Fall Planning
It's a quiet day today. A holiday in the U.S., and in the northwestern quadrant of this country, it's overcast, rainy, a bit chilly. We've sent our kids and teachers back to school, and are working out the kinks of new schedules, new extracurricular activities, new carpool schedules.

It's Monday, and a good day to think, to plan for smart eating and workout routines for the weeks and months ahead.

My family is pigging out in this last big summer weekend. And I'm okay with that. Mostly okay. I'm practically relaxed about the huge meal I consumed this morning. Only slightly nervous.

Just nervous enough that I want to make sure I plan on not being a slug for the rest of the week, and plan a new routine for the fall, when I am prone to crawl into my house and under the covers.

As the seasons shift, so will my routine. I don't have the garden and the summer roads and beach for playing. Now is the time to think about how I will move my body through the fall and winter months.

The days are shortening quickly. It will soon be time for me to head back to the gym in the mornings. I'm not a good cold weather runner, and I'm terrible about exercising in the dark. (It's the vampires. I'm afraid of them.)

So earlier bedtimes for me. No more John Stewart. More evening classes for me. I can combine social time with workout time if I am able to lobby and cajole and fill my yoga and Pilates classes with buddies and relatives. I'm looking forward to seeing my old morning gym crew, and will head back there tomorrow morning. I have one more road race this year, but then I'll be at the gym most mornings to start my day.

I'm cleaning out and rearranging my little home gym corner, which is rarely used during the summer months, making sure the tapes are ready for those days when my good intentions paved the wrong road. My therabands and weights and one rolled sticky mat are stacked fairly neatly near the T.V.. Well, pretty neatly. I mean, I know where they ARE. I can FIND them, and work quietly or extravagantly at building muscle while watching the news, or during commercials.

I'll next head into the pantry, and while I'm still full of huevos, sort through my freezer and shelves, making sure I'm all stocked up on protein supplement, nut butters, cottage cheese, frozen berries and peaches and seafood, turkey and chicken. I'll replace the bags of peas I have used over and over to ice my sore spots when I work out a little too hard. Tuna's there. Check. My soymilk is stocked, along with my eggs, mozzarella sticks, plenty of veggies, fresh fruit. There are nuts for snacking. And I have plenty of herbal teas in stock ready to help me through night-time cravings.

My gym bag is packed and in my car, ready for every possible kind of workout, any day. Clean socks, towels, bathing suits, clothes, shampoo, a razor, an all-purpose lotion. The shoes are there for mid-day walks. My various membership cards are laminated and attached to my bag.

Yeah. I'm in good shape for this next season. I'm ready.

This week I'll work off the extra consumption of my holiday weekend. And in the weeks that follow, I'll work hard to enter the holiday season at my low weight. It'll take all fall to prepare for the holidays. But I'm determined to be ready this year.

Okay. Summer's over here. Happy September, everyone. Hope your Autumn is a healthy and active one.

JuJu

Back To School Planning
Planning Your New Exercise Routine
Make an Easy Home Gym, from CBS.com

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