There is definitely a slight chill in the air in the mornings and as we transition from September to October, the days when the temperatures reach the 80’s are gone and quite soon, jackets will need to be worn due to the colder temperatures. The sun is setting earlier and earlier, and despite stories of the Senate abolishing the time change thing, on November 5th, the clocks will once again go back one hour, making the sun disappear by very late afternoon/early evening.
When I query people about their weekly exercise, a frequent answer I receive is “I walk”. This could refer to walking the dog, walking outside alone or walking with a spouse or friend. Clearly, walking on a mild summer morning with the sun coming out feels much more comfortable than walking in the dark, sub-freezing temperatures.
For those people that have a treadmill at home or a gym membership, the walking activity becomes temperature/light-independent. The temperature and light controlled environment of your own house or a gym provide a “friendly” exercise situation as opposed to the dark/cold scenario.
So, the point of this entry: For those people that rely on walking (or jogging or biking) as their exercise AND they are relying on the outdoor environment being “exercise-friendly”, a “Plan B” should be available to you. As mentioned above, having home aerobic equipment or having (and using!) a gym membership is this “Plan B” if you need sun and favorable temperatures to enable you to exercise.
The dietary part of the weight control equation is much more impactful than exercise. However, exercise is a great complement to your dietary efforts and we all need to consider how to keep the exercise going as the sunshine and warmth keep fading away from us.
And for you 80’s music fans, I know you saw this one coming. BUT, I challenge you to name the person/group that gave us the song, “Walking On Sunshine” NO GOOGLING the answer!
