Carry Your Summer Fitness into Fall and Winter

By Alice Burron –

Summer offers the perfect recipe for fitness success: warm temperatures, long days, beautiful weather, and time off. Maybe you’ve taken advantage of summer to create an activity routine that works perfectly for you and you’re feeling the benefits of your new, healthier lifestyle. How can you bottle up summer fitness and carry it with you into the fall and winter months? Take advantage of your summer momentum now and try these five suggestions to help you stay in great shape all year long.

Make a list. This isn’t a gift list for Santa, but a list of winter indoor and outdoor activities that sound appealing, fun and perhaps challenging to you. You may even want to start scheduling your winter calendar with possible dates for trips that involve those activities. Can’t think of an appealing winter activity? Here are some possibilities: cross country skiing, snow shoeing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, indoor hockey—you get the idea.

Hire a personal trainer. Get in sport-specific shape for your upcoming winter activity by meeting with a personal trainer. Just one session with a trainer can give you a solid exercise plan that will also keep you injury-free.

Keep your options open. Choose several indoor and outdoor fitness options to keep your interest and just in case life throws you a curve-ball and you’re not able to follow your Plan A. Fall and winter are the perfect times of year to try new activities such as dancing, swimming, aqua aerobics, indoor tennis and spinning classes. Mention your fitness ideas to your friends and family and see if they might want to join you in your new activity adventure. The more the merrier and they may keep you motivated throughout the winter to keep participating.

Keep your eye on the goal. Know the “why” behind your commitment to stay active this winter. Whether your goal is to compete in a race next spring, maintain your weight, fit in a favorite swimsuit during vacation or stay healthy, if you clearly define your goal, either in writing or verbally to someone, you’ll able to use that goal to keep yourself motivated when times get challenging.

Make an at-home fall-back plan. When life gets busy and you can’t get to your fitness class or gym, have some options at home to work with such as fitness equipment, exercise videos, or a predetermined walking route. The key to keeping fit throughout the winter will be your ability to be creative and determined in the face of adversity. Remember how good fitness feels during the summer months and make it your priority to carry that feeling through the winter months.

Alice Burron earned a master’s in physical education with an emphasis in exercise physiology from the University of Wyoming. She is an affiliate spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is an ACE certified personal trainer and certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant. Her first book, Four Weeks to Fabulous, is aimed at helping the busy person lose weight using sound nutrition, weight control and exercise principles that are proven successful. Visit her on her website at http://www.2bfit.net/.