Last month, I shared in our newsletter and subsequent blog post, which you can read here, that Fall tends to be one of the biggest disrupters to my selfcare routine. I absolutely love the season, but, like most of you, selfcare in the Spring and Summer months doesn't seem so hard or an inconvenience the way it sometimes does during Fall. We tend to take more time off, like truly off and not for the holidays, we spend more time outdoors, and large family gatherings tend to be fewer, or at least less stressful.
I shared in our newsletter, which you can sign up for at the bottom of our website, some tips that help me survive until next Spring. I mentioned that decluttering is one of the activities that helps me stay a bit more zen during the Fall months, and as you can see from the picture below, I definitely Edited my closet and drawers!
I also struggle with keeping up with my exercise routine as the weather is changes. Exercise is a staple of most of our self-care routine. Even if you dread getting ready to go on a run, bike, yoga, whatever gets your muscles moving and your heart rate up, by the end of it, most of us are glad we did it. As Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.”
While the weather may cooperate during the early days of Fall--I actually prefer to run outside in the cooler autumn months--if you typically exercise outside, rainy and colder days will become more frequent. Or, if mornings and evenings were the only times you found yourself able to get in your exercise, you will find that mornings aren't as bright and daylight not as long.
I try to think of some alternative activities or adjust my schedule, if possible, so that I can maintain a routine. Add a reflector belt if your schedule isn't flexible. Move your activity inside if you have some space. Or, consider changing your activity altogether. Changing your exercise routine helps avoid boredom and changes up the muscles you're using. If you're proactive and think of some alternatives in case your routine is impacted by the seasonal weather, you're less tempted to totally give up on it.
Finally, the lack of daylight really throws off my eating habits. I start my morning commute at what feels like zero dark thirty and I end my afternoon commute at what feels like zero dark thirty. It's dark! And the absolutely last thing I want to do is cook a healthy meal at the end of my day. I really struggle with this. If my husband and I had our way, we'd probably eat breakfast burritos for dinner if we could, but we have a six year old who relies on us to feed her!
For us, what seems to be working to keep us on a healthy track is a meal delivery service. We use one that is delivered weekly with pre-made, unfrozen, meals. Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes and we have a meal! You can try a meal delivery service for the months with shorter daylight, meal planning, or even picking something up on your way home that is not fast food and won't make you feel awful as soon as you're done. Not the guilty feeling awful, but the lethargic kind of awful. Depending on where you live, places like salad bowl shops or delis can be a viable option for a quick meal. During the COVID quarantines, many of our local restaurants created take-out meal plans that didn't break the budget and leaned on the healthier side.
I hope you find some use in the above tips. As always, its about doing what makes you feel good to maintain sanity!
How about you? What have you found and do that helps you maintain your selfcare routine during these months? Share and comment below, I may just take a few as my own.
