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I seem to be at my creative best while sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch. It’s a little cooler now, so I can stay outside longer, which has led to more productive days.

Fall not only pushes thoughts of football season to the forefront, it’s also a better time to exercise outside. For those of you who have been putting it off all summer because it’s too hot, it’s time to get started.

I’ve already covered how much walking has helped me deal with COVID-19 and other life stresses, so here’s another hopefully helpful suggestion.

If you are ready for a more strenuous workout than just walking and are better in a group, there are several you could join. All are free and always welcome new faces.

For runners, there’s the Sole Patrol. I see them pretty much every Saturday morning running through the downtown area. I’m not sure if they meet during the week, but it wouldn’t be hard to find out. They are a friendly bunch and can be found hanging out (recovering) at Rachael K’s around 8:15 on Saturday’s.

There’s also a bicycle group that meets on Saturday’s and other times during the week around 7 a.m. I don’t know if they have a name, but they wear snazzy outfits and ride cool bikes. They usually gather in the Ribeye’s parking lot before they peddle off into the sunrise.

FIA, aka Females in Action, meets at Mac Hodges Festival Park from 5 to 5:45 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. They do a variety of boot camp style exercises and some running with some yoga mixed in.

Finally, the one I know the most about is F3, which stands for Faith, Fellowship and Fitness. Men of varying fitness levels and ages participate. It’s a very encouraging, positive group with no pressure to overextend yourself to keep up.

I have three mottos when I join these fellows on Saturday mornings: modify as needed during the workouts, if I can you can, and somebody has to be last.

It’s a great group of guys, who haven’t made fun of me yet, so I encourage you to check it out. They meet Tuesday and Thursday morning from 5:15 to 6 a.m. and Saturday from 7 to 8 for a boot-camp style workout. Monday morning is for Bible study at the People’s Pier, Wednesday is a walk through downtown with an optional weighted backpack (also called a ruck) and Friday morning is a running day.

I start looking forward to seeing my friends around Thursday and am very disappointed when I can’t go. I understand if it’s a little early for you, but it’s a great way to start your day. Remember, any fitness program starts at the beginning and don’t push it too hard until you get used to it. Only do what you can and skip what you don’t want to do. That would be burpees in my case. Good luck and now is a great time to start.

It’s been a little tougher to get up in time for F3 on Saturday’s lately because it’s high school football season.

Three weeks are in the books so far and the overall picture is still a little muddled. However, Southside is off to a great start, Northside is above average when they pick on somebody their own size and Washington’s offense is as explosive as ever.

It’s still a little early, but signs point to an intriguing conference season with potential for post-season success.

Here’s hoping vaccination rates continue to rise, so any variant won’t have a place to land. That’s the key to keeping the kids in the classroom and on the field.