Summer's Over: Avoiding the Fall Fitness Slump

by Megan

Summer is officially over and if you are anything like me you are feeling pretty proud of how hard you worked to maintain that “beach body” this season.  Surviving this season can be difficult with all of those food-filled graduation parties, cookouts tempting you with beer, brats and potato salad and trips to the ice cream shop.  If you stayed strong and made it through all the temptation give yourself a pat on the back! 

So now that fall is setting in, a new set of issues and excuses are on the horizon with the change in weather. It’s getting too cold outside, sports are starting (for those that have kids) and there is no time to work out, fast food seems to become a diet staple in a time crunch, the “busy” season at work is about to start and stress levels are high, or maybe you are going back to school with 17 credits on your plate while working 30 plus hours a week (whew…exhausting!). If that wasn’t enough, the three most diet unfriendly and challenging months are just around the corner: October, November, and December. 

My intent today is not to discourage you or make you dread the next couple of months. Hopefully instead I can help motivate and prepare you so that for the first time ever your New Year’s Resolution will be something more exciting than to lose weight, exercise more and eat healthier!

Exercise is a key component of being healthy.  Everyone should take at least 30 minutes out of their day to exercise and de-stress. Many of us have a tendency to find excuses when it comes to exercising and sometimes it takes the backseat to the rest of our lives.  Here are some common excuses I’ve encountered and what I do to overcome them. 

Too tired to exercise? Find what motivates you (feeling better, longevity, kids, spouse, yourself, etc.), and focus in on that reason before your excuses are able talk you out of it.

Can’t find the time? Make time! Whether you wake up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later, or use your lunch break, I promise you can find time to exercise if you just schedule it in and make it a priority.

Hate the cold weather and don’t have a gym membership? Try work out DVDs or think of some things you can do inside the house that you may be able to do with your family and friends like Wii Fit or other interactive Wii games. Not only are they good exercise, they are also a great way to keep everyone entertained for hours and cure boredom! If you don’t own a Wii there are many exercises you can do right at home that require very little or no equipment. Think jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges for example. 

The most important thing is to get into a routine you can easily incorporate daily.  It’s best to start now before the craziness of the holidays begins.  Once you have a routine in place, it becomes a part of your day like anything else and you’ll hardly even notice you’re doing it!

Most of us work too hard maintaining our diets and exercise routines to just throw it all away on busy schedules and sugary treats this time of year. That’s why it’s so important to start practicing healthy habits now to prepare us for the challenging events ahead.  Once you have this part down it will be second nature to make healthier decisions when we get to the holiday season! 

So make this holiday season a healthy one and give yourself no more excuses! Do you have any healthy holiday tips?  Please comment and tell me what works well for you!



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