Outdoor workout season
By Harish Gurjar (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-11 09:20
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Summer is over, and the bracing air of autumn is bright and fresh. It is the perfect time of the year to connect your fitness routine with the great outdoors.
Autumn's golden colors are conducive to relaxing your mind and enjoying outdoor exercises. The cool autumn weather also inspires one to push a little harder on fitness activities.
In the winter, there will be time enough indoors in the gym, dance studio or at home working out with exercise videos.
Kick-start the outdoor season with a body transformation program. Enjoy a long walk and the changing colors of the leaves in some of the local parks. Or, go to the beach and reinvigorate yourself with pure ocean air while swimming or just doing some sit-ups on the sand.
Autumn is a time of transformation in your fitness program. Exercises at this time of the year should focus more on parts of the body that hold and store excess fat such as the outer thigh, abdomen and upper back area.
Here are some outdoor moves to keep you in shape while enjoying the beauty of nature.
Walking, cycling and jogging: These aerobic activities are great outdoor high and low impact workouts that will burn extra fat, lower blood pressure and strengthen the heart. Take advantage of the season and calm your mind by reaching a deeper state of relaxation and awareness while shaping up your physique.
Sit-ups and crunches: Easy to perform, these very effective exercises for your stomach burn fat and develop muscles.
Squats: These have been used for centuries to build explosive lower body strength, power, speed and endurance in your thigh muscles.
Push-ups: Excellent for building up strength in your upper arms, shoulders and chest, push-ups will also help your upper body get back into shape.
Back extension: This simple exercise has excellent benefits for lower back, hamstrings and gluteus muscles. It also helps to increase flexibility.
Stretching: Usually done after your warm-up or workout, stretching after exercise is key to any fitness regimen. It increases flexibility in joints and muscles, relieves muscle tightness and cools down muscles.
Exercising burns fat and calories, strengthens your heart and lungs, helps you lose weight, increases your ability to use oxygen and relieves stress. But always consult your doctor before you start any exercise regime.
Harish Gurjar is the assistant director of activities and entertainment at the Hyatt Regency Jing Jin City Resort and Spa, Tianjin.