Fall is here!
The air is crisp and cold, the leaves are colored red, and Instagram feeds are full with delicious pumpkin spice lattes. This is my favorite time of year, but also one of the most difficult to stay motivated to work out. After a very warm summer spent on the beach, wanting to stay indoors with a good movie and friends is definitely on the bucket list. But that killer summer workout doesn’t have to end with the entrance of Fall, so here are some quick tips to stay on track and keep that summer bod all winter long.
Work Out in the Morning
With school or work (or both!) starting up again, getting into a new routine of exercising can be hard and demotivating. You’re exhausted after a long day, have to study at night to stay ahead, and you find that the time you once had has slipped away with the summer sun. That’s exactly why working out in the morning will not only boost your energy (and metabolism!) but it will ensure that your workout is done and out of the way.
Meal Prep!
Sometimes meal prepping seems tedious, but it takes all the worry out of wondering what you’re going to have for every meal. It reduces stress because you have the food ready to eat, so there’s no waiting when you're hungry! And on top of that, it keeps you from giving into every little temptation and spending extra cash on indulgences! It took me a while to get into meal prepping, but now that I am, I love it. Some tips? Make it a weekly, fun event for yourself! Fall in love with cooking! Play music while you cook, watch your favorite show, or invite some friends to help and keep you company.
Put It In Ink
I’ve almost never reached a major goal that I didn’t write down. It’s an easy step that goes a long way. Write down a measurable, realistic goal that you want to reach. I like to write my goals on a post it note, put it somewhere in my room where I will see it every day, and then when I reach it I get to take the post it down. Another fun idea is to put your main goal, maybe something like “reach a 7 minute mile” on a post it note on your wall. Then, write the goals to get you there as well, like, “run a mile every day for two weeks”. That way, even when you are still working towards your big goal, you are rewarding yourself along the way and staying motivated! You’ll be taking that last post-it off the wall before you know it!
Indulge (just a little!)
Between pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spiced cupcakes, muffins, and basically anything else you can think of that can be pumpkin spiced, how can you not be craving these sweet treats? Going through the entire fall season without indulging is not only crazy, but it’s just not right! Allow yourself to indulge in the warm delicious tastes that come with fall, but within reason. If you deny yourself all of your cravings all the time, you will break and eat the entire pumpkin pie! Instead of that happening, have the pumpkin spiced muffin after a big test or exam as a reward or as a birthday celebration for you or a friend. Another sneaky trick is to find easy, and healthy versions of your favorite fall snacks, like these delicious cinnamon sugar baked apples!
Buddy Up
The true beauty of Fall is that you are back at school with all of your friends. Take advantage of that! Buddy up with a friend and plan workout dates before your lunch dates. SoulCycle, CrossFit, CorePower Yoga, Pilates, and Barre are only a few of the very trendy, very effective, and very fun workout classes that you and your best friend can attend. Not into workout classes? Totally okay! Meet up every other day for a morning jog amongst the Fall leaves. If it gets too cold for that, move your workout dates indoors with Youtube exercise programs in your own living room. You can now hold each other accountable to stay on top of your goals together. And better than that, you can have fun! Exercising, especially in these colder months, keeps your energy and moral up. Exercising with a friend will only boost your spirits even more. Fall in love with exercising all over again with your best friend!
So, to sum it all up, getting into the gym isn't impossible just because the weather is cold. Throw on your best fall workout clothes, head to the gym, and earn that Pumpkin Spice Latte, because we all know it's going to be so worth it!
