on the same goal as you. You can create a schedule to workout together and encourage each other to train harder. I know that most people don’t go to the gym or workout because they don’t want to do it alone. Having an accountability partner will make the process of going easier and more fun as you’re not by yourself. If you do train by yourself and you find it difficult to be accountable, share your goals with someone or create an online blog to track your workouts and how you felt after each session.
I think that’s the first time I’ve shared some fitness tips for the autumn months! I shared a few posts on my Instagram about resetting after the summer. Surprisingly, many of you find it hard to get back into the rhythm. So who am I to deny the people? This was good for me to get back into writing on the blog, share things that would keep you active AND enjoy the upcoming season more. I’ll be doing a lot more writing this month as I’m filled up with so many ideas that I can’t wait to write about.
Also, I’ve started a course on health, nutrition and sport and I can take you along that journey with me. Hope you are ready to read everything that is coming! Make sure to follow me on all social media platforms as I have been pretty active on them. Of course, subscribe to the blog for more!
