Staying Fit and Fun During Fall

Joy and good cheer come easy with the holiday season, but so do extra pounds. It's easy to fall prey to Halloween candy and too much stuffing with your Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, though, it's just as easy to burn a few extra calories this fall simply by engaging in some festive and fun activities with your family and friends.

1. Do some fall clean-up.

While not the most enjoyable of activities, winterizing your house and cleaning up for fall can be a great work out. Moving lawn-furniture and packing up summer-fun objects can require some heavy lifting, and the effort of organizing storage spaces and garage sales not only keeps you active, but takes some heft off of your upcoming spring-cleaning and might earn you an extra buck in the process.

2. Visit pumpkin patches.

Instead of grabbing a Halloween pumpkin to carve from your local supermarket, go to a U-Pick pumpkin patch and select your own straight off the vine. As opposed to just hopping in your car, a pumpkin patch will allow you a bit of a hike to find the makings of your perfect Jack-O-Lantern, and hauling the pumpkin back to your car will burn a few extra calories.

3. Try out a corn maze.

During the fall season you'll start to see corn mazes popping up (especially if you visit that pumpkin patch). Try one out. It's a fun way to exercise both your legs and your mind, and just remember if you get lost that's more calories you'll burn.

4. Participate in or visit a haunted house.

Nothing quite inspires a good, heart-pumping run like a ghoul popping out from beneath the stairs. Haunted houses can be exhilirating to visit or even to participate in. You'll have to keep on your toes, which'll burn you a few extra calories. Haunted forests are a plus because they generally require more walking than your typical haunted house.

5. Attend or host festivals or parties.

Many regions host their own fall-time festivals and events. Attending these is a great way to get some extra activity in your day while interacting with friends and neighbors. Walking up and down Main St. a couple of times to investigate the fair is a good form of exercise and the colder weather actually makes your body burn a few extra calories up to stay warm. If your city doesn't have any local festivals, try organizing your own.

6. Prepare your garden.

Fall is the time for bulb planting. Try adding some tulips or daffodils to your garden. The crouching and digging to plant them will definitely throw a few new muscles into work, and the results of your labor will be wonderful to witness when the upcoming spring arrives.

7. Visit an apple orchard.

U-pick apple orchards are a great way to stay in shape over the fall season. There's extensive walking, stretching, and lifting involved in retrieving your own apples. Just try to resist the cider and donuts that are usually wafting from these places.

8. Rake some leaves.

One of the benefits of the fall season is the beautiful colors of the leaves as they turn from green to red and gold. Unfortunately, more often than not these leaves end up all over your yard, but that isn't so bad. Raking leaves is definitely one way to work up a sweat, and again, the colder weather forces your body to work harder to maintain heat. Extra calories are burned if you decide to run and jump into the pile when you're finished.

9. Do some trick or treating.

While the collection of candy might not seem like a very health-oriented idea, trick or treating is an awfully enjoyable way to exercise for the day. Walking from house to house is sure to burn some energy, even if you're just accompanying your children, younger siblings, or some of the neighborhood youngsters.

10. Decorating for the holidays.

Keeping your yard festive can take a lot of time and energy. The climbing and lifting involved in hanging lights, ornaments, and perhaps even your light-up Santa will definitely work up a sweat.

With these all of these festivities, you can be certain to stay active this fall.