#52 - Why September is Better Than New Year for FRESH STARTS
Is your instagram feed and inbox also full of SCHOOL START emails and messages?
Yeah mine too, and I secretly kinda love it. As someone who helps people reach their goals by design their lifestyle by building habits and routines this time of year is almost like christmas too me, actually it is better than christmas because what I find is that september starts are better for starting new habits than the new year.
On todays episode I want to share with you the 5 reasons why NOW is the perfect time to get YOU on track and how you can set yourself up for success with your health and fitness goals.
1. IT’S A MOMENT OF OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF
Summer’s over, there is a change in pace for parents, the kids are back to school/nursery, for most people the workplace is picking up momentum and you are more than likely fed up with all the ice cream, late nights and starting to crave routine and dare I say vegetables. September is the perfect time to channel that extra energy into yourself and your goals.
Kindly and with compassion allow yourself to FEEL the frustration about where you are at, and what you missed the most during summer - then make a plan on how you are going to do more of the things you missed, or the things that feel important too you.
For me, I am tired of feeling tired all the time, late night socializing, road trips, flights have been in the way of my regular bed times - so moving into this fall I am going to protect my sleep window. I cant wait for more consistent bed times.
2. MORE TIME TO CONQUER YOUR BIG GOAL.
Setting a new goal in September gives you a solid eight months to conquer your big goals, and have them in check by the time June rolls around. That’s plenty of time to make small, gradual changes, which are key to successful goal setting.
MOST PEOPLE overestimate what they can do in a day, and under estimate what they can do in a year. Working on your health through habits, isnt as sexy as they advertice in the fitness magazines, it is a journey that is so gradual that sometimes you don´t notice the shifts on day to day basis. But when you zoom out you see the massive difference in 2-4-6-8 months. And with christmas in the middle its smart to allow longer time for big goals, there are bound to be setbacks and hickups along the road.
To get started: where do you want to be this time next year? What changes can you make to your day-to-day routine to help you get there?
3. WE’VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO THINK OF SEPTEMBER AS A NEW BEGINNING
All of your years in school taught you to think of September as a fresh start and a time to take on new challenges, education and opportunities. Most importantly, you also spent time mentally preparing yourself and gathering the right tools (like school supplies and new clothes).
This is essentially the same mindset you want to have when setting a new goal. What we want to do is create a litte curriculum, a education plan for how we are going to achive the things we want.
To get started ask yourself: How can you prepare? What gadgets, help / support or accountability tools do you need to set yourself up for success?
For my sleep goal, I have updated sleep settings on my apple devises, set a reminder for when I want to start winding down for bed. For accountability I have started wearing my WHOOP again, what you measure gets improved and for me this is essential when committing to more regular sleep schedule.
4. MOTIVATION IS HIGHER
You might be surprised by how much of an impact the weather has on your motivation.
During fall It’s still warm enough to get into that running habit before the winter rolls in . And the early mornings are easier than to wake up hours before sunrise in january to hit the gym before work. Im not saying its impossible to do during winter but all science about habits tells us its much easier to CONTINUE than to get started when there is more resistance and excuses.
Stores are full of fresh berries, new produce if you goal is to eat healthier or more vegetables. You can also pick up new lunch boxes, nice bottles and a new magnetic week schedule for your fridge (I totally did this this week)
How can you use this time of year to your advance? What can you start to day that will be easier to maintain when the winter months roll around?
5. YOU’LL BE AHEAD OF THE GAME WHEN THE ACTUAL NEW YEAR HAPPENS
This is an individual journey and I am not incurring you to compare with othres. BUT when everyone else is starting their New Year’s resolutions, and the gyms fill up with the 8 week wonder of people doing the NEW YEAR NEW ME - you’ll be reaching your 4 month MILESTONE and be celebrating your progress. At that time you might be pivoting slightly if needed to continue your journey. But most importantly you will be WELL ON YOUR WAY.
To get started, we need to get started so think of a 5 min action that you can do today to bring you closer to that person you wanted to be this time next year, and just focus on doing that today.
Hope this helps you get started working on your goal, building those habits strong to support your thriving lifestyle.
Currently we are open to onboarding clients that need help losing weight, performing better in the gym, getting out of pain and changing their lifestyle. If you have a goal, and are unsure of how to move forward, need support and help with creating your accountability systems and roadmap to success. Fill out our onboarding questionare and well get back to you to book in your FREE 20 min GOAL SETTING consultation to help you figure out the next steps.
Until next time! Keep taking tiny actions towards your goals!
