Pumpkin spice lattes (PSLs!) are in air and I love it! The Fall season has arrived which means cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin and nutmeg are just a few of the sweet and spicy flavors that are out to play. I’ve already had my first PSL this season and it was delicious!
Along with Fall flavors, a new season is a great opportunity to do an audit of your nutrition, fitness, and rest habits. The sun is rising later and setting earlier which means you may be tempted to stay a bit longer all cozy in your bed and start falling asleep earlier. You might be craving cooler weather comfort foods such as hearty bowls of soup, stew, and chili. You might want to head straight home after work rather than popping into the gym or the Wellness Abundance Fitness Studio for a strength workout.
I’m here to validate all of this for you. I feel all of this too.
Even though there’s less daylight and the weather is getting colder, you can still maintain healthy lifestyle habits. You might just need to make some tweaks so today I’ll share ideas about how to align your healthy lifestyle habits with the change of season.
Before I dive into the details, I encourage you to keep your Why front and center while reading this. Why is it important for you to eat whole foods, exercise frequently, and get good sleep this time of year? If your Why has changed this time of year, that’s okay. You may want to avoid holiday weight gain or at least minimize it so you don’t have to start over in January. Maybe you want to get ahead of the game and start creating healthier lifestyle habits now. Whatever it is, keeping your Why front and center will help you create realistic habits for you and your lifestyle.
Nutrition
As I mentioned earlier, Fall is the season that kicks starts more cravings for comfort foods than usual. As the weather cools off and the leaves start to fall, your body naturally starts to go into hibernation mode which means it wants to store food for the winter. While you know you have access to plenty of food for the winter, your genes tell your body otherwise. Your genes are operating on hundreds of thousands of years of evolution when food was scarce during the winter months. So, start with giving yourself grace when you’re craving a hearty Marie Calendar’s Chicken Pot Pie and remind yourself there are healthier alternatives.
Finding healthier alternatives is a great place to start when making small changes to your eating style. Pot roasts and stews are easy ways to make nutritious meals with little effort. Get your Instant Pot or slow cooker out and put a slab of meat, cubed potatoes, carrots, and broth and press start. At the end of the day you’ll have a nutritious meal packed with protein, carbs and nutrient dense broth. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge or freezer for another day.
ButcherBox has a cooked pot roast that’s made with grass-fed beef and flavorful seasoning that can be delivered straight to your front door. All you need to do is defrost it in the fridge for 24-48 hours, place it in cast iron skillet or medium sauce pot, add cooked potatoes (if desired), and warm it up on the stove top on medium heat until it’s heated through. It takes about 15 minutes to have a delicious bowl of comfort that supports your health and fitness intentions.
If you’re looking for a pot pie recipe, I created one that’s gluten and dairy free without the crust. I think the filling is the best part of a pot pie so I make it without the crust but you can use your favorite premade pie crust or make one from scratch. You can go here to check out the recipe.
This is also the time of year when candy and baked goods are all around us. The great news is there’s healthier options available. The traditional Halloween candy (Reese’s, M&Ms, Kit Kats, etc) are full of more preservatives than when I was a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s which makes them not as healthy. I encourage you to steer clear of these whenever possible. If you give into the urge to eat Peanut M&Ms like I did a last weekend, figure out how to rein yourself in so you don’t over do it.
The same goes with holiday baked goods. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and apple pie can all be made with healthier ingredients. If you have holiday family traditions that make you happy such as Grandma’s pie recipe, go ahead and eat it. Life, especially the holiday season, is meant to be enjoyed. When you’re too stressed out about eating this can inhibit weight loss and compromise your overall health.
Fitness
If you get up early to workout, it might be more challenging for you to stay consistent with morning workouts. This is something that I can relate to. I struggle to get out of bed when it’s still dark and I’m warm and cozy in my bed. If this sounds like you, finding something that will get you up and out of bed to get your fitness on will be super helpful.
I love my morning coffee, especially when it’s chilly outside. Holding a warm mug with freshly brewed coffee in my hand is comforting to me and the caffeine boost gives me energy to put my workout clothes on that are sitting right next to my bed. Laying my workout clothes the night before is one small step I do to increase my chances of working out the next morning. Once my workout clothes go on, I’m more likely to to get into the gym and complete a workout. I’m already dressed for a workout so why not!
The same is true for many of my clients as well. When they come to their training session a little frazzled often times it’s because they were struggling to get to the fitness studio because they didn’t have easy access to their workout clothes. If you workout in the afternoon or evening, taking one minute (even 30 seconds) to get your workout clothes ready the night before can be a game changer and drastically increase your chances of actually working out.
What’s one action step you can take to go from lying in bed to putting your workout clothes on? Or going from work to the gym or your personal training session? One small step will help set yourself up for workout success the next day.
Rest
Your body naturally wants to go into rest mode during the colder months of the year to preserve energy. If you feel like sleeping more during this time of year and your schedule allows you, go ahead and do it.
This ties into adjusting your exercise routine to scale back on the intensity of your workouts. October and November might be the best time to begin your maintenance strength routine. This means you may not be focusing on gaining lean muscle as much as you’re maintaining lean muscle to allow yourself more rest and recovery. Gentle yoga routines and walks around your neighborhood might be a better way to get your movement in throughout the day.
Sleeping in longer, getting to bed earlier, and taking naps during the day are all ways you can give your body extra rest this time of year.
My Number One Tip
Make sure you have a strong accountability strategy in place. This is the one area that’s often the most difficult for people and the one that’s the most important. I’ve found that most people find it challenging to hold themselves accountable, especially in the beginning which is why I recommend calling in reinforcements.
Working with a professional health and fitness coach is, in my opinion, the best accountability plan in the beginning. I’m not just saying this because it’s my job. I share this from personal experience. I have a business coach I work with through a hybrid program that includes online resources and group coaching calls. I have easy access to expert advice and tips along with encouragement when I’m feeling stuck. I’ve invested money into this program and having financial skin in the game is an important part of my accountability strategy.
Enlisting friends, family, and co-workers is another great option for accountability. Just be sure to have a back up plan just in case for some reason it falls through. Life happens which means sometimes your accountability buddy has to back out of your agreement. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it could throw you for a loop. Keeping this in mind as a potential obstacle and a way to overcome can help with your healthy habit success.
If you want to learn more about how you can personalize these tips for your life, go here to book a free discovery call with me.