It’s that time of the year again when everything from candles to lattes are flavored with pumpkin spice! Fall is more than just an opportunity to wear dark lipstick and bring your beautiful coats out of storage. It’s also the perfect season to revamp your health. With the drop in temperature, it’s time for you to put away your swimsuits and prepare yourself for the cold winter months ahead. This fall, kick out your old unhealthy habits and make way for a fuller, more wholesome life. Here are seven easy tips to make this the healthiest fall season you’ve ever had.
1. Go Crazy In The Produce Aisle
If you aren’t eating half as many fruits and vegetables as you should be, fall is the perfect time to change all of that. Fall is also the harvest season, so you’re going to see a huge variety of fresh produce in your local market. Because of the surplus produce, their prices are going to be much lower than usual. So this fall, there’s really no excuse to not get your five-a-day. Make a resolution this fall season to start experimenting with more vegetables. With luck, you’ll start to love it so much that you’ll continue this habit well after the leaves have turned green again.
2. Get Your Flu Shots
Every year around December, people fall victim to the flu. Are you dreading spending these months locked up in your room with a fever and runny nose? You don’t have to become a reclusive germaphobe if you want to avoid the flu, all you need to do is get a flu shot. Getting a flu vaccine before winter comes knocking on your door can protect you from the flu. Schedule shots for your entire family so no one has to spend this beautiful season locked indoors. And if anyone tells you flu vaccines can actually give you the flu, sigh and walk away.
3. Protect Yourself From A Cold
Many people believe that the reason why people succumb to colds in the fall is because of the cold weather. However, it’s actually because of the sudden change in temperature, not the temperature itself. To make your body cold-resistant, make sure you drink plenty of fluids through the day to stay hydrated. You should also start eating more foods that boost your immunity. Probiotics like kefir are excellent for your immune system and are something you should make a habit of eating. Best of all, however, are the ubiquitous fall symbol, the pumpkin. Pumpkins are full of antioxidants that can do wonders for your immunity and keep the dreaded stuffy nose at bay.
4. Spend More Time Outdoors
If you have a desk job (or just really love your couch), then you probably don’t get to spend too much time outside. Fall is a wonderful time to really immerse yourself in the great outdoors. The sun isn’t too hot like in the summer, nor is it too cold like in the winter. There’s also no reason to not be outside when there’s such a beautiful riot of colors on display. Spending more time in nature has been proven to improve your memory, increase your vitamin D levels and just make you a happier person. So make it a habit to go on a walk every day in the fall and soon, this will become your favorite part of the day no matter what season it is.
5. Rein In Your Sugar Cravings
If you have an insatiable sweet tooth, then fall can be the worst season for you. After all, Halloween is almost entirely about begging strangers for candy and the stores are fully stocked with them. This fall season, become the master of your urges. The first way to curb your sweet tooth is to not let any temptations around you. Don’t buy a bag of candy and tell yourself that you’ll only eat one each week. You know you’re going to cave, so it’s safest to leave it out of your house altogether. Another way to fight your cravings is to redirect them to healthier habits. Every time you feel like taking a big bite of candy, eat a fruit instead. You could even make yourself a healthy mug of cocoa with raw cacao powder and stevia.
6. Practice Portion Control
With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, portion control is one superpower you need to master. Your eyes are one of the most powerful influencers of your appetite. If your plate looks full, then it anticipates all that food and you end up eating too much. There are two ways you can avoid this. You can take a smaller plate so it still looks full, but you eat far less. You could also stuff your plate with healthy food like vegetables and make carbs a very small part of it. Eating mindfully will also help you control your appetite. Instead of just shoveling in food without a thought, concentrate on every bite and eat slowly. This will help you become more sensitive to your satiety signals and stop eating when your brain tells you you’ve had enough.
7. Use Exercise To Stay Warm
Just because you don’t need a beach body anymore in the fall, doesn’t mean you should ignore your fitness routine. This fall, try a new exercise that you could wind up loving. In the cold autumn months, what better way to stay fit than with some Bikram yoga? Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, involves a series of yoga poses in a room heated to 95 degrees. This will detoxify your body, stretch your muscles and give you some respite from the cold outside.
