Staying On Track With The Post-Summer Blues

Last night the September equinox was upon us, and with it, we see the beginning of Autumn and the gradual colder, darker days that ensue. Luckily for me, all that means is that I have to put an extra layer on when I workout in my badly-insulted home-gym, but for others the problem can be worse as they can find themselves demotivated from doing any exercise or eating healthily altogether.

Personally I can very much empathise with this as I too was once that someone who just thought “sod it” when these chillier months came around. As these post-summer blues take their toll, it’s easy to look for any excuse, like the Halloween treats and the Christmas dinners, to justify the unhealthy choices we substitute for our usually better, more nutritious habits. What else could those new-year resolutions be if not a cleansing period in which we rid ourselves of the toxins for a week before becoming indulgent again?

Of course, here I’m actually jumping ahead in time a bit and being all pessimistic about it too, but it is unfortunate and has to be noted that this is the truth for many people - there’s something about us as a species that procrastinates and passes off the blame onto something else. Really, however, the consequences will only ever be on you, and that harsh realisation was what made me change my ways.

So when those chocolate advent calendars, Christmas dinners, and new-year’s drinks come around, don’t pretend like that’s everything keeping you from maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle for the remainder of the time. I’m not saying for once don’t indulge in these traditions - I want to stress that I don’t mean to write all my posts from an angle at which the healthiest choices should be prioritised at the expense of happiness and general wellbeing. I consider indulgences (on occasion!) to be part of what makes us happy as well as healthy. But what must be understood, is that they should be just that - a part, and a small part at that.

I realise that being healthy and happy at the same time can be contradictory, but it’s more about how you balance them both. These treats now and again mustn’t control you, and as long as you keep it that way there won’t be any need to have resolutions at the beginning of next year! Resolutions shouldn’t be a new-year thing. They should be an ongoing, everlasting year-round way of making ourselves better tomorrow than we are today. So eat those 25 tiny advent chocolates in December if you must. Share those new-year drinks with that girl you want to intoxicate into kissing you at midnight. But don’t for once fool yourself into believing that every day in your life you can be as forgiving. Remember, you’re the one who has to live with the consequences.