Outdoor Season Ends. Bring It Inside People.

Summer is one of my favorite seasons.  Yes, I am crazy, but that should come as no surprise for those of you that know me!  Summers in Houston can be brutal, but as they say "It's five o'clock somewhere", meaning, "It's pleasant somewhere"  That's why God made California, Colorado and Montana, to name a few.

Those areas have some of the best summer weather I know.  Cool mornings and evenings, but days that are warm enough to make you sweat.  It is easy to get out and be active during the summer months in those cooler states.  Winter...well, that's another topic.  That's why God made Houston.

I say all the above only to set the stage for what I'm about to say: don't let summer in Houston slow you down!  A lot of people don't like (or can't stand) the summer heat and humidity in Houston...and rightly so.  It can be downright miserable, however, don't let that be your excuse for not keeping active.

In the Fall and Spring weeks that are so nice in Houston, it is not uncommon for some of you to replace your indoor activities with outdoor activities.  I think that's great and I encourage you to do so.  A little change of pace (and terrain) can be a good thing.

However, as the weather starts to get hotter, it gets more difficult to keep up those outdoor activities.  Now is a good time to begin transitioning back indoors.  Don't forget you have a membership at a health club that needs to be used.

You might be surprised when you return to the club to resume your workouts that you might not be where you left off.  How can that be, you say?  Very simple.  Walking outside in the southeast Texas countryside only allows so much variation.  The only hills to speak of are the overpasses.  Other than that, it's pretty flat.  So variety only comes in the form of walking, walking faster, jogging, running and sprinting.  Sprinkle in some intervals and that about covers what you can safely do outdoors.

Don't get me wrong...doing what you have done is better than doing nothing and it is a good change of pace, but unless you were really challenging yourself out there, chances are good you might feel that things are little bit harder than when you left.

Some of you recently have taken a little time off for various reasons and when you come back, even after just a short week off, you say you can feel the difference.  It's amazing how quickly the advances you've made can slip away.  That's why it's important to do something to maintain what you have or at least slow down the decline.

So now that summer is upon us it's time to get back into the club and pick up where you left off.  It only gets harder the longer you wait.

Look forward to seeing you soon.