Habits to Ease Your Way Back Into a Fall Routine
How to Stay Healthy in a Time of Transition
It seems like everyone has mixed feelings about the beginning of fall being right around the corner. It’s a bittersweet transition, but nevertheless a hard goodbye to the summer fun and adventures. Getting back into a routine after a long summer can be very difficult, and almost overwhelming if you don’t have a clear plan of where to start. Lucky for you, we have a few easy tips you can follow to make it easier to get into the swing of things as we leave summer behind us and take on the fall.
Morning and Bedtime Schedule
One of the hardest adjustments from summer to fall is the sleeping schedule. If you’ve been sleeping in regularly or staying up too late in the summer, needing to wake up early can be extremely difficult and even dreaded. Sleep is extremely vitally important as it is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day (Fry)! The shift doesn’t have to be abrupt – simply wake up earlier and earlier by 10 minutes every few days until you find your sweet spot. This will gradually make an earlier bedtime feasible too, getting you back into a nighttime schedule that ensures you get a much needed seven hours of sleep.
Plan Ahead With a Schedule Each Week
Just as your summer trips and adventures required a schedule, so does beginning a new routine. Break out your daily calendar and get in the habit of scheduling your week, everything from obligations and appointments to setting some free time for yourself. Planning is important because it helps you use your time in the most efficient way possible and you can realistically gauge how much you can actually get done. That way, you feel accomplished knowing you completed everything you set out to do. In addition, establishing a schedule provides many other benefits – it relaxes you, creates benchmarks, you feel more accomplished, improves proficiency, prevents conflicts, and so on. Studies show that when a person writes something down such as a goal or commitment, they become 42% more likely to accomplish it (Economy).
Get Organized
It’s easy to be a little more carefree during the summer months and let your organization get a bit lax. However, being organized can do more for your health than you realize. It has the power to reduce stress, increase productivity, promote sleep quality and a healthier diet, and so much more! Not only will being organized make your life easier in terms of finding things quicker or having more time to complete other tasks, but you’ll feel lighter and more in control of your life. You’ll find peace of mind when you put organizing systems in place.
Eat a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is of course a critical component of establishing a routine. It’s so easy to skip breakfast or stop at your local coffee shop, but it’s time to get in the habit of consuming good quality meals. One reason to incorporate a balanced, healthy diet into your daily routine is because food actually has the ability to either make or break our day. For example, protein consumption (from foods like fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, unsweetened yogurt, etc.) has been linked to higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are brain chemicals that play a role in your mood, motivation, and concentration. In addition, fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that nourish your body and have also been shown to boost happiness (healthessentials). As we move out of our relaxed summer days and into more rigorous work and demands, healthy eating is essential for not only mental and physical health, but help you perform to the best of your ability.
Drink A Lot of Water
Proper water intake throughout the day is critical for your health. Lack of water results in undesirable effects such as lack of concentration and alertness, short-term memory loss, and fatigue. However, drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help maintain your body’s fluid balance so that nutrients can be transported throughout the body. In addition, water intake aids in cognitive function, helps improve your mood, boosts energy, promotes physical performance, and more. Therefore, it is essential that you hit your daily recommended intake for your overall health!
Dedicate Time to Mental Health
Social connections are vital for both emotional and physical well-being. However, alone time also plays a pivotal role in mental health. Whether you are journaling, meditating, practicing yoga, or performing another type of activity, dedicating alone time for yourself is key to balancing your buys and crazy life. Studies show that alone time, and tolerating alone time, has been linked to increased happiness, better life satisfaction, improved stress management, and lower levels of depression (Morin).
Meal Prep
During the summer, it was much easier to grab food on the go or cook up something quick with whatever was left in your pantry. With busy schedules right around the corner, the thought of cooking all of your own meals can sometimes feel overwhelming and impossible. You’ll have limited time to dedicate towards cooking and maintaining a healthy diet becomes very challenging and often neglected. Meal planning and preparation is one way to not only control your food intake and better manage portion sizes, but it can help make life much easier by saving you time and money. It can also help reduce stress, keeps you energized, and gives you control over your nutrition.
