As a fitness professional my job pretty much boils down to two facets:

1. Helping people establish the habit of regular exercise in their daily lives.
2. Once people establish that habit and become daily exercisers, helping them break their habits by switching them up.

In my experience, this second variable is as difficult (if not more so) than the first, for at some level we are all habitual with our behaviors. What we must remind ourselves of is that while we can’t all keep getting faster, leaner, or stronger, we can all experience change through growth. As Winston Churchill said, “To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.”

The change of seasons into fall gives us a reminder that change is in the air and that it’s time to ‘fall’ into a different habit. Animals do this naturally. As seasons change, so do their lifestyles and in many cases their bodies. They eat the foods nature provides to them, they make adaptations such as developing thicker coats in preparation for winter, and some go into hibernation. Birds, of course, fly south to warmer climates (taking a page from my parents who migrate to Palm Springs in winter). Must be nice!

Unlike the animals (and my parents), our modern technology makes it so that the change of seasons does not necessitate a change in us. But some of us still make shifts consciously or subconsciously in autumn. Fall is a busy time in fitness and the migration back to the gym begins. In my experience, the fall is second only to the onslaught of activity following the New Year’s resolution crowd. Odds are if you were in the gym the last week, it seemed a little busier. Humans, too, are following their natural patterns of change – kids are back to school, summer vacations are over, and the weather is starting to wane.

Most likely, after summer, you fit into one of two camps – you have been exercising a lot, taking full advantage of the summer season, or you have been exercising very little, also taking full advantage of the summer season! Either way, now is the time for a change.

Too Much Summer R&R

For some, summer is a time of rest. As the summer sun shines bright, it can be easy to slip into vacation mode. If this is you, it’s time for you to get moving. Time to join an exercise community such as a small studio, set a goal, and plan an event. It’s the last chance to take advantage of the end of racing season. If you need help getting moving in fall, here are some fall quick tips:

• Join a small community-based fitness studio. A gym doesn’t provide motivation, but communities do. Find one.
• Hire a coach to help you get moving.
• Plan a physical goal (such as losing ten pounds) and plan a functional goal (such as participating in a 5K or sprint triathlon). Both goals will help each other, and the community and your coach will help provide support.

Too Much Summer Exercise

I deal with a lot of exercisers who are creatures of habit and run themselves right into the ground, literally. Summer is a time to run, race, and ride. The days are long and the weather is optimal. The problem is some of us don’t know where to stop. Don’t wait until your body gives you the message the hard way. Let the change of seasons allow you to fall into a different pattern of exercise.

• Start transitioning to an indoor routine that includes lower impact activities – strength training, yoga, and power training.
• Put on that winter coat. Putting on a few pounds of muscle will help your game by giving you more metabolic energy and more strength (yes, ladies, this includes you).
• Give that body a rest and start treating yourself to indoor recovery activities – sports massage, therapeutic modalities of stretching, or hot yoga.
• Start training for a winter activity like skiing, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.

Other Fall Considerations

Prepping for fall also means changing up how we support our exercise habits with our fuel and our gear:

• If you are feeling overuse symptoms like runner’s knee or shin splints, the first thing you should do is rest. The second thing you should do is look at your footwear. Fall is an opportunity for you to get rid of those shoes you ran all of your summer miles in. Time for some new kicks!
• If you’re staying outside, protect yourself from the elements. That means rain tires (slicks) on the bike, good trail shoes for outdoor elements, and good weather resistant gear.
• Switch up your diet. The natural season changes give us clues of the best foods to eat. Add in some root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, as well as nuts and seeds, which are full of energy and protein. Squashes berries and pears are plentiful and optimal to eat. Many of us also migrate back to the kitchen in fall and it’s a good opportunity to establish the habit of eating less processed foods and preparing good nutritious meals like soups. Don’t start a diet, but instead use fall as a time to start eating good nutritious whole and raw foods. September is a peak season for healthy fruits and vegetables, so eat lots of them.
• Summer means partying for a lot of people. Maybe, just maybe, you don’t need two (or three) glasses of wine every day. Alcohol is a simple sugar and is metabolized in the body as fat. I sometimes have to remind clients, you can either have fourteen drinks a week or the body you want, but not both.

Fall is an opportunity for change. If we don’t respect the natural states the seasons provide for our lives and our bodies, we can find ourselves out of balance. Being out of balance can leads to changes in mood and resistance from our bodies. To keep your body and mind in balance, change with the season and use fall as a time to restore and rejuvenate yourself.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Lessons From the Fall: Turn Over a New Leaf and Switch Up Your Program appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Any surfer knows the lunar cycles affect the tides of the ocean. If there is a swell at the full moon the surf it huge! Our bodies are made up of 60-70% water, and since our bodies are mostly water and the lunar cycles pull on water, you can see how this has an influence on our state of mind. If our plates are too full or we are under emotional distress at the full moon we can feel agitated or uneasy.

Summer is the most energetic time of the year. This has a lot to do with the big ball of fire up in the sky. The warmer days and increased sunlight give us an extra energy boost. However if we are not focused on where we’d like to send the energy, it may be scattered in all directions, especially at the full moon.

You may be wondering why I’m writing about the seasons and the full moon. And you may be thinking this is all hippie talk, but I assure you if you apply the following principles in your life you will feel a positive difference. Just keep an open mind and start to notice your energy level and emotional state at the full moon and change of seasons.

When the moon is full it can no longer expand. Therefore it must shed and become smaller until there is no moon at all – the new moon. I’ve noticed when my schedule is overbooked and I’m not allowing enough time for me the full moon can make me feel overwhelmed. Much more than if my schedule is just as full at new moon.

Full Moon

To sync up with the lunar cycles it is important to complete projects at the full moon, clean out email boxes, finish everything on the to do list, and clean out your closets. When working out around the full moon it is good to sweat, detoxify, and do lots of hip-opening stretches. I like to avoid inversions and deep backbends at the full moon as it can jolt the nervous system too much.

New Moon

During the new moon you are presented with a blank slate. You’ve completed projects at the full moon, and therefore the new moon is a great time to start new projects. Set intentions and write down your detailed goals. Your yoga practice should consist of poses that energize and open the body. Backbends, core strengthening, and inversions are great to incorporate at the new moon.

The Seasons

Most likely you innately understand how the seasons impact you and your energy level. As mentioned above, summer is an energetic time. If you can focus this energy on a specific goal anything is possible. Winter is a time of hibernation and reflecting upon what seeds of intention you want to plant in the spring. Your energy is more limited, so use it wisely. Spring is the time to come out of your cave and plant your seeds.

At the new moon closest to the spring equinox write down your detailed goals for the next six months. At the fall equinox, which is often referred to as the final harvest, watch as your intentions come to fruition.

I wish I could give you a reading resource for all of this information, but it is intuitive knowledge that has come through my practice over the years. Susan Miller from Astrology Zone touches on some of this information and she is a wealth of information.

Don’t think because the super moon has passed that there’s nothing to do. We can feel effects up to three days before and after the full moon. Start cleaning those email folders and detoxifying your body! Shed old layers and sweat!

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Wax and Wane: Get In Sync With the Moon and Seasons appeared first on Breaking Muscle.