One of my favourite lyrics by the singing duo, The Indigo Girls, is “the summer’s beginning to give up her fight“. That phrase captures the subtle mourning many of us go through in late August as we realize that the sunny, warm days are indeed numbered. Yes, the summer of 2010 is beginning to give up her fight, which has inspired me to share with you some tips to bring healthy summer habits with you into your busier fall lifestyle. Throughout the summer, many people have healthier habits and see them slip away as the pace of the fall schedule quickens and their list of things to do quadruples.
Here are 7 tips to help you keep healthy summer livin’ going well past Labour Day…
#1: Eat Frozen Berries, Eat Your Greens & Embrace Root Vegetables – one of the summer’s greatest gifts is the gift of readily available fresh, local fruits and veggies so be conscious to fill your fridge and freezer with lots of whole foods despite the limitations of the fall and winter seasons. Frozen berries deliver all the same health benefits as the fresh ones so need to say goodbye to the most powerful kind of fruit. Keep buying greens at the grocery store – these are the veggies with the most powerful health benefits – they may not be local or fresh anymore, but they will always be a hundred times healthier for you than any kind of fast food. The fall also is the time to rock out the root vegetables – you can still eat local, fresh parsnips, beets, carrots, radishes, etc. Resist the temptation to allow the fall to transport you into the land of meals with barcodes…it simply doesn’t need to be that way.
#2: Ask Yourself This: “What Exercise Can I See Myself Enjoying & Doing On A Regular Basis?” If you are more active in the summer and it all comes to a grinding halt after Labour Day, this is a big and mighty question to ask yourself. Human beings tend to stick to something they enjoy and the only way exercise can deliver the long list of benefits to your mind and body is if it happens on a regular basis or in other words, is a habit. Find something that you actually enjoy doing and can honestly say you will enjoy making part of your routine. 30 minutes a few times a week can and will help you to feel that calm feeling we tend to long for after the simpler summer days are a thing of the past among another 98 benefits. Email me if you would like me to send you a list of the 99 reasons to exercise.
#3: Celebrate The Season – we Canadians really get excited about summer (just watch our beer commercials) and we get out there and soak it all in, but we can still do that with fall…heck, with winter too. Much like summer, there are many traditions/rituals/activities that are about to become available – why not get out there and soak it all in? Maybe we can inspire the folks at Moosehead to create a campaign featuring beautiful people in sweaters partying around a bunch of pumpkins…hmmm….
#4: Create Space & Time to Play/Rest/Rejuvenate – one of the belief systems that can set us off balance is that when things get busy, now is not the time to play/rest/rejuvenate. The fall is a time that can lead us to shoving our joys aside for a “quieter time” in the year. Okay, picture me standing on a soap box right now with a megaphone as I say….when you think now is not the time to create space and time for joy is the exact time to be creating space and time for joy. We tend to feel more “alive” in the summer because we involve ourselves in things outside of accomplishing and being productive and that opportunity still exists in the fall – the biggest shift that will help you make that happen is you seeing times of play/rest/relaxation as being just as important as accomplishing and being productive. It’s really never an issue of time, but almost always an issue of priorities. To help you put JOY on top of your to-do list, think of your energy like a bank account and taking part in joy is like making a DEPOSIT into your energy account. Ever had a fall when you felt like it was just one withdrawal after another?
#5: Schedule Social Time With Friends – feeling connected to others is a major part of fostering a healthy, long life and the warmer summer weather tends to inspire us to ramp up our social calendar. When the fall rolls around, it’s like we all make an unspoken collective pact with each other that we probably won’t get together again until the holiday season. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but if this sounds like it applies to you, please read the last tip and apply it to your friendship and making time to connect with others.
#6: Limit Your Weekly Commitments – you might have more energy because so many of the weekly commitments you normally have come to an end when Canada Day draws near. Maintaining your energy in the fall doesn’t mean not going back to the roles you have on teams, committees, clubs, etc., however, saying NO to the things that aren’t working for you and only drains you of energy (remember that energy account of yours) allows you to say YES to the things that do work for you and actually are a source of energy. It’s quite natural to have a busier schedule in the fall, but there is an opportunity to ensure that the commitments you are fulfilling are also fulfilling you.
#7: Get Some Sun Or At Least Take Vitamin D – the sun doesn’t disappear after Labour Day but the time we spend outside seems to. When the sun shines this fall and heck, even winter, get out there for a walk (or just stand there – this has no bearing on movement) and get yourself some vitamin D. Humans make 90 percent of their vitamin D naturally through sun exposure to the skin. In Canada‚ our northern climate means UVB levels in sunlight are too weak 4-6 months of the year to make any vitamin D naturally which brings me to the topic of supplements. Taking 1000 individual units per day is one of the most important vitamins you can take each day. Hundreds of studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer‚ as well as heart disease‚ osteoporosis‚ multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases. Sorry to end off on a serious note, but seriously, take get your vitamin D one way or the other.
Yes, my dear, the summer’s beginning to give up her fight, but healthy summer livin’ doesn’t have to be a thing of the past. I hope that these 7 tips have provided information and inspiration to help you live well and laugh lots well past the time when wearing white pants are a big no-no.
Big Love,
susan