Fitness Seasons

This morning I went for a long run. It was cool, crisp, and picturesque with the Fall colors beginning to show. I felt strong, energized, and capable. I was reminded of why I love running! Not every run is like that ... and it was only a few days ago I was dragging along in the heat and humidity.

Fall is, in my opinion, the best season to run. The temperatures are cooler. The sun is often out. The scenery is colorful, and the humidity is down. It really is ideal. Every Fall I am reminded of this. Every Fall I am motivated to sign up for a few local races.

Then Winter comes and it's cold!  Sometimes it's icy or drizzly and NOT the ideal season to run. In the Winter I seek comfort and fitness indoors. In the Winter, I often pursue continuing education in Pilates. I spend more time in the studio working. learning, and improving. Colder seasons make for great indoor workouts.

Next up is Spring which is sort of hit or miss. Run on the good days and retreat indoors on the bad days! With the warmer temperatures, I find myself running further again and registering for Spring races. On rainy days, Pilates keeps me moving and happy.

Finally, Summer rolls around and in Kentucky, it's hot, humid, and not ideal for running. I'm back in the studio a bunch. Racing is put aside and Pilates goals are created. This Summer I participated in several Pilates challenges online. This kept me motivated and pushed me to do more.

For me, my fitness seasons are weather-based. For you, they may be work-based or school calendar-based. The key is to realize our workouts may ebb and flow based on our 'seasons' but they should not stop altogether. If I had taken the Summer off running  - I would not have enjoyed my Fall run this morning. I would not enjoy Fall running very much at all as I would spend this time getting back in running shape.  It's better to push through some less than ideal Summer runs so I get my Fall payoff!

The same goes for Pilates. If I skip my Pilates workouts in favor of running this Fall, I run the risk of injury. I also most likely won't run as well without the stretch/strength/length of Pilates and when I decide to come back to Pilates I will struggle! Keeping a regular practice of Pilates keeps the body balanced and strong. There is no season where strength and balance are not important.

It's ok to have Fitness seasons and to have ups and downs and variety in what you do to stay strong and healthy. Variety is good! Just don't stop. Scale back or ramp up if you have time issues or more time but don't hibernate when it comes to Fitness!