I pulled into the driveway, looked at the front lawn, and said “thank you”. To myself.
Autumn is a wonderful season and it totally rocks here in Maryland. The leaves will take your breath away as they slowly start to change colors and eventually peak. It’s almost too much to take in. The air has a crisp feel to it. And, football is back.
Autumn is when schedules get full, fun opportunities increase, and the holidays start whispering that they will soon be here.
Autumn is also when a lot of us take a break from fitness. The summer clothing is put away and fitness doesn’t feel so in your face. We may not make a full-on decision to stop, but we have plenty of available excuses and we take advantage of those. Plus, we tell ourselves, we’ll ramp it back up once we’re past New Year’s.
I’ve been cutting grass since I was a kid. When my dad let me push the mower the first time it was a big, BIG deal. As a teenager I made money cutting lawns in the neighborhood. Later it felt really grown-up to cut the grass in a yard I was paying for. And, during the busy years of parenting, mowing the lawn become my fitness activity (and, maybe even a little bit of an escape).
I still cut my own grass these days and I still use a push mower. I don’t love it as much as I used to. It remains a fitness activity, but I’d rather go for a walk and listen to a podcast than push a lawnmower now.
We have a half acre so it takes me about an hour to do the whole thing. When I pulled into the driveway that day and said thank you to myself it was because I had cut the front yard the night before. All I had to mow now was the backyard.
This happened on a Friday morning. I was saying thank you to my Thursday self. The yesterday me made life easier for the today me. I love when I do that.
If you find yourself wanting to push the pause button on fitness, I have a suggestion for you. Make a decision today that will benefit the future you. Why not make a 90 day commitment to keep fitness going?
And, that’s one of the great things about walking for fitness. It can work around and even through your busy autumn schedule. You don’t have to carve out extra time to go to the gym. You can walk while you’re living your life.
For example…you’re not required to sit while you watch your kids play sports. You can walk and watch…or at least walk during a break in the action. Lots of sports to watch on TV over the next few months. You don’t have to sit during all those commercial breaks. And, if you take a daily lunch break, I’m guessing you can eat and still have plenty of time for a walk…either in the building or outside.
You can keep fitness going by setting a step goal to reach every day. I recommend one that requires at least a little effort each day. And, on the days with a little more time available, you can always go well past the goal.
This will do a couple things. First, you’ll maintain some fitness through autumn. The amount of fitness will depend, of course, on how high you set the step goal. Second, and I think even more significantly, you’ll maintain a mindset of fitness. This is really where fitness is won or lost…in your mind, and if you are still focused on it to some degree that’s a huge win!
And, every day you reach your step goal is a win too! So, make a goal and use this free 90 Day Step Challenge Tracker to help keep you motivated.
Don’t let Fall Fitness Fatigue get the victory this year. Keep moving with intention.
Your January self will thank you!
If you struggle with motivation to stick with fitness this blog will help. Every week you’ll get a new article with stories, motivation and practical suggestions to help you start a fitness journey that builds momentum and never stops. If you click FOLLOW (below on your phone and to the right and above on your computer) you’ll get an email with a link to each motivating article the moment it’s published.