Fitness Planning -
Fall is nearing and the weather is cooling off. We’re cozying up for the season and all of our favorite comfort foods are calling our names. Even though it’s easy to stray away from your health and fitness goals, don’t let the comfort of the season take over by undoing what you’ve worked so hard on. Contrary to popular belief, New Years is not the only time to get back on track or set new goals.
There’s still a couple months to squeeze in outdoor activities! Hiking trails in the area will be blossoming with fall colors soon. Grab your friend, your pet, or even your kids and enjoy the beautiful scenery while you get a workout in. Here’s a list of some hiking trails in the area: The Northland Arboretum, Crow Wing State Park, Fritz Loven Park, and Mille Lacs Kathio State Park all offer great hiking experiences! Take it up a notch and go mountain biking through some trails. See our mountain biking article in this issue for more information on that. Another outdoor workout you can still do during September and October is kayaking. You may be a little hesitant if you’re not an experienced kayaker and fear falling in. But, if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s a great upper body workout and the fall colors around the lakes/rivers will be captivating.
It’s never a bad time to sign up for a gym membership! We have a plethora of gyms in the area that range from your standard gyms, to more advanced gyms, and even CrossFit gyms. You can always tour some of the ones you’re interested in and make a decision after that. Getting into a gym routine can be intimidating if you’re not an avid gym-goer. A simple way to get started is to either hire a trainer to plan for you or set up a routine for yourself. Of course, there will be factors that play into your routine such as, what your fitness goals are, how long you’re able to workout for, and how often you can go. If you can, try to hit every muscle group throughout the week, as well as cardio. If you’re like me and prefer to keep your scheduled workouts during the weekdays, here is a straightforward plan you can use: Monday - legs and glutes, Tuesday - cardio, Wednesday - chest, shoulders, and triceps, Thursday - core and cardio, Friday - back and biceps. Now, that’s just one example. You can alter that based on your lifestyle, goals, and preferences. Personally, I focus on working muscle groups each gym day and try to add cardio to the end of my workout or later in the day. Otherwise, I do some form of outdoor cardio on my “rest” days.
Fitness isn’t the only important part of keeping on track. The foods we eat play a crucial role in staying healthy and maintaining our goals. If you’re a busy person that dines out often because you don’t have time to cook, consider meal prepping! Be sure to have enough containers to get you through a week or even just a few days at a time. Not sure what to prep? There are so many meal prep recipes online. Check out Pinterest and TikTok for inspiration. Something basic would look like; chicken, rice, and veggies seasoned how you like. Take note - there are still farmer’s markets going on this time of year for all of your fresh veggie needs! You might want to snag yourself some homemade salsa and local honey, while you’re at it.
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