29 Aug 5 reasons why September is the new January…..

I know January is meant to be the time where we reassess our lives, start a healthy eating regime, join the gym and make a stack of other resolutions, but it couldn’t be a worse month to do it, especially here in the UK.

In the middle of winter, with very little to look forward to – except more of the same – all we want to do is hibernate under our duvets and fill ourselves with comfort food. The reason for this is because that’s what our bodies need, it certainly doesn’t thrive on change and willpower in the winter months..

September, however, has a whole heap more to offer and I challenge you to try it, if you aren’t already.

New Beginnings

September has always been a month of new beginnings – certainly for kids and young adults, as they head back to school, college or university.

The summer madness is behind us, and for those parents among us there’s a bit more order to the days, making it the perfect time to embrace new beginnings too.

I encourage a morning exercise routine – a 4 minute High Intensity workout is a great start if you’re short of time. Improving breakfast habits is another easy win, try porridge, overnight oats or a healthy omelette to start your day instead of cereal or toast.

Catch the Indian Summer

September can often be one of the best weather months of the year which allows us to hang onto those positive summer vibes for at least another month.

Get outdoors and create a regular walking schedule that will become a habit you can carry through into the winter months. Just 15 minutes brisk walking after dinner is so good for you, it will help burn off some of your dinner and will help to energise your evening. So many of us sit on the sofa, or worse still, sleep with a full belly, so this idea can really help keep everything moving.

Harvest Festival

September is the month we really start to reap the benefits of the summer growing months. Fruits and vegetables are often at their best around now so you can really kick start that healthy eating plan with vibrant salads, fruit snacks and lots of healthy summer vegetables, I also encourage eating less meat.

Think about increasing your 5 a day to 6, 7 or even more by ensuring every meal and snack contains something fresh and vibrant. Think hummus and crudites, apple slices with peanut butter, lettuce leaves with avocado and lime. There’s so much to choose from it could be easier than you think.

The Time is Now

September is almost here so don’t procrastinate, bring any resolutions you were saving up for January forward and get started right now, there’s no time like the present. That way you will be making a positive head start and can then sail through Christmas in a much healthier position than you might have done.

And when January hits, you will have already done much of the hard work so you can work on some other things, like clearing out your wardrobe, starting a new hobby or booking a holiday!

Create a Vision

There’s 4 months of the year still to work with, that’s a whole third of what we started out with in January, and a full 17 weeks until the end of the year – 16 to Christmas.

You have plenty of time to achieve a number of goals if you set your mind to it. My book – Feeding Good Habits – takes you on a 12-week journey and at the end of it you will have changed your mindset forever, with 5 weeks to spare! Imagine that?

Before you get started create a clear vision of what you want to achieve – go down a dress size, fit back into a favourite outfit, have more energy for your kids/grankids, or reach a running goal like 5k in 30 minutes. You can have it all – whatever that is – if you start today.

Don’t wait until January, you will have missed a golden opportunity right here, right now.

Are you ready to challenge yourself?

What’s your vision?

Feeding Good Habits – 12 weeks to rewire your mind, reset your habits and renew your relationship with food for improved health and sustained weight loss. Available on Amazon.

Feed Good Habits

Kathy Mac

xx