Fall Fitness Tips: So Many Ways to Stay Active

Fall Fitness Tips: So Many Ways to Stay Active

BY SANDRA GUY

Pre-season NFL football games are live. The sun sets earlier as each week goes by. And neighborhood children carrying backpacks troop back to school.

Fall is coming.

You’ve honed your outdoor exercise routine all summer, making time for long walks, runs and bike rides in the sun. How can you stay fit as the wind gets chillier and the pumpkin lattes pop up everywhere?

One idea is to start honing an indoor strength-training routine, even as you continue to get fresh-air exercise wearing warmer clothes.

You can start with 30 minutes and aim to extend your barbell or free-weights routine as the weather gradually gets harsher.

You may be surprised by how quickly you can achieve lean muscle and tightened abs by doing stationary weightlifting. Even better, fun and effective online, affordable on-demand workouts such as Les Mills International (lesmills.com), Beachbody (Beachbody.com) are easily accessible. They’re often easier on the wallet than gym memberships.

Another possibility is hot yoga, especially if you love to get your sweat on. You can find online, on-demand yoga where you follow the teacher’s instruction to turn off off your air-conditioner before you start (although this may well aggravate others in your household, so beware). You’ll get the added benefit of stretching in your own warm home or apartment.

You can switch to a stationary bike. Even a $250 bike that you put together yourself, with no flywheel, can do the trick. Again, you can find free online spin lessons or subscribe to Les Mills+, Peloton or CardioCast. They offer expert teachers, upbeat music and a lively environment to keep you motivated.

Just do a Google search, and you’ll turn up loads of free YouTube videos featuring professional athletes and trainers who offer expert advice on weightlifting, kickboxing, ab exercises and diet tutorials. They offer paid subscriptions, but you can learn plenty from the basic, free videos from trainers at sites such as Athlean-X, Zuzka Light and BowFlex.

If you have a nice yard, take your favorite music with you and rake leaves or tidy up your garden and flower beds.

Finally, since we could all use a change of scenery, seek out something fun and different, even if it’s for a free or reduced-price trial run. Classes range from dancing to HIIT to aerial fitness (exercising around a pole or moving freely while hanging from a hammock or other rigging).

You may find you’ll benefit far more than you had expected and, especially if you return to in-person classes, some wonderful camaraderie with health-conscious people.

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