AUTUMN HEALTH AND FITNESS: TIPS AND TRICKS

As the days get shorter and colder the desire to move less and eat more energy-dense foods increases. A long time ago, and in some less developed parts of the world, this is a great survival trait. In most developed nations, however, it’s no longer necessary. We have farming, we have air conditioning, we have warm clothes. We’re not about to starve or freeze to death like we used to. So how can we overcome these primal urges? With some handy autumn health and fitness tips.

START PLANNING

In the warmer months it’s a lot easier to stay motivated to be active. The sun’s up early, the days are long, it’s fun to get outside. As we move into winter months, the motivation starts to shrivel up.

That’s why when it comes to autumn health and fitness it’s a good idea to start planning your exercise routines a bit more thoroughly. Just winging it like you might have been doing in summer won’t cut it. You’ll find excuse after excuse after excuse to not get outside and be active.

So set up a routine and get into a habit before it gets too cold. When you create a habit out of something you don’t need to constantly motivate yourself; you just do it on autopilot. This will help keep you fit and active through the cooling months.

ENJOY THE WEATHER

Autumn is the perfect time to start jogging, running, or cycling. Even long walks are better in autumn. There’s no oppressive heat, and the air is cool and crisp which is great for your body. If you’re the sort of person who puts off cardio due to the sweat and stickiness, this is the right time for you to get out there and get moving.

If you’re not terribly keen on intense cardio, walking is still a good exercise. Autumn is a beautiful time of year to go hiking and see the leaves change colours. For your autumn health and fitness, combining cool, clean air with stunning mountain views is not just a way to be healthy, but a good way to relax.

TEAM UP WITH SOMEONE

If you’re losing the fight to motivate yourself, and losing the fight to stick to a routine, find someone to help. It’s a lot easier to tell someone else they need to exercise or stick to a routine than it is to do it to ourselves.

With a training partner you’ll both act as each other’s whip-cracking motivation. When one person is feeling lazy, the other can step in to make sure they work. In fact, the bigger you can make your group, the better. There’s always a good chance two people will be too tired at the same time to exercise. Three or more, though, and you’re almost guaranteed at least one person will be up and motivated to do something.

ENJOY IN-SEASON FOOD

There’s a lot of great food coming into season in autumn. Apples, potatoes, pumpkin, brussels sprouts, onion, parsley, just to name a few. In fact we have a whole article on healthy autumn foods you should check out.

Enjoying food that’s in-season has many benefits. Firstly, your wallet will thank you. In-season fruit and vegetables are substantially cheaper than out-of-season foods. They’re growing in abundance and don’t need to be shipped in from far away.

Secondly, favouring seasonal foods helps you eat an organic diet. Organic diets in themselves have multitudes of benefits not just for yourself, but the environment. Chief amongst them for your personal health is you’ll be eating a lot less chemicals and pesticides.

Thirdly, it actually makes meal planning that little bit easier. Sticking to seasonal foods limits your options, but also gives you focus. Pumpkin, potato, leek and onion-based dishes can be high on the agenda.

Again, we’ve got another article on the subject, so check it out! Eating seasonal foods is a great way to maintain your autumn health and fitness levels.

FIGHT THE URGE TO BINGE

Just because you want to eat a lot of junk food doesn’t mean you have to. There are a lot of charts for how to convert your cravings for certain junk foods into healthy alternatives that will satiate those cravings. But those charts assume your craving is nutrient-based, not psychologically based.

Some of the best switches replace the highly unhealthy options with healthier alternatives. Nuts and seeds are popular substitutes for most cravings. They contain healthy fats and oils and shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities, but they’re better than eating a bag of potato chips.

So there's some substitution advice that might help. The kicker, however, is that the biggest challenge isn't to fight the cravings Doing that typically makes it worse. Eating celery when you want chocolate just makes most people want chocolate even more. Rather, the challenge is to fight the urge to binge on the craving.

If you have a craving for chocolate, eat some. But eat a little, and if possible, make it a darker chocolate. 70% and over is good and a fairly healthy snack itself.

Then go on a nice brisk jog in the clean crisp air, and get on with your autumn health and fitness routine! It’ll be easier than you think.