Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
3 ways to make fitness a habit this fall
02 September 2016 - by Nicole Meredith
Every year, as summer comes to an end and the kids head back to school, we feel inspired to get back into the fitness routine that took a backseat to cottaging, lounging on the beach, and recharging in the sunshine. But just like those New Year’s resolutions that tend to be forgotten by February, most of us have fallen off the exercise bandwagon again by Thanksgiving.
Here are three ways to help you get back on track this fall — and stick to a healthy lifestyle for good:
1. Streamline your workouts
After those long, lazy summer days, it feels tough to carve out the time from your now hectic schedule to commit to fitness. So start small: go for a walk during your lunch break; do yoga in your bedroom; or bike to work instead of driving. Setting aside even as little as 10 minutes to do something active every day is a great way to start building healthy habits, and the energy boosts you’ll enjoy from your mini-workouts will probably motivate you to start extending them into longer, more intense sweat sessions.
2. Make an exercise schedule
You’re far more likely to skip your workout if it’s inconveniently timed. Be honest with yourself: choose the time of day you typically feel most energized and motivated, and commit to doing your workouts then. Then, browse our new fall schedules to see what group fitness classes, sports activities, and aquatics programs are running at that time, and book your favourites into your calendar or wellness journal.
3. Stay away from the scale
While goal-setting is a great way to get started, you can actually stunt your progress if you focus exclusively on tracking your weight. If you’re getting all your motivation from an external source like a number on a scale, things like miniscule fluctuations in your weight can totally destroy your commitment to your new healthy habits, making you feel like all your hard work isn’t paying off. Sticking to a workout regime for the long run requires getting your inspiration elsewhere — like getting the energy you need to play with your kids, becoming a better role model, or building your sense of confidence and self-esteem.
Take advantage of those feelings of a fresh start we all get in the fall, and make this September count by tackling a fitness goal you’ve always wanted to pursue. Get started right now by checking out our list of first steps and this formula for setting SMART goals.
Here are three ways to help you get back on track this fall — and stick to a healthy lifestyle for good:
1. Streamline your workouts
After those long, lazy summer days, it feels tough to carve out the time from your now hectic schedule to commit to fitness. So start small: go for a walk during your lunch break; do yoga in your bedroom; or bike to work instead of driving. Setting aside even as little as 10 minutes to do something active every day is a great way to start building healthy habits, and the energy boosts you’ll enjoy from your mini-workouts will probably motivate you to start extending them into longer, more intense sweat sessions.
2. Make an exercise schedule
You’re far more likely to skip your workout if it’s inconveniently timed. Be honest with yourself: choose the time of day you typically feel most energized and motivated, and commit to doing your workouts then. Then, browse our new fall schedules to see what group fitness classes, sports activities, and aquatics programs are running at that time, and book your favourites into your calendar or wellness journal.
3. Stay away from the scale
While goal-setting is a great way to get started, you can actually stunt your progress if you focus exclusively on tracking your weight. If you’re getting all your motivation from an external source like a number on a scale, things like miniscule fluctuations in your weight can totally destroy your commitment to your new healthy habits, making you feel like all your hard work isn’t paying off. Sticking to a workout regime for the long run requires getting your inspiration elsewhere — like getting the energy you need to play with your kids, becoming a better role model, or building your sense of confidence and self-esteem.
Take advantage of those feelings of a fresh start we all get in the fall, and make this September count by tackling a fitness goal you’ve always wanted to pursue. Get started right now by checking out our list of first steps and this formula for setting SMART goals.
