Do you struggle with low energy or motivation this time of the year? Here are Five Tips That Will Help You Stay on Track During the Fall.
The days are getting shorter and (if you live outside of Florida) it’s getting cooler. It’s also normal this time of the year, for our bodies to go into low energy mode.
If you look at what happens in the fall, nature starts to go into conservation mode. The trees shed their leaves to conserve energy from the lack of sun. The animals start to store food and body fat for lack of food and/ or hibernation. It’s normal for the human body to move in this direction as well. But being that our lives don’t operate this way – we have to keep working, we can buy food at the market as needed and we don’t want to store excess fat, we are fighting nature.
So I’m sharing with you five different ways you can keep your energy and motivation up as we head into fall in North America. These are five tips that will help you stay on track during the fall.
1. Follow the sun’s patterns and get out as much as you can.
You may have to wake up to darkness, based on your schedule but if you have the choice to wake when you can, wake up as the sun is rising. But regardless of when you wake up, get some morning sun in your eyes. Get outside and look toward the horizon (not directly at the sun) as it can help regulate your circadian clock. This helps your body better anticipate its sleep and wake times naturally and manages other biological rhythms.
Also, getting a bit of vitamin D from the sun, even on your face, can help keep you from becoming deficient and low energy. (And having more energy can REALLY help you when trying to stay on track during the fall.)
Then, in mid-day, when the sun is at its peak, get back outside for a bit more sunlight. For the folks living in higher hemispheres that only get a few hours of sunlight a day discuss the benefits of their for their health. So perhaps a mid-day walk can be really helpful.
And don’t fight going to sleep. If you can shift your sleep and wake times to where you’re going to bed earlier with the sun setting earlier this can also be helpful. And stay away from caffeine past 12pm so you can fall asleep easier and get deeper sleep too.
2. Eat seasonally and locally.
Nature knows what we need. In North America some produce that’s in season includes squashes, carrots, cranberries, apples and the cool thing is that these foods have nutrients that coincide with our seasonal needs.
For example, pumpkin contains beta carotene which helps the lungs work properly. This is especially helpful when fighting coughs.
Carrots contain this along with vitamin C, an antioxidant which boosts immune function. Try this carrot and broccoli salad recipe here.
Apples contain quercetin, an antioxidant that helps regulate the immune system and can even reduce inflammation within the immune system. Try this cran apple oatmeal recipe.
Cranberries have vitamin E which research has shown may help with eczema. And with the drier air, this can certainly be helpful with that.
Not to mention, when we eat with the seasons we are cutting down on foods that have to be modified to be grown at times of the year that don’t correlate with nature. And we are cutting back on the distance traveled as well, which is also better for the earth!
3. Don’t fight your cravings. Lean into them.
Like I said, nature is shifting into a time of storage and conserving in the fall and our bodies want to do the same. So not only are we going to naturally be inclined to expend less, we may want to consume more.
Our bodies may crave more root vegetables and high fat content. Starchy root vegetables like potatoes and beets are more energy-dense than things like cauliflower and celery. And higher fat proteins like chuck roast used for pot roast and chicken thighs used for soups are also more calorie dense.
If you are cravings these things then go ahead and lean into it and maybe swap some carbs out for more fat, have more tubers instead of fruit and simply make these indulgent foods following clean eating recipes like this Italian Wedding Soup.
4. Plan for more rest.
It’s okay to go through phases of less activity. You can still lose fat with fewer workouts, you just have to decrease your caloric intake.
It’s also perfectly normal to change the kind of workouts you’re doing too. If you live in a place where the weather is inclimate you’ll probably go for less walks or jogs so you can lift more – sign up for online training strength workouts here.
If you can’t get to the gym because of snow or ice, know it’s okay to workout at home – join my Eight Week Home Workout Program here. And if you just cannot get warm, try switching it up and going to hot yoga.
I mentioned previously that swapping more fat in replace of carbs can be helpful. If you’re more sedentary this time of the year, you may want to pull back on carbs as a source of energy as they just aren’t as necessary.
5. Remember your why to stay motivated for the fight.
Just because you don’t *feel* like working out doesn’t give you an excuse to skip. If you have goals you want to achieve you’re going to have to do more than the status quo.
Your primal brain is wired to keep you safe and keep you alive. Doing hard things requires energy, and to this part of your brain, it is dangerous to go and do. So you have to listen to your higher self and do it anyway.
But when you can recall your why, this becomes easier. (This one REALLY helped me stay on track during the fall when I lived in Boston.) When you can take a moment to remember how terrible you feel when your belly hangs over your pants or how guilty you feel when you get pizza take out instead of eating your meat and veggies, this can help you.
When the weather sucks and I’m in the dumps, I always remember that no amount of cookies are going to make me feel better or happier so I may as well stick with the plan. And I always remember how much better I feel when I exercise and that helps me get up and do my workout.
These are the things that help me stay on track during the fall. What helps you?
If sticking with your plan this time of the year is a struggle for you, I can help! I offer 1:1 coaching via my mentorship program.
Not only can we get you on the right track, I will help keep you there through coaching and support. Learn more about mentorship and apply to work with me at https://kyrawilliamsfitness.com/mentorship/
Your Coach,
Kyra