Here in the mountains of BC, Fall is looming in the air already. Our nights have become quite cool, the kids have grown fidgety with too many long days and not enough structure, and the whispers of work and school have begun to take up space in our minds.
Most of us dread the end of summer; we are not yet ready to give up on our beach days or long river swims, evening barbecues, and late mornings.
However, Fall has the potential to bring with it many great things: wool sweaters, evening fires, soup on the stove, bounty in harvest, colourful beauty in the trees, and opportunity for new beginnings.
As far as our health goes, there is a shift within during the last few weeks of summer and we, naturally, tend to be readying for Fall. The end of summer often finds us lethargic and un-motivated, with half munched bags of chips, forgotten gardens, and empty pantries. I know, we’ve been too busy trying to enjoy the last of the summer days to be inside prepping our vegetables and meal planning. I get it.
So, when I say we are ready for Fall, I’m referring to that innate physical shift that accompanies the change in season. Our bodies tend to be ready for better food, better rhythm, and more exercise; our minds ready for stimulus, creativity, and new energy; and our overall being, ready for more balance.
Hold space for what you would like to achieve this Fall NOW, and better your chances of meeting your goals.
There’s something to be said for setting intentions, thinking ahead, mapping out a plan, and plotting out our goals. We set ourselves up for far more chance of success.
Ensure Strong Health this Fall By Starting Today
Proper Hydration: It’s easy to find yourself relying on cold, sugary, summer drinks, finding excuses in them because it’s summertime. Get back into water! Re-introduce a good liter of water a day, at least, and/or integrate a water based, homemade, hydration drink. One of my favourite hydrator potions: boiled down ginger, cooled (about a 1/4 cup), topped up with cold water (2 cups), half a lemon, a small dollop of maple syrup and a good pinch of salt. Refreshing and satisfying.
Shift Your Sleep Patterns: Start to focus now on getting to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier in the morning. When it comes time to set that alarm for 6:30am, it will be a lot easier to roll your sun-kissed, sleepy face out of bed, trust me!
Write Down Your Top 3 Health Goals: Once you have written a goal down, it is there to remind you of your intentions to improve. I suggest these 3 categories:
Exercise
Diet
Psychological
Note: remember to choose goals that are reasonable, attainable, and rewarding enough to count.
Sign Up For At Least 1 New Program: Be it a writing course, a fitness program, an art class, or a book club, start something new and unleash some fresh energy, perhaps meet a few new people, and find new inspiration.
Plan a Break From Booze and Coffee: Come September, most of us are due for a break from the health depleters. Even if it’s just for a few weeks or limited to just weekends, a little break will give your body some space to rejuvenate and strengthen, and your mind a chance for clarity.
Collect New Recipes: When you find a little time to peruse the internet, check out some of your favourite recipe sites and collect a few new ones. Open a new bookmark’s folder and pile up some Fall recipes that entice your appetite and excite your inner chef. Come time to do some meal planning for back to work, you will have a little reference guide to fall back on. This is one of my favourite things to do (if you hadn’t already noticed!), stay tuned and I’ll create some Fall goodness for you soon!