Now that we have said goodbye to the younger members of the family and somewhat settled into a routine what are you planning to do with your newly found free time? Perhaps it’s time to welcome the change of seasons in with a little time to focus on yourself a bit more and — yes, you guessed it — fitness!
And conveniently enough, October and early November may very easily be considered the ‘ideal’ time for exercising outdoors. Not too cold, not quite too warm, and easy on the eyes if you can appreciate the fall foliage- there’s no better time to get yourself going on a new outdoor routine.
Now might be the time to drag out those running sneakers from the back of the closet and get kicking on that jogging route you’ve been promising to try or take to the playground and do your workout there. You can do pull ups on the swings, calf raises on the picnic tables, and sit ups on the slides. Exercising can be fun!
But what if you’re finding your schedule to be just as busy as that of your elementary schooler? Time isn’t always as easy to find as we’d like for it to be. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make adjustments …
Try altering your schedule by waking up just an hour earlier than usual and squeezing in time to exercise before your day really gets started. You’ll find it even comes along with some benefits of its own — exercising in the morning jump starts both you and your metabolism, and helps you sleep better at night.
If you stick with it for long enough, and you’ll have no issue getting up in the earlier hours. In fact, you might even come to like it more than your past daytime routines. Who knows?
The other option is to let your spouse do the bedtime routine and come out to an evening class or two to get the stress out from the day. When you wake up in the morning you will be happy to feel all those muscles you used the night before knowing you have done something good for your health.
With a little prioritizing and adjustment making, I trust you’ll be able to find the time you need to get (and stay) active.
Allison Duxbury is an AFFA qualified fitness professional with over 15 years experience in group and personal training. After many years travelling the world with her husband Rod, an officer in the British Army, they returned to her roots in Connecticut to bring up their young family and start her business: FitFocused. Three years later, the business is thriving and her clients range from 9-year-old competitive Irish Dancers to an octogenarian veteran. Reach Allie at 860.304.9899 or fitfocused.com