September reset: back on track after vacation

It’s easy to let fitness slip in the summer — especially in a post-pandemic world, where we’re more restricted to travel, and the safest place to be has felt, at times, our loyal sofa.

It’s even harder on vacation. Goodbye daily routine and hello breakfast buffets, followed by lounging around the pool drinking cocktails! But guess what? Your body doesn’t care whether it’s New Year’s Day or a random autumnal morning. You can reset the clock and start implementing a solid training routine whenever you wish.

We vote September! It really is the ideal month for a reset — to hit the “refresh” button on your lifestyle and fitness to finish the last quarter of the month on a high. Here’s why.

THE SCIENCE OF A SEPTEMBER RESET

September is a ‘temporal landmark’. This means you can relegate any passages of time where you’ve been less active or healthy to the summer. Otherwise known as the ‘fresh start effect’, starting again in September helps you lean into your goals by kickstarting more aspirational habits. And importantly, forgiving yourself for slacking off in previous months.

So here’s the plan: shake off your unwanted habits, get back into a fitness routine, and move into the next quarter of the year with a fresh outlook. Ready? 

Finish on a high! Your first step to a September reset

To make things easier, we’ll guide you through the first and most important step to make it easier to move back into better fitness habits.

SET A CLEAR GOAL

That’s it! Many well-intended plans to get healthier fail because they never had a goal. You can keep saying you’ll start next week, then the next, then never actually get round to it.

So, to ease you in gently, write down everything you want to feel by establishing a new training regime – your ‘why’. Really visualise your goals: do you want to run your first 5K? Lose an inch from your waist? Or simply be able to climb the stairs at work without losing your breath?  If you can imagine yourself doing the positive goals you set in the future, then devote yourself to getting there, you’ll do it.

And importantly – set a time limit. Be realistic. If you’re trying to lose weight, do it gradually. Instead of slamming the gym hard for the next eight weeks, losing half a stone, and then falling back into your old routine, break goals down into achievable tasks.

Create a daily to-do list of things you can start now to work towards your goal – this might be joining a gym right now, squeezing in a 30-minute session run before work, or prepping meals for the week ahead.