Fall fitness challenge
The start of a new season is always a good time to take stock and reevaluate. No matter how old you are, the end of summer/start of fall feels like a new beginning, like it did when you were school-aged.
Run with this feeling and use this time to relaunch your fitness activities. The timing feels good—daylight is still long and there’s not yet a chill in the air. Challenge yourself to establish a good habit or reignite a dormant one before closing out the year.
Escape into the wild
Spending time outdoors is good for your body and mind.1 Knowing that the temperate weather is in its waning months should drive you to grasp those last great days outside. Incorporate your physical activity into your time outside.
What’s your number?
There are always new combinations of fitness activities being developed by athletic and personal trainers and shared online. While not every combination will work for everyone, something could work well for you. Pick one and commit. Challenge yourself to try it for a week, and if it’s not for you, try another one. See which one of these trending fitness routines is your lucky number.
3-3-3
Each week, aim for three moderate-intensity days and three lower-intensity (active recovery) days. Mix and match activities to include three sessions each of strength (resistance) and cardio. With this plan, the goals are clear, and you’ll rarely get bored.
5-5-5-30
Dive into this workout as soon as you wake up, before the day (and your mind) gets cluttered. It’s five push-ups, five squats, five lunges (per leg) and a 30-second plank. Start by doing one cycle. When you feel strong enough, add another set of reps. Before you know it, you’ll see and feel the difference.
6-6-6
This workout is a version of interval training we can all embrace. Start with an easy walk for a six-minute warm-up, follow it with a brisk walk for six minutes and then take an easy six-minute cool-down stroll. Do this series six times each week and you'll have accomplished more than 100 minutes of activity.
12-3-30
It’s a high-intensity treadmill workout. After a warm-up, the goal is to walk at a 12% incline at 3 miles per hour for 30 minutes. Work up to five days each week to help hit your fitness goals, burn calories, improve your cardiovascular health and tone lower-body muscles.
15-15-15
This is a cross-training series loved by celebrities (or at least that’s what they say). Spin (or cycle) for 15 minutes (including warm-up), switch to an elliptical machine for 15 minutes and run (or walk briskly) on a treadmill for 15 minutes (including cool-down). Done back to back, 45 minutes of cardio work is efficient activity.
Challenge yourself to get moving every day for better mental and physical health.
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Sources
Before starting any new exercise routine, talk to your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe.
University of California, Davis Health. 3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health. Published May 2023. Accessed May 18, 2026.
National Academy of Sports Medicine. Active recovery: what it is and how to do it. Accessed May 18, 2026.
Cleveland Clinic. The 12-3-30 workout: what it is and how it works. Accessed May 18, 2026.
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This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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