6 healthy habits HelloGiggles editors are committing to this fall
Big question: Why do we have to pin all of our personal goals to January? This year, instead of New Year’s resolutions, we’re committing to “new season’s resolutions” for fall—and they’re all centered on healthy habits. And by “healthy,” we mean anything that makes us feel good in our minds, bodies, and spirits.
The switch from summer to fall has always meant new school clothes, a fresh Lisa Frank Trapper-Keeper, and setting goals and habits for the school year ahead. But as so many of us have graduated from full-time academia to office life, we’ve lost some of the fall energy that used to motivate us. By switching it up to set healthy resolutions now, maybe we steal some of those “new school year” vibes back from the universe.
Plus, now that we’ve all written them out below, fingers crossed we’ll hold ourselves to them.
A bedtime opens up so many opportunities
“Until recently, I was oblivious to the fact that I have horrible stress management practices. Now that I am older and wiser, I’ve realized that staying up absurdly late because I’m anxious about what hasn’t been accomplished, waking up late the next morning because I had been up so late the night before, and then staying up late again because I feel that I had a bad start to the day is perhaps a vicious cycle.
“During these times, my mood is severely impacted because I’m actually exhausted, and I’m also irritated that I’ve lost entire days to irresponsible sleep schedules. So, this fall, I am going to bed early every weeknight so I can wake up early every morning. (For me, an early bedtime would be about 10 p.m.). Being well-rested means that I’ll be able to devote more time to other hobbies that are so beneficial for my health: dance classes, cooking, reading, etc. I’m also really stoked to try on the personality of one who gets up early in the morning to make smoothies.”—Rachel Sanoff, Features Editor
Forget Netflix and chill; I’ll be binge-reading instead.
“This fall, I’m committing to reading instead of watching Netflix before bed. (It’s gonna be tough, y’all.) During the summer months, I read all the time, but this habit always seems to go by the wayside as soon as the weather gets chillier. I just graduated from college, so I don’t have the excuse of being drained from reading textbooks all day and needing mindless Netflix relief before falling asleep. This fall, I’m ditching my laptop and pulling out a book when I crawl into bed instead. That is, until December hits—then I’m watching all of the Friends episodes I can before it leaves Netflix in January.”—Claire Harmeyer, Editorial Assistant
A workout routine I’ll actually look forward to
“Working out is something I don’t even have to think about in the summer months. I love swimming and riding my bike, and I take full advantage of all of New York City’s free outdoor workouts. But once the allure of summer wears off, I really have to remind myself to stay active. This fall, I’m re-committing to my favorite workout: dance classes. I love this class called Broadway Bodies that is all about non-judgmental movement—dancing for the sake of dancing. And I’m challenging myself to dust off my ballroom skills by taking some salsa and tango classes.”—Hayley Mason, Editorial Director
Expressing myself through what I wear
“Since starting antidepressants last fall, I’ve gained weight, and I would be lying if I said I feel completely at peace with that. I’m doing my best to stay active and eat nutritious food, but I just started another project that I hope will help me improve my relationship with my body.
“I’m really into knitting, sewing, and crafting in general, and as my weight has gone up over the last year, I’ve avoided making clothes because of my dissatisfaction with my body. Instead, I’ve bought new clothes that I’ve treated as placeholders, hoping to go back to making clothes when I lose weight. But to respect my body as it is now and to practice crafting, I’ve started embellishing these clothes with embroidery. I want to have fun with my clothes and self-expression now, and focus on taking care of my body rather than making it smaller.”—Mia Nakaji Monnier, Contributing Editor
Taking it back to basics
“I’m using fall to be much more intentional about walking everywhere. My rejuvenated love of walking started when I began to make the hour-walk home from my therapy appointments to clear my head and decompress. Now, I walk both ways, as well as walk to the bar to meet my friends after work, make my husband walk to the restaurant with me when we go out to dinner, and just set out by myself or my dog once a day. It sounds silly but, you guys, walking is everything. The fresh air is giving me life, and the time allows me space in my head outside of all the stress and busyness. Plus, I was never one for the gym, so I’m getting my exercise, too. (And in the fall, I won’t get as sweaty as I do now!)”—Caitlin White, News Editor
Checking things off my health to-do list
“My fall health goal is to knock off all the medical exams, cleanings, screenings, and health whatnots I’ve let pile up on my to-do list over the years. Thanks to procrastination and healthcare insurance limbo, I’ve only visited a doctor for the occasional episodes when I realize my antidepressant script is about to run out and I can’t convince anyone to supply me more serotonin over the phone. I’m going to quit this childish habit and see what my future as an adult health influencer has in store for me—once I get my glasses prescription updated.”—Danielle Fox, Social Media Manager
What are your healthy habit resolutions for fall?
