Change Your Fitness Routine with the Seasons!

Post by Natalie McClure, Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor at Nourish Northwest

As temperatures drop and fall is settling in, my workouts change just like my wardrobe. Fall is without a doubt my most favorite season. I love the crisp air, the smell of the leaves as they drop from the trees, and when it comes to my exercise routine, I feel like a superstar when I don’t have to contend with the heat and humidity the summer brings. Besides the standby outdoor workouts–walking, running, biking–there’s a lot you can do to spice up your routine and enjoy the Autumn colors and crisp air, i.e. the following workout I’ve created just for you!

Here are 4 exercises you can do in a park, in your back yard, or on a jogging trail. It will take you about 30 minutes to complete, and with this high intensity training (just like the class I teach on Tuesday nights at 5:45 at Nourish Northwest), that’s all you need to get results! You’ll perform these exercises using the ladder technique. That is, you’ll start with high reps and slowly work your way down to lower reps. In this particular workout, you’ll perform each exercise in a circuit (do each exercise one after the other without rest), starting with 16 reps, and then going down the “ladder” to 14 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, and ending with 6 reps. Between each circuit, take a 60 second rest to jog in place or march in place. And since you’ll be outside, you can take those 60 seconds to run or speed walk to another spot in the park or down the running trail. Switch up your scenery!

 

1)   Burpees: Start standing with your arms over-head; then put your hands down on the ground to kick your feet back into a push-up position; perform one push-up; jump your feet back into your hands; stand up; repeat.

 

2)   Walking Lunges: Sink your weight centrally and make sure that both knees are bent at 90 degrees while walking forward. Watch that your knees don’t jut forward in front of your toes. Walk 16 reps forward and turn around to perform 16 reps back and then go down the ladder with each set.

3)   Plank Jacks: While in a push-up position, Jump both feet out wide and then back together where they started in plank position. This is a fast action exercise so try to keep up the pace! To modify this exercise, you can put your hands on a bench and the plank won’t be as difficult to hold. Time yourself in seconds for this one. Start with 40 seconds, and move down the ladder to 30, 25, 20, 15 and then 10 seconds.

 

 

4)   Walking squats: Step one foot out to the side in a squat and then bring the feet together to move laterally. Stay down in the squat the whole time, and make sure that you’re weight is pushing into your heels, not your toes. Also, make sure you are keeping your feet parallel. If you have a band like the woman pictured here, that will offer you more resistance but it’s not necessary. Walk out 16 times to the left and then 16 times to the right and then down the ladder with each circuit.

You can also move this workout into your apartment/house if you come across a rainy day, but hopefully you’ll get to enjoy this high intensity workout in the beautiful autumn air!