By Aaron Boike, B.S. Kinesiology, ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Fall is in its peak and these coming weeks will offer the best fall colors of the year. Fall is a great time to enjoy the outdoors in Minnesota. We have near perfect temps, lots of sunny days, and some of the most beautiful nature areas and parks in the Midwest. Here are a few good ways to be active and enjoy the fall colors this year.

1. Go for a Bike Ride – Minneapolis was ranked the #1 most bike friendly city in the country by Bicycling Magazine in 2010, putting the City of Lakes ahead of Portland, OR, and Boulder, CO. Minneapolis alone has 83 miles of off-road trails and 44 miles of bike lanes. A massive regional trail system connects every part of the metro to downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, making it easy to go on a ride of any distance from nearly anywhere in the metro. The Twin Cities also has a thriving off-road cycling community. Check out http://www.morcmtb.org to find off-road and mountain biking trails near you.
2. Take a Hike (or a run) – Whether you’re running or hiking, Minnesota has tons of beautiful trails. Minnesota’s North Shore along Lake Superior and south-east corner near Red Wing are some of the best known spots for great fall hiking. I personally did 45 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail this past weekend and can attest to it being an ideal place to check out the foliage! You can find a great list of MN trail running and hiking places at http://www.umtr.net/trails/.
3. Visit State Parks – Minnesota has 76 state parks, and fall is the possibly the best time of the year to visit and take in the scenery. Nearby parks such as Afton State Park and Fort Snelling State Park, offer great options just a few minutes from the metro. Up north, iconic parks like Gooseberry Falls and Jay Cooke State Park are a great addition to a weekend getaway. Many parks also offer overnight accommodations to allow you to stay right in the park!
4. Take a Walk Over Lunch – Take lunch outside and enjoy the fall colors with co-workers or take your meeting outside. Outdoor meetings can also be a fun way to enjoy our great weather while raising the energy in the group!
5. Clean up The Yard – We all know it needs to get done, so why not make it a fun way to get active? According to MyFitnessPal.com, raking leaves for 60 minutes will burn about 272 calories for the average person.
6. Visit a Corn Maze – There are a handful of these around the metro and they offer a great way to get the whole family outside and active. One of our clients completed a maze in southern, MN this weekend and put in 5500 steps on her pedometer! Here is a great list of mazes near the Twin Cities http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-corn-mazes-in-minnesota/.