Bring Your Summer Habits Into Fall--from Your Wellness Coach

Happy August! What is it that makes summer, and by extension August, so wonderful? Many people frequently talk about being more inspired to eat well & exercise; the light, the great weather, less stress. There are a lot of positive life changes made just for the summer. August is a great time to look a little closer at those things that make summer great & begin to create a bridge, that allows us to continue those things during the other parts of the year. Below is a brief exercise to help do this. This exercise is especially great to do whenever you’ve come through a period of time when you felt especially good, healthy, positive, etc.

Grab a piece of paper & pen and write down answers to the following questions. There is no right answer, just write what comes to mind: What are the things you do in the summer that may be different from the rest of the year? How is daily life better, or perhaps easier for you, in the summer? What allows you to do to those things; more time, more light, better weather? Just write what comes to your mind.

Next, start to look at the future; perhaps just September & November for now. List all of the things you see on the horizon that may change the good feelings you’ve cultivated over the summer. School & work commitments are the most common amongst my clients. What is their impact on you? For example, the kids go back to school. This means carpool, after school activities; therefore mornings are going to be crazy there will be less time for exercise.

Finally, let the past educate your future. Start looking at what summer activities you can bring forward into the winter? Now obviously “lounging on the beach with a good book” probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable in the winter as it is in the summer, unless you live in Hawaii, but lounging with a book can be done throughout the year. If this is an important part of your stress management plan in the summer, then it should be part of your stress management plan in the winter also. Perhaps, this activity needs to be changed to “lounging in front of a fire reading a book” or perhaps “staying in bed & reading on a rainy morning.”

If your activity is higher in the summer and you find that you have more energy because of that increased activity, “walking in the park everyday” should stay a part of your winter activity plan. With a good jacket, hat & gloves the weather needn’t be perfect to maintain your healthy lifestyle. So it may not be sunny & warm, but crisp & cool has its benefits too. Get creative and again use the knowledge you have now to build a plan for your future.

It’s easy to compartmentalize our lives; what is done in the summer is done in the summer, what is done in the winter is done in the winter. There are obviously some good reasons for this, but the problem lies when we stop doing the summer things in summer, that can be done year round, just because it’s no longer summer. Just like eating breakfast for dinner; sometimes it’s great to change things up a bit.