Tips for Fall Fitness Celebrity

How many New Year's Eve did you come with champagne and vote to be more fit for next year? And how many times did you follow up to the bottom?

"December 31 in front of a drink is too late to set goals and make promises," says Justin Price, biomechanics owner, personal training and the ease of coaching wellbeing in San Diego, California.

Houses, on the other hand, is a great time to start a fitness program because "They are good habits for the holiday season and in the coming winter months they create," says Price.

Chris Freytag, an experienced fitness and fitness trainer with the Prevention magazine, agrees.

"With the change of seasons comes a renewed time to rethink and restart," she says. "'What's so special about January?"

Besides, says Freytag, a mother of three, moms with school-aged kids "think of September as the new year."

Here are 10 ways to start making the most of the season. And who knows? This year, you might be in great shape before that New Year's Eve party rolls around.

1. Take advantage of the weather. Fall can be a treat for the senses: the crisp air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, a gorgeous canopy of fall foliage, and the crunch of leaves underfoot. These months are a great time to exercise outdoors and enjoy cooler temperatures.

"Walking, hiking and cycling are all awesome in the fall," says Todd Durkin, MS, fitness coach and owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, Calif.

Discover park trails and take in some new scenery, whether you're walking, biking, or in-line skating, he suggests.

In places where snow falls early, try cross country skiing or snowshoeing. Or, if you live near the beach, get out and play volleyball, throw the Frisbee around, or play a vigorous game of fetch with your dog.

"It's a great time to do beach activities because it's so much less crowded," says Price.

If you're near a lake, try kayaking or canoeing, for an excellent whole-body workout and a great change of pace.

And remember, it doesn't have to seem like exercise to be a great workout.

"Raking leaves or doing some fall outdoor yard work is a great way to get the heart pumping, and it's great calorie-burning," says Freytag.

2. Think outside the box. Always wanted to learn to tap dance? Attempt to box? Master the jump rope? Ask any schoolchild: Fall is a great time to learn something new.

Many classes at gyms and elsewhere get started in the fall, so look around and see if something intrigues you.

And with the kids in school, parents have more time to check out those classes, Freytag says.

Fall is the perfect time to gain new physical skills, Price says, because you burn fewer calories when you begin a new activity (thanks to the learning curve). If you learn something new now, by next summer, you'll have mastered the skill -- and you'll burn more calories doing it, just in time for swimsuit season.

3. Be an active TV watcher. Many people get geared up for fall premieres of their favorite television shows, says Freytag. "If you're going to sit down and watch hours of TV, get moving," she suggests. "Make a date with exercise and TV."

While you watch, you can walk or run in place, do standing lunges, do tricep dips off the couch, or lift weights. During commercials, do push-ups or sit-ups. In a one-hour show, you probably have close to 20 minutes worth of commercial interruption.

4. Integrate exercise into your life. You already know the obvious suggestions: park farther away from your destination; take stairs instead of elevators; take a walk during your lunch break. Here are a few that are less obvious:

If you're spending the afternoon taking kids to soccer practice, instead of reading a book or visiting with another parent, "why not walk around the outside of the field while they practice?", suggests Price. "Or (if you feel comfortable) warm up and cool down with the kids."

Or try "walking meetings," like those Price and his colleagues at Biomechanics often hold. '"We go for a walk, we brainstorm, and we figure out who's going to take what responsibilities," says Price. "'Things get achieved much more quickly," he says, and everyone feels better for doing it.

You can even get moving while you get motivated -- for fitness or other life goals. '"Get some inspirational music or find a motivational talk and download it to your iPod," suggests Durkin. Walk while you listen for 30 minutes.

5. Rejuvenate yourself. Fall is the time to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit, says Durkin. Get a massage after your run. Learn to meditate. Take an art class. Treat yourself not just with exercise but other activities that promote wellness, he says, so you can feel good physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

6. Remember the 30-day rule. "'It takes about four weeks for the body to adapt to lifestyle changes," says Price. That's why people who give up on their fitness programs tend to do so within the first 30 days.

So, when the alarm goes off in the morning and it's darker and colder, don't roll over and hit the snooze button.

"Try to stick with a program for a month," Price says. "After a month, behavior patterns will have adapted and it will be much easier to stick with it after that."

7. Strive for the 3 Cs. Freytag calls commitment, convenience, and consistency "the three Cs", and says having all three will lead to a successful fitness program.

First, exercise takes commitment. When a client complains to Freytag about a lack of time, she responds: "Tell me something I haven't heard before. We're all busy; that's just part of our lives.

"You have to start planning exercise, just like you do everything else," like meetings, dinners, and getting kids to lessons and practice, she says. "Put in on the calendar, because later always turns into never."

Convenience means choosing a gym that's close by, or an activity you can do at home, or a time when you're not likely to be interrupted.

Finally, there's consistency. "I'd rather see a brand-new client work out for 10 minutes a day rather than one hour every month," Freytag says

8. Deal with darkness. The best way to enjoy fall is to exercise outdoors. But it is getting darker earlier, and staying dark later in the morning, so be smart and safe.

"Just because it's 6 p.m. (or a.m.) and dark doesn't mean you can't work out," says Durkin. If walking or running outdoors, he says, "wear a reflective vest and carry a flashlight."

When cycling, affix a light to your helmet or bike.

If possible, use trails or a local school track to avoid vehicle traffic. Try to work out at the same time every day, so drivers get used to seeing you.

9. Dressed in layers. If you train outdoors, beat your clothes. Before your body gets warm, you may feel cold, but once your blood pumping, you feel exaggerated.

These days there are a lot of nice weather. Freytag and price recommend wicker dresses, often referred to as "DRIFIT". "This substance differentiates moisture from the skin so it does not train with the moist substance clinging to you.

Freytag suggests three layers before. "The inner layer must be a hydro-absorbent fabric, then blow sweat away and not cool The second layer should be a layer of heat and the third layer should have a protective layer (such as a windbreaker Or rainy rain, depending on the weather). "

"And do not forget the sunglasses not," he warns. UV protection is important throughout the year. Sunshine may be blinding at certain times of the day.

10. Find Your Motivation. "People are motivated by different things," says Durkin. It's important to first find out what your individual goals are, whether it is to lose weight, strengthen or drown, or prepare for a race or a Durkin event.

But the goals are not enough to get there. You must be motivated by the daily workout, he says. To select something you will enjoy and probably keep it walking or walking with a friend, working with a coach, or participating in a boot camp class.

Creating a challenge for you, will motivate you as encouragement and responsibility, he adds. "You want to know when you are doing a good job and when you are not," says Durkin.

Remember that everything was worth the work.

"Tell me something that can be done three times a week for 10 minutes and it can be great, it does not exist," he says. "If it was easy to be great, everyone was great."