World Mental Health Day is Oct. 10. One of the most popular ways to stay mentally healthy is getting out for some "physical" exercise.

You might believe the time to start exercising is January or right before summer vacation. Gene Altidor, fitness coach and owner of Bodyweight Bootcamp in Edison, says fall is actually the best time to get out and get active.

This is a time when lots of people are taking a break from the gym. But it's also just before people start to experience seasonal depression.

"Arguably, the No. 1 cure for depression is strenuous activity, physical activity," says Altidor.

Even if you don't have a special vacation coming up, getting started with a small daily workout can help you remain consistent. So when it is time to ready your summer bod, the act of getting to the gym wont be too difficult.

"Believe it or not, if you exercise for 5 minutes, literally 5 minutes, you do squats, you do a set of lunges, which sticks out your lower body, you do abs, you do pushups ... that can significantly change your metabolism," says Altidor. "It can change your body fat, you can literally drop weight - but it has to be a consistent 5 minutes over time."

Altidor also advises eating clean by staying away from sugars and ultra-processed foods with toxins.

"The mindset I think one should adopt is that you are allergic to things that are toxic," says Altidor.