Fitness Tips to Keep Your Momentum to Stay Active Through Every Season

Make your plans now for how you'll stay active as the seasons change.

If you’re anything like me, you love summertime for its long daylight hours, warm weather, and (here in the Pacific Northwest) a welcome stretch of dry skies. It’s my favorite season to be active outdoors. I enjoy evening walks after dinner, while some of my clients, amazing women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, spend their summers hiking, kayaking, biking, traveling, or simply puttering around in the garden. Staying active in midlife and beyond feels almost effortless when the weather cooperates.

While the weather is still warm and it's easy to get outdoors for evening walks and weekend mornings in the garden, it can be hard to imagine not staying active as the seasons change. But we’re reaching that time of year when the sun sets a little earlier each evening, the leaves start to change color, and the rainy season is on its way.

Rather than letting shorter days and chilly weather derail your movement routine and you literally fall out of an exercise habit, now is the perfect time to plan for what your fall and winter activities will look like. Having a strategy in place will help you stay consistent with exercise instead of skipping it just because it’s dark and wet outside!

A Season of New Beginnings

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., the school year always started right after Labor Day. I still remember the excitement of shiny new school shoes and cracking open a fresh, crisp composition notebook with the clean pages waiting to be filled with new ideas. Autumn has always felt like a season of fresh starts, and that mindset can carry into our health and fitness routines too.

Whether your summer was filled with afternoons in the garden, evening sunset walks, chasing after grandkids, or long days sightseeing on vacation, fall naturally invites a different rhythm. That makes it a great time to reset, refocus, and create routines that support your health through the months ahead.

Simple Ways to Stay Active This Fall

Plan some simple strategies now to keep daily exercise consistent. Check out these fitness tips to stay active through every season.

• Shift your walking schedule. If evenings get too dark for your after-dinner stroll, try a 20-minute power walk after lunch instead. And if rain is in the forcast this autumn, a new pair of waterproof walking sneakers and a reflective vest can also help keep you safe and comfortable outdoors as the weather changes.

• Trade yard work for strength work. When the garden is hybernating for the season and you won’t be hauling bags of mulch around the yard, it's a great time to swap that movement for gym sessions with weights or resistance bands so next spring you're stronger than before.

• Support your body where it needs it. Maybe your summer vacation left you with a stiff back, or you noticed your stamina wasn’t quite where you’d like it. This is the perfect time to improve mobility, strengthen your core, and build endurance so you head into the holiday travel season feeling energized. (If you need a good place to start, try this short workout featured in my blog post on beginner core exercises.)

Plan Now, Thrive Later

A little planning today can make all the difference for your health this fall and winter. Whether you’re continuing the momentum you built over the summer or you're starting a new fitness habit (like walking daily), this is your chance to set yourself up for success, so you glide into the holiday season with energy and confidence instead of starting over in January.

And even if it’s been decades since you bought new school supplies, this is a great time to trade in those old sneakers and grab yourself a fresh notebook, crack it open, and jot down your intentions for staying active as the season changes. Think of it as your fall “health reset,” one that keeps you strong, active, and feeling good in your body no matter the season.