Fall Is Made for Healthy Choices
By Tom Herrin
Everyone knows that spring is a time of renewal and summer is a time for vacations and camps for kids. Fall is the season that reminds most of special times with family. In school, it was learned that the harvest comes in the fall and people gather to celebrate. It is the number one time to go home. With all of those excuses for eating badly, it is a prime time to get more serious about fitness. I always felt if I could get in better shape before the holidays, I could stay more motivated to try harder. The fact that the temperatures may be at their most comfortable levels does not hurt either.
Play an Outdoor Game
The cooler days make doing things outdoors extremely tolerable. There is not so much concern about recovery time in exercise. Games such as golf, tennis, backyard volleyball, and touch football can be played without the fear of overheating. In college, I began playing touch football almost every afternoon. Even though we played a very casual and slow-paced game, I found that my conditioning improved considerably. Once I made some small changes in my diet to go with it, I found that I successfully lost about 35 pounds in only a few months.
Dust Off the Bicycle
Most people probably either have a bike or know where they can get one to use. Riding in the fall can be rejuvenating. It is an activity in which people can pace themselves. It is also low impact so that wear on body parts such as knees and feet are less likely to occur. Plenty of calories may be burned, depending on how long people ride and what kinds of challenges they have on the course. It is also an activity than can be done alone or with others.
Increase the Variety on Your Menu
The fall harvest includes many foods that are not common throughout the year. It can be fun, as well as healthy, to find some new foods and some recipes to use them in. Get someone to help you as you try to interpret it even though you may have never tasted the dish. Incorporating new foods along with more exercise can be a winning combination. This makes fall a great time to make the extra effort to improve health.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Colorado Springs, Colo.