Fall is in the air now, and yes that means eventually winter is coming.

Have no fear about that, but make sure you make the most of the beautiful fall weather while you can.

While summer is definitely over, it doesn’t mean that you and your family can’t enjoy some fun outdoor activities. There are plenty of fun things to do with family, friends or on your own.

Before packing it in for the season and hibernating indoors in some parts of the world, let’s make the most of fall, and talk about how to enjoy the fall.

How to Enjoy The Fall

What Happens During Fall Season?

Autumn, or fall, is one of the four seasons of the year. It’s that time of year that transitions summer into winter. 

Along with the tree leaves changing colour, the temperature gets colder, plants stop making food, animals prepare for the colder months ahead, and the daylight grows shorter.

Did You Know? Facts about Autumn

• Americans and Canadians typically refer to this time of year as “fall”, while the British use the word “autumn.” Both go back to the 16th century, and before that it was called “harvest”.
• Fall was formerly called harvest because of the harvest moon that occurs when the full moon is closest to the autumn equinox.
• The yellow, red and orange colors you see are actually always in leaves but they are normally overpowered by the abundance of green from chlorophyll. The amount of chlorophyll starts decreasing with less sunlight and the shorter days.
• Weight gain around this time of year might not only be due to comforting fall foods. With less sunlight, we get less vitamin D, and that reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage.

How Can You Make Fall Fun

Fall Activities to Do With Family and Friends:

• Attend a local sporting event.
• Tour a winery.
• Build a bonfire in the backyard.
• Take a day or weekend road trip.
• Spend the day at a local brewery.
• Go on a bike ride to see the fall foliage.

What is the Most Popular Fall Activity?

Pumpkin carving and decorating is one of the most popular fall activities. You can visit a pumpkin patch as a family, and pick out the perfect pumpkin for showing your carving skills and Halloween spirit.

How to Embrace Autumn

• Take a walk in the woods.
• Improve your wardrobe with fall fashions.
• Visit a local farmer’s market to get some fall harvest items.
• Plan an autumn party, or throw a Halloween party.
• Eat seasonally.
• Watch fall-inspired movies.
• Make some changes to your beauty routine.
• Decorate for Halloween.
• Take your workout outdoors.

What Do You Feel in the Fall?

There can be many feelings associated with this seasonal change. When Fall rolls around we may feel excitement or nervousness about the kids going back to school.

We may have concerns about starting or resuming college or university, anxiety about the colder weather, and dreaded anticipation of the shorter days and darker nights to come.

Why Do I Feel Different in the Fall?

One cause is the reduction in sunlight, leading to lesser levels of serotonin. Serotonin affects our mood, appetite, and sleep patterns. There’s also an increase in the hormone melatonin, which can make us feel sleepy and depressed.

Why Do People Love the Fall Season?

For many people the fall season is seen as a time for a fresh start, perhaps due to long-held associations with going back to school in September.

Why is Fall so Nostalgic?

Research has shown that gloomy conditions, like rainy days, can prompt us to feel nostalgic and that the emotion might also literally make people feel warmer.

What Are Some Great Things About Autumn?

• Leaves changing color.
• Cool days and cozy nights reading inside.
• Outdoor bonfires.
• The return of favourite fall sports.
• Celebrating Halloween.
• Thanksgiving.

Halloween

Halloween takes place in the fall and comes from ancient Celtic traditions. They believed that ghosts came out on Halloween night and people would wear disguises to hide from these spirits.

Final Thoughts

The fall season is a beautiful time of year to enjoy on your own, or with family and friends.

Take a drive somewhere that you can see the brilliant shades of autumn on the trees. Get outdoors and breathe the fresher, cooler autumn air.

As we touched on briefly the changing seasons can affect our physiology, mostly through changing sunlight patterns. It can lead to changing hormone levels and affect our mental health and well-being.

Be aware of it and take care of yourself even more than usual during these times. This means proper nutrition, exercise and getting enough sleep.

I wish you all a happy and healthy fall season.  Tell me some of your top fall activities, or places you like to visit this time of year.

Read More:

How To Enjoy The Fall

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