Part One

Summer is often a time of heightened physical activity and fitness enthusiasm. With longer days, warmer weather, and an array of outdoor activities, many people find it easier to stay active and committed to their fitness goals. 

As we prepare for summer to wrap up, there are ways to maintain that momentum and smoothly transition into fall without losing the progress you’ve made. Fall inevitably inspires comfort foods, bulky sweaters, and less attention to hydration.

To help with this transition, let’s explore strategies to wrap up your summer fitness routine effectively, tips for transitioning into the new season, and ways to stay motivated all year round.

Reflecting on Your Summer Fitness Fun

Celebrating Achievements

Before diving into new goals for fall, take a moment to reflect on your summer fitness outcome. Celebrate the milestones you’ve reached, whether it’s:

• running your first 5K
• mastering a new yoga pose
• sticking to a consistent workout routine
• Improved strength and flexibility
• Enhanced mental well-being from regular exercise

Acknowledging your successes can boost your confidence and provide a solid foundation for setting new goals.

Assess What Worked and What Didn’t

Making the effort to recognize what worked and what didn’t will help you fine-tune your approach for moving forward.

Things to Consider:

•  Which workouts did you enjoy the most? Why?
•  What was the most accessible and less stressful to commit to?
•  What were some of the challenges you faced?
•  How did you handle setbacks or plateaus?

By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your summer routine, you can make informed adjustments to keep your fitness journey on track. You may be quick to take the blame for just not doing it the way you intended to, but it’s usually not that cut and dry. Give yourself some grace and take the time to consider your reasons why.

Setting New Goals for Fall

Establishing SMART Goals

As the seasons change, so should your fitness goals. Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals can provide direction and motivation.

Examples of SMART Goals

• Increase your running distance by 10% over the next month
• Attend 4 Boutique sessions per week for Super September!
• Improve your plank hold time by 30 seconds within six weeks
• Nail the kettlebell swing in 3 weeks 

These goals should be tailored to your interests and fitness level, ensuring they are challenging yet attainable.

Join a Challenge!

Challenges can help structure behavior and increase motivation. Having a clear start and stop is a huge help with mindset and managing your efforts. That’s one reason why so many people run races – it gives them a clear end goal which can be a lot more motivating than endless effort that doesn’t clearly illustrate progress. 

Most people work best in waves or projects. Joining a challenge increases your effort for a limited amount of time and affords you the opportunity to reap the rewards. This can oftentimes help pave the way for better habits moving forward.

Join the Super September Challenge and you will kickstart your fall fitness while earning an extra 500 Perkville Points! Starts September 9!

Diversifying Your Workout Routine

Transitioning into fall presents an opportunity to diversify your workout routine. Incorporate a mix of indoor and outdoor activities to keep things interesting.

Indoor Activities

• Strength training at Boutique Fitness
• Yoga or Pilates or Barre classes
• Rock Climbing

Outdoor Activities

• Hiking on local trails. We have lots of options for beautiful hikes with DNRT and  Mattapoisett Land Trust.
• Rowing! You can row year round with BBRC and WCR. You can row the Azorean Whaleboats up until the end of October.
• Running is best in cooler weather! If you want to make some running friends, check out the NB Track Club.
• Cycling is a great option as long as there’s no ice on the ground 😉

A varied workout routine can prevent boredom and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Plus, your indoor workouts should be facilitating everything you do outside of the ‘gym’. This means these outdoor activities will feel even better!

Part Two coming September 1!