4 Ways to Stay Active This Fall (and How It Benefits Your Mental Health)

Are you looking for new ways to keep your family active this fall? With the current pandemic, we know that fall-inspired activities might not look the same this year, especially if you’re taking a pass on your favorite parades, festivals, or outings. 

Even with a disruption to your normal fall activities, it’s important to find safe ways to stay active. Exercise and regular activity are essential for your mental health. Exercise boosts self-esteem, lifts your mood, and helps lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to the research published in The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Here at Next Step 2 Mental Health, we understand the many benefits of staying active, and that’s why we recommend regular exercise and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.

In the spirit of incorporating more physical activity into your everyday routine, we created this guide to get you started. Here are four activities to help you stay active this fall.

1. Go for a Hike

Hiking is often thought of as a summer activity, but hiking can benefit you year-round. In fact, a fall hike might be more comfortable as the temperatures ease up — plus you’ll have the added bonus of seeing beautiful fall foliage.

Hiking on natural trails is a great family-friendly option. And the best part? It’s easy to adhere to the CDC’s guidelines for social distancing while hiking. Depending on which trail you choose, you can make your outing as easy or as challenging as you wish.

Hiking can support your mental health in a variety of ways, according to the experts at Harvard Health. Simply spending time in nature serves as a natural stress reliever, while creating an opportunity to spend quality time with your family — which can also lift your mood. Hiking, especially if you are walking at an incline, supports your cardiovascular health and increases your circulation.

2. Schedule Unstructured Play

You don’t have to trek through the mountains to get a good dose of physical activity. You can simply migrate to your own backyard, and choose your favorite backyard activity:

• Catching a ball with your child
• Playing tag or hide-and-seek
• Playing soccer
• Shooting a basketball or even playing HORSE
• Doing a workout outside (lots of good workout routines you can find on YouTube)
• Playing fetch with your dog

Playing outside is a great way to incorporate younger members of your family. Physical activity supports the mental health of children and adults alike. As Next Step’s Certified Health Coach Pam Valdes says, “Anything that gets you moving is good for your health.”

3. Practice for a 5k (or Other Activity)

Setting goals — and working towards them — helps develop a sense of self-mastery and gives you something to look forward to. Even if there aren’t any scheduled 5K races near you, you can still create activity-related goals. If you’re not a runner, that’s okay. You can turn any physical activity into a goal. 

Here are a few examples:

• You can aim to increase your daily step goal by 500 steps.
• You can make a goal to spend a few minutes playing catch in the yard with your kids.
• You can make a goal to add one more block to your walking route. 
• You can make a goal to walk on the golf course instead of using a cart.

Tip: Goals can also include simply learning a new sport or activity. 

4. Commit to Exercise as a Family

Staying active doesn’t have to mean 5 am workouts or super intense exercise programs. Dr. Brian Briscoe reminds us that “just 30  minutes of light physical activity is more than enough to generate significant benefits for physical and emotional health.”

Many parents may struggle to find time to fit exercise into the schedule, but it doesn’t have to be an “either / or” thing.   

Dr. Briscoe continues, “If you can’t get away from the children, figure out a way to involve them.  Take them on a walk, go on a bike ride, play soccer with them in the back yard.

Bottom line: There are plenty of ways to sneak more physical activity into each day of the week. 

We’re Here When  You Need Us

At Next Step 2 Mental Health, we care about the health and well-being of your entire family. Whether you or your child needs mental health care, we’re here to help with all of your family’s mental health needs.

To schedule an appointment, give us a call at 502-339-2442. You can also request an appointment online.