How You Can Fall Back Into Good Health

4 Tips To Make Your Fall a Healthy One

Summer has come and gone.  The hot weather is replaced by cooler, crisper air.  The leaves are changing color, and everyone is gearing up for winter. 

Fall is a time of change.  We exchange t-shirts and shorts for long-sleeved shirts and pants.  Beach time activities are now replaced by apple picking, time in the pumpkin patch, and spiced apple cider.

There is no better time to make a positive weight loss change.  It is time to fall back into healthy eating and exercise to stay on track and keep the weight off through the winter.

Here is a list of autumn activities to help you fall back into fitness and healthy living!

Pick foods to match the foliage

It might not be like this where you live, but where I am the trees are filled with fiery reds, bright yellows, and spicy orange leaves.  The foliage is not in full bloom, but will be shortly. 

Root vegetables are the rage in fall.  Squash and pumpkin can be great alternatives for snacks and side dishes at meals to get essential nutrients and help you shed a pound or two.

A great fall snack: roasted pumpkin seeds.   Great tasting and low in fat and calories, pumpkin seeds are a great way to get magnesium, iron, and tryptophan.  Pumpkin seeds are known for their cancer fighting and anti-inflammatory effects.  These wonderful seeds are loaded with protein and monounsaturated fats, which are beneficial for heart health.

Another great vegetable: squash.  Butternut, acorn, and hubbard are kinds of squash you find at local farmers' markets and farm stands.  Full of antioxidants like alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, squash can help you lose weight and keep it off.  Winter squash is full of potassium, vitamins A and C, and Omega Three fatty acids in the form of ALA.  This food is perfect for promoting optimal health. 

Last great fall food: carrots.  Ever feel like Bugs Bunny when munching on a carrot?  Carrots are full of vitamins and minerals, which help support health and well-being.   Carrots have long been known for beta-carotene which can aid in eye health.  Carrots also are filled with Vitamin A, K, and C, and some B vitamins.  Carrots are low in calories, and provide an antioxidant effect in the body.  Along with eye health, carrots have been shown to prevent certain types of cancers, and have protective effects on the cardiovascular system.

 Be Johnny Appleseed for a day

I have two little boys at home who live for apple picking.  Some of you can relate to this!  Picking apples can be a very good way to get extra activity into your weekend and help burn extra calories - especially if you need to lift your kids up to get those apples!

Not only do you get cardio work with the walking, you also get muscle strengthening by reaching and pulling apples over and over again.  This is a perfect way to increase your activity while having fun with, and exercising, with your family or loved ones.

Apples are a delicious and nutritious snack.   Low in fat and cholesterol, they are a perfect snack packed with a powerful punch.   Not only are they low in fat, but also full of fiber, helping you feel fuller, longer, resulting in less unhealthy snacking.  Apples are also a great source of potassium and vitamins A and K.

Try Line Dancing

Most of you might be looking at this and saying, "No way!"  Fall is a great time for change.  Keeping with the theme of change, you want to change up your workout to give the body a different way to burn calories.   Your body can get used to the same routine and can stop producing results.   Try to switch it up every 3 to 4 weeks to keep your body confused, and keep burning extra calories.

Line dancing might not be for you.   Trying a new activity might lead to more weight loss.  Here’s a little secret: you might even have fun doing it!

Brrrr….cooler air can burn more calories

Do you find it a bit cooler exercising outdoors in the fall?  I do, and I know most of the other people I work with do too!  Exercising in colder air can result in extra calorie burn.   Here’s why!

Loading yourself with extra clothing to keep your skin from being exposed to the air adds a little more resistance to the body.  Carrying extra weight from clothing can burn a few more calories. 

When the colder air hits your face, arms, or legs, your body sends a signal to the brain to make you start to shiver.  A natural response by the body, shivering maintains internal temperature and brings blood back to the skin.  Shivering can burn more calories just trying to keep your body warm.

The air in fall is a few degrees cooler than our bodies would like.  A result: our bodies need to warm up the air as it gets into the body.  This can result in more calories burned just warming up the inhaled air.

Choosing different activities, like walking outside on crisp fall days, eating plenty of winter vegetables, and apple picking are fun and healthy activities which can help trim your waistline and slow the aging process. 

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