Autumn, with its cool temperatures and beautiful outdoor scenery is one of the best seasons to begin a fitness program.
Going for walks in the park during autumn is a person’s chance to commune with Mother Nature while improving his overall health.
Walking is an aerobic exercise that has a low impact on joints in the lower extremities.
Thirty minutes of walking per day (or ten thousand steps) can add years to a person’s life and lessen the risk for medical conditions to develop.
Areas like New England offer a lovely, colorful backdrop to enjoy while hiking or riding a bicycle. Gathering the falling leaves also provides an opportunity to get out of the house and work those muscles.
The cooler temperatures and colorful scenery are also conducive to other activities, such as rowing a boat on a lake. Rowing is a low-impact activity that works out all major muscle groups, such as core muscles (abdominal), upper body muscles (biceps, triceps), back muscles (lats), and lower body muscles (gluteus and quadriceps).
Rowing is also a good cardiovascular exercise. Caution must be exercised, as with all fitness programs; rowing can be strenuous on knee joints, spine and tendons in the forearm.
Bicycle riding is also very enjoyable during autumn. Biking or cycling provides the rider an aerobic exercise opportunity with a very efficient mode of transportation.
Cycling is a good exercise for people with arthritis of the lower limbs because there is virtually no impact on the knees and other lower joints. Cycling also tones the leg muscles.
