Try Something New
Summer often finds us being weekend warriors–going for long bike rides, playing sports and just generally getting out and being more active.
When fall hits, many of us head to the gym or bring our workouts indoors and that can quickly lead to boredom and burnout. So this is a great time to try something completely different.
Tai Chi
Also known as a moving meditation, tai chi is a slow, fluid activity that helps improve balance and strength while keeping you relaxed and connected to your body.
Tai chi is an excellent activity to do on a chilly fall night to help you stay active. It can boost your mood, improve posture and even improve your heart health.
With the stress of going back to work and school, tai chi is the perfect stress-relieving workout.
Yoga
Yoga is another kind of moving meditation that promotes balance, flexibility and soothing mind/body connections. Depending on the type you choose, yoga can be relaxing or it can be challenging, sometimes both.
You find a local yoga studio near you, try a yoga app or videos, or even put together your own series of poses.
Barre Workouts
This ballet-inspired workout focuses on balance, coordination, and core strength by incorporating a mix of exercises that go through a full range of motion and those that isolate and hold challenging positions. Popular examples include Physique 57, The Bar Method, Pure Barre, and Pop Physique.
CrossFit
If you really want to test your limits, try something like CrossFit. This type of workout involved high-intensity interval training, doing exercises with very heavy loads and measuring a variety of metrics during each workout so you can see your improvement. The movements are considered functional, meaning they engage your whole body in a variety of ways.
CrossFit is very high intensity and not necessarily for beginners, so you’ll want to have some exercise experience and make sure the gym you choose has a good reputation.
Circuit Training
If you want something with a lot of variety but without the intensity of something like CrossFit, good old-fashioned circuit training is a great choice.
With circuit training, you choose 10 or more exercises, either cardio, strength training, or both and do each one, one after the other with no rests in between. With this kind of training, you work multiple areas of fitness, burn more calories and make your workouts more interesting.
Sample Cardio Circuit
Warm up with 5 minutes of light cardio and then do each exercise below, one after the other, without resting in between. Complete 1-3 circuits.
- 1 min – Plyo Jacks
- 1 min – Burpees
- 1 min – Jog in Place
- 1 min – High Knee Jogs
- 1 min – Plyo Lunges
- 1 min – Ski Abs
- 1 min – Squat Kicks
- 1 min – Jumping Jacks
- 1 min – Squat Jumps
- 1 min – Speed Skaters