It’s getting cooler! Are you excited? I sure am.

As the cooler months approach it makes it that much easier to commit to outdoor training. The sun and all its beautiful heat is more appealing when paired with the cool autumn breeze. Lovely!

Also, soups! My goodness, the love of pumpkin soup, split pea soup … yummy!

OK back to training. Lol.

The cooler months ignite a different mindset, a shift in training, a welcomed commitment from both myself and clients as we prepare to put in WORK – what makes it easier is knowing that the scorching sun isn’t there to greet us at the door. However, more times than not, our autumn and winter training is a little more intense.

Paired with a commitment to better sleep and improved nutrition, it’s a recipe for a successful period of goal smashing.

If you’re interested in increasing your intensity in a safe manner have a read of my tips.

First: have a look at your current schedule of training, inclusive of classes. Can you add in 20 minutes of intense cardio before or after lifting?

If you’re already scheduled for a one-hour personal training/lifting session, try cutting it down to 40 minutes and adding 25 minutes of sprints, HIIT spinning and stair sprints before or after your sessions. Ensure you assess how your hamstrings feel after lifting heavy weights before trying to sprint though, perhaps placing that speed session before your heavy lifting session.

This addition of work will only add five minutes to your training time, but the structure increases the intensity of your training and helps improve your recovery and increase your fitness levels.

What classes have you been taking all summer? Search for some that will take you out of your comfort zone. It’s OK to be uncomfortable, that is where change occurs, so get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Just simply switching out those classes you’ve mastered with a new “uncomfortable” one will do wonders to your fitness levels.

Lastly, plot these personal training/lifting sessions and classes out properly, allowing sufficient rest and recovery.

Create a training block of perhaps three weeks of intense lifting and training, inclusive of these new classes. Follow that up with one week of light training, removing the classes and returning to your previous ones. I call this my active rest week, allowing me to still train – less intensely of course – while allowing my body to recover and prepare for the next training block ahead.

These are just my suggestions, of course. You can create your own schedule, increasing intensity as you see fit. It is my experience that cooler months make it easier to commit so I take full advantage of this feeling.

Of course we don’t train based on feelings but it makes it sweet knowing that your mind and body are in sync for the training blocks ahead.

Happy Wednesday fitfam. As usual, remain unapologetic about your fitness and wellness journey, be honest with your efforts and true to yourself. Enjoy the journey and enjoy your pumpkin soup while you’re at it.

Dre Hinds is a retired track and field athlete who is now a personal trainer, aerobic and yoga instructor and fitness “addict”. Contact her on: absbydre@gmail.com, 599-0412 or @Absbydre on Facebook and Instagram