September can still feel like the beginning of something new, even if it’s been decades since you bought school supplies or worried about your first day of class.
There’s even some science behind that feeling.
Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis coined the term “fresh start effect” after studying how certain dates and milestones affect our motivation. They found that people were more likely to pursue goals after what they called “temporal landmarks” – moments that seem to separate one period of our lives from another.
These include the beginning of a new week, month or year, as well as birthdays, holidays and the start of a new semester. And the effect showed up in actual exercise behavior: gym visits increased following some of these fresh-start moments.
Why Fall Can Feel Like a New Beginning
January might get all the attention, but September has some practical advantages of its own.
“September is a good month to make ‘small tweaks,’” productivity expert Laura Vanderkam told The New York Times, rather than attempting the dramatic lifestyle overhauls people often associate with New Year’s resolutions.
That’s particularly true with fitness. Summer can throw our routines out of whack with vacations, visitors, heat and changing schedules. Fall often brings more structure back to daily life.
“It’s easier to be consistent,” fitness and nutrition expert Layne Norton told the Times. Cooler temperatures can also make walking, hiking and other outdoor activities more inviting.
Put the Fresh Start Effect to Work
You don’t have to think of Labor Day as another New Year’s Day, with ambitious resolutions that might be difficult to sustain.
Instead, use the psychological boost of a new season to make a few manageable changes. You might:
- Return to strength training twice a week.
- Put a regular walk on your calendar.
- Try a class or activity you’ve been curious about.
- Add a little more movement to your day.
- Recommit to the fitness routine you already enjoy.
There’s another good reason to start now: the holidays are still a few months away.
Norton suggested that starting a fitness routine in fall gives you time to establish it before the holiday season. By January, instead of starting from scratch, you can arrive “with several months of practice already behind you,” he told the Times.
That’s a much more appealing way to look at the calendar.
New Year’s Day will always be available for a fresh start. But so is September. So is the first of next month. So is Monday.
You don’t have to wait for a particular date to take better care of yourself. But when the calendar hands you a little extra motivation, you might as well use it.
Holly Kouvo is a personal trainer, functional aging specialist, senior fitness specialist, brain health trainer, writer, and speaker.