The Fall Season is a traditional changing time of year. The leaves on the trees change, it becomes darker earlier, and the temperatures start to dip down a bit. It is a favorite time of year for many people. For some people though, they may fall off the health and fitness wagon during this transition. And there is NO reason to! There are many enjoyable activities that take place in the Fall that allow you to remain fit, or even begin a fitness program.

Take Advantage of Autumn Activities
There are many local events that can get you out of the house and getting active this time of year. Remember, exercise does not mean getting your keister to a gym and sweating to the oldies! Autumn events like pumpkin picking, corn mazes, haunted trails, and raking up some leaf piles are active options that can provide you with some additional reasons to get outside and enjoy that crisp autumn weather.
According to health trainers, a 150-lb. person can burn 135 calories by raking leaves for 30 minutes. Turn outdoor chores into a free fitness workout by setting small, achievable goals to help pass time and burn away fat. And you won’t have to wipe off someone else’s sweat from the support rails of the leg press machine or stair stepper!

Now don’t get me wrong, these are supplemental activities that you can fit around your usual exercise routines. (I was just kidding about sweating to the oldies!).

Now, since the sun is rising a bit later in the morning, the early time of day is still a great time to get out and say, go for that walk, run or maybe just a quick bike ride around the neighborhood. If you work out in the early morning, before your busy work or home responsibilities take up most of your time, you can get that feeling of accomplishment that can stay with you the rest of the day!
With the time change, that is taking place later this month, and the sun setting earlier, it can feel as though it's later in the day than it really is. This can make people more tired than usual. Getting into a routine of working out early will guarantee your workout gets done and still allow time in the afternoons and evenings to relax, or better yet, get to that corn maze with some friends and have some fun that will also involve some walking. The laughing will come later after you find yourselves lost in the maze and asking for help!

Now, these early morning exercise routines will probably get you up before those sun’s rays start to make themselves felt. But that also is part of the “Fall Effect”, of getting up in the dark, heading home from work in the dark. This is why it’s important to keep that mental outlook in the right place so you can keep a good attitude to your healthy, fitness routine. The good thing about exercising in the morning before the sun makes an appearance is that it usually cool, so you won’t break as much of a sweat and studies have shown that people that choose to work out in the morning to start their day have a better outlook on their daily tasks. So why not be one of these people? You may even find that your stress levels have gone down a bit since you would still be working off of those endorphin highs you created with your early exercise!

While some of us are thinking of apple picking and maybe enjoying the fruits of our labor by eating a slice of homemade apple pie. Keep the latter in check please, enjoying the fruits of fall apple picking is of course eating those choice fruits and if you’re lucky enough to have someone in your life that bakes a great pie, strudel or any other of your favorite family treats, just remember to eat them in moderation and make up for it by maybe doing some chores for your baker in return for her efforts!
The Fall besides picking some apples or gathering the fall crops from the garden is also a great time to dig that bike out of the garage and hit some biking paths or if your adventuress, some bike trails that lead you up and into the mountains or remote areas around where you live.

Cycling is a great workout for your entire body, cycling strengthens your muscles while going easy on your joints, like your knees, unlike the high impact on your knees and hips from running. And the Fall is a great time of the year to not only reap the benefits of this type of exercise but at the same time you get to see the colors of the trees change right before your eyes as you venture out on your bike enjoying the cool crisp autumn air.

One thing you may want to consider taking along with you on your cycling excursions is a good bike computer, one that offers an accurate GPS function so you can not only keep track of where you’re going but your friends and family can also see where you are when you are!

A good model that fits the bill is the Garmin Edge 1030 GPS Cycling Computer  Easy to use, even when wearing pressure gloves for riding, its touch screen offers a high-resolution screen that even adjusts to the amount of sunlight hitting it. And you don’t have to worry about straying off of the trails because the 1030 has a vast inventory of maps and its GPS capabilities will keep you on track and let you and your friends know where you are at all times, via Garmin Connect. And being the latest in a long line of Garmin GPS products you can bet that using this advanced device you will get all the data you need in order to get the most out of your cycling adventures. This is only going to augment your regular exercise training routines and turn your leisure, outdoor experiences into helping you maintain a healthy body toning lifestyle!

So, again, if you think the autumn season is just a prelude to winter winds, blowing snow and extreme cold, you better start re-thinking your idea of the autumn. Whatever you elect to do, just get out there and enjoy the change in the seasons and take advantage of what Mother Nature brings your way and there’s no reason, why you can’t stay active and fit “All Year Long”!