Summer Has Passed: Five Gentle Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body

 So summer came and went: Five gentle methods to rejuvenate your body

Be (somewhat) compassionate towards yourself. Image: Emma Simpson

Karen Nimmo is a clinical psychologist.

Advice: After the summer vacation, do you feel like you have lost your fitness?

In addition to your nighttime G&Ts, all those cheese boards, snacks, and refreshing ice cream under the sun?

We’ve reached that moment of the year when we’ve pulled ourselves away from sunbathing and barbecues, returned to work, and are confronted with the depressing reality of tighter fitting clothes.

While summer screams salad season, it's equally a time for indulgences—and letting go of strict routines in favor of a more relaxed approach. This shift can have repercussions for our meticulously crafted plans... and our physiques.

While it’s beneficial to adopt a “live and let live” mindset towards your body, this becomes easier when you feel at ease in it.

If the summer break has left a notable imprint, so to speak, consider these straightforward approaches to address it—sans the need to wage war on yourself.

Patterns, not crash diets

The initial psychological trap individuals fall into is believing those few extra kilograms, or lack of fitness, require immediate rectification.

That's when the extreme behaviors kick in: detoxes, stringent food regulations, daily exercise, abstaining from alcohol, or the infamous “I’ll be good starting Monday.”

The issue is, all-or-nothing mindset seldom lasts. One stumble—a missed workout, a sneaky chocolate bar, a glass of wine—and everything feels futile. We throw in the towel and end up feeling worse than when we began.

A more tranquil, pragmatic approach proves more effective. Rather than establishing long-term ambitions, consider creating a sustainable routine.

As James Clear, writer of the popular Atomic Habits, asserts, “You do not ascend to the height of your objectives.

In simpler terms, our daily actions—our health practices—are more significant than lofty, often unattainable dreams.

Lower your stress levels

Ideally, we would feel mentally rejuvenated post-holiday, yet life's challenges don’t pause because it's summer. Vacations can add extra stress to finances, family dynamics, and personal relationships.

Take a moment to think about your biggest worries. Work? Your relationship? We all recognize that as stress escalates, our health habits deteriorate. We stop exercising, make poor dietary choices, sleep too little or excessively, and increase our alcohol consumption. So, ponder this: What can I shift to alleviate my stress levels this year?

Reinstate the routines

Vacations are about breaking free from routines, yet “real life” requires—and benefits from—structure. Re-establish your schedule for sleeping, waking, and meal times. If you have children, this is extremely crucial.

Avoid the temptation to become a “new you.” Even if the “new year, new you” mantra resonates with you, overhauling your entire lifestyle can be a pitfall.

Behavioral science indicates that the more changes you attempt simultaneously, the less likely you are to maintain any of them. The best strategy to eradicate an unhealthy habit is to substitute it with a healthy one.

So select one foundational habit to introduce, such as a daily walk, enjoying a proper breakfast, swapping soda for water, consuming a daily bottle of water, including protein at each meal, adding one vegetable to lunch or dinner, keeping pre-cut veggies in the fridge, eating meals seated (no phones, no standing at the counter), or allowing yourself one planned treat each day (to curb rebellion!), along with designated alcohol-free days each week.

Once you solidify one habit, it becomes easier for others to follow. Action fosters momentum.

Utilize your fridge effectively

Does your environment bolster your health objectives? If your pantry and refrigerator are stocked with treats, you’re depending on willpower for all the heavy lifting, which is quite tough.

Swap out temptations at home with healthier options. Steer clear of the candy jar at work! Shape your surroundings to support rather than sabotage you.

Being gentle with yourself regarding food and exercise isn’t wise, but body-shaming is even more detrimental. It elevates stress, promotes evasion, and complicates the maintenance of healthy habits.

A more constructive question is: What can assist my body in feeling better this week? Above all, concentrate more on your personhood than your physique. Remember, you are a human being with a body, not the other way around.