As the school year gets started, we want to help you form some good habits.

Our summer schedules kept most of us active: swimming, biking, hiking but we are now heading into darker, cooler weather. Hopefully, you were going to the farmer’s market or in our own garden so our diet had lots of fruits and vegetables.

Let’s plan some great new habits for the fall.

It takes 3 weeks to form a habit.

For exercise, morning is best. If you can make yourself get up 30 minutes early 3 days a week to exercise, it will serve you well. Morning exercise has 3 benefits:

1. You burn more fat calories because you have fasted overnight while sleeping
2. You have done something positive for yourself and start the day in a good mood and
3. You have gotten it done and out of the way (because I know for me, something always comes and I don’t exercise later)

Now is a perfect time to form good nutritional habits too.

Cooking a large meal on Sunday with lots of healthy leftovers for lunches or quick late night dinners, making a menu and shopping for the week or use my strategy- make a big pot of soup every weekend and use that for lunches and dinners.

Lastly, we have left the more laid-back atmosphere of summer behind but let’s keep some of that attitude this fall.

Set some time each week for fun and downtime.

I know I know I know…. between school, sports, work… you have no time.

Find some.

Unplug – read a book, go for a walk in the woods, take a bath.

I promise that a little bit of time will serve you well.

Dr. Julia Keiser