What are your Autumn training plans?

As another British summer draws to a close, you may be thinking your training goals and plans for Autumn 2016 need a little tweaking?

Autumn 2016 officially starts on Thursday 22nd September. With it still remaining light after 6pm, you should expect to achieve many of the things you did during the summer. Equally, as long as you prepare for the darker evenings by training earlier, if you can, you should be ok.

This blog has been written to help you adjust for Autumn in Berkshire, keeping you on track until the end of year.

Autumn fitness plans 2016

I tend to find training in the Autumn not too bad. Yes it rains a lot more than the summer but this must not put you off your health and fitness goals for 2016.

You’re only four months away from 2017 and the chances are there is still a lot of work to do to complete your 2016 health and fitness plan.

Wrap up that bit more if you’re training outside and take care. With rain about and more water on the path or roads if you are cycling please take extra care. A warm, dry gym really does come into its own, if the gym is more your bag.

Running around the racecourse in Ascot, jogging around Greater Windsor Park and Virginia Water or biking around the Lookout and Swinley Forest that serves Bracknell, Crowthorne and Windlesham residence are all great options for the next few weeks.

Swim fit 2016

Sometimes we cannot escape the rain and getting drenched. I will always remember RideLondon 2014! However if you love a bit of water, then what are you waiting for?

The benefits to swimming cannot be overstated. Strong, chiselled core, improved aerobic fitness and stronger, bigger upper and lower body muscles. The Adonis of Berkshire!

Aqua fitness maybe more your style rather than lane swimming. Give it a go and maybe take up one of the challenge’s your local leisure centre ‘Swim Fit’ offers. There are leisure centres in Bracknell, Maidenhead, Staines, Windsor and Wokingham.

Home fitness workouts

Have you tried working out at home? If not give it go. It is surprising how little space you need. Admittedly, space can be an issue which is why we are forced to train outdoors, in the garden or at the local gym.

The front room, the conservatory or even the garage are options. There are an abundance of exercises you can choose from if you choose to workout from home. Running on the spot, skipping, some press-ups or even the plank.

New Year Resolutions for 2017

You don’t need to worry too much about your New Year Resolutions for 2017 just yet but you may want to think a little differently about your diet and the goals you have set yourself.

As it gets a little colder and rains a lot more, ‘mojo’ foods can help you with motivation through the next quarter. The British weather can really take the wind out of your sails especially when it goes from plenty of sun to plenty of rain. Don’t despair.

I reviewed a couple’s food diaries recently after a power walk around the Lookout in Bracknell. They are eating more soups. A perfect mojo food. Nothing like a warm, nutritional soup on a wet, miserable day.

Typically, hearty soups are not eaten during the summer. That is not to say you cannot eat a soup on a hot day but I tend to find soups work a treat during the cold seasons and are packed full of vegetables, providing a wonderful source of key nutrients after a workout.

Bring on Autumn, I say. Part of the challenge of discovering the new you is not the exercise itself but the challenges our seasons throw at us. The rain, the hail and the wind. Now there’s a challenge.