Hello Fitness Friends and happy June! For most of us fitness enthusiasts, the summer means changes in our exercise routines. Warm weather brings opportunities for different experiences and a shift in perspectives. So, let’s talk about exercise for the summer.

Did I fake you out? You had to know there was no way I would be posting about workouts for your “summer body.” If you are alive in the summer and have a body, then you meet the criteria. What I do want to talk about, though, is how changes of season can be hard for consistency.

Change of season has an interesting connotation. It can mean the literal shift in the weather and temps that you are, hopefully, experiencing where you are. It can mean a shift in mental and emotional resources. Change of season can represent a departure from the usual routine and responsibilities.

And at least in my world, June represents a complete change of season. As my husband and I are both college professors, and we have a nine year old, we are beholden to three slightly different school schedules. Which all change and I’m sure you can imagine make summer extra chaotic for us. That means that I need to make space for three people when I usually only have to worry about myself.

I am writing from a parent perspective and I have been so privileged as to not have had the personal experience of caring for someone sick. But facts are facts, there are countless life events that create season changes that we, and our workout routines, must adapt to. Which usually begs the question, how?

From an exercise standpoint, there are lots of options. Of course, it will depend on your individual goals, but the most important thing is to maintain your total weekly overload. In case you need a refresher, overload is how frequency, intensity, and volume of training interact. Frequency is the number of days per week (in strength training it relates to individual muscles). Intensity is how hard the exercise is and volume represents how much work is done.

For example, for a strength training program that is currently sitting at four times per week with an upper/lower split, there are a couple of options. You could move to three times per week with an upper, lower, full body split. You could rock a two day per week full body situation. Either will work as long as you keep the intensity and maintain the number of sets and reps.

If you are able to keep the same frequency and stay with four times per week, but you need shorter sessions, spoilers, that’s workable, too. You can work in circuits or super sets. You can do as above and fiddle with the split and change it to push, pull, shoulders + core, and legs. Again, keeping the intensity and sets and reps.

And you can apply the same principles to cardio or yoga and Pilates. Tweak the variable that represents your pain point and try to keep the other two steady. Instead of letting your workouts be an added stressor, let them be the thing that helps alleviate it.

And if your season change comes with more mental or emotional stress, don’t be afraid to step back from physical demands. Concentrate on exercise that takes the mental weight off, whatever that happens to be for you. Sometimes too much is too much. Compromised sleep or poor recovery between workouts are both good indicators of that.   

A change of season can be seen as a way to recommit or reconnect with exercise. If you allow it to be. Of course, as I said before, I am speaking from a point of privilege here. Whatever summer, or a new season brings for you, try not to abandon exercise completely. Change is inevitable, make your fitness part of it.