There’s something about the end of August that can feel like the end of a chapter.
The summer holidays are drawing to a close, September is approaching and there’s that familiar “new term” feeling in the air.
Even when school terms no longer directly affect us, many of us still recognise it!
New notebooks. New routines. A chance to get organised.
And perhaps a feeling that now might be the time to start something.
I actually quite like that feeling. There’s nothing wrong with using a new month, a birthday, a Monday or the start of September as a little bit of motivation.
But this year, I’ve been thinking about it slightly differently.
What if we don’t need to keep starting again?
Maybe we’re already doing enough to continue
Throughout August, I’ve been talking about building strong foundations.
We’ve looked at why those foundations don’t require perfect days, what we’re actually building our strength for, and why being able to adapt is part of being strong too.
Perhaps the final piece is recognising what we’ve already built.
It can be very easy to reach September and immediately focus on what needs improving.
I need to exercise more.
I need to eat better.
I need to get organised.
I need to lose weight.
I need to get back into a routine.
Before adding another goal, it might be worth asking a different question:
What’s already working that I’d like to keep doing?
Maybe you’ve been walking regularly.
Perhaps you’ve become stronger.
Maybe you’re drinking more water, getting outside more often or taking a little more notice of when you need to rest.
It doesn’t have to be dramatic to be worth continuing.
Progress doesn’t always need a starting line
We often treat looking after ourselves as a series of programmes.
We start.
We do well for a while.
Life changes.
The routine slips.
Then we decide we need another fresh start…
But health doesn’t really work like that.
It accumulates.
The strength you’ve already built matters.
The walks you’ve taken matter.
The times you’ve rested when you needed to matter.
The things you’ve learnt about your body matter.
And the occasions when things didn’t quite go to plan can teach us something too.
You haven’t returned to zero because August was different from June.
You’re simply carrying what you’ve already built into the next season.
Add things when they make sense
Of course, sometimes we do want something new.
Perhaps you’ve been thinking about starting strength training. Maybe you want to improve your balance, mobility or fitness. Perhaps you’d like to make more time for recovery or finally book the massage you’ve been saying you’ll arrange for months.
September might be the perfect time.
But you don’t have to change everything at once simply because the calendar has changed.
Choose something because it makes sense for you, not because you’ve reached an arbitrary starting line.
You might add one strength session to your week.
You might make one of your existing walks a little longer.
You could finally use those dumbbells sitting in the cupboard.
Or you might decide that what you actually need is more recovery rather than another workout.
All of those can be progress.
Strong foundations aren’t only physical
This is something I’ve come back to several times this month.
Strength matters enormously, particularly as we move through midlife and beyond.
But our foundations are wider than physical strength alone.
Movement, nourishment, hydration, sleep, recovery, connection and having some space for ourselves all contribute to how we feel and function.
Sometimes that space might be five quiet minutes.
Sometimes it might be saying no to something.
Sometimes it might be having a massage and allowing your nervous system the opportunity to slow down.
Looking after ourselves isn’t another project we have to complete.
It’s something that sits alongside life as it changes.
So, what are you taking into September?
Rather than writing a long list of everything you’re going to change next month, perhaps take a moment to look backwards first.
What has worked for you this summer?
What would you like to continue?
Is there anything that no longer serves you?
And is there one thing you’d like to add because it would genuinely support you?
September can absolutely be a fresh start if you want one.
It can also simply be the next page.
You don’t have to throw away everything you’ve already written to begin it.
Keep the things that work. Change the things that need changing. Add something when you’re ready. And keep building from there.
A thought to leave you with – and another blog! If you’re not sure what you want to take into September then this may help: What Do You Actually Want from Your Health in Midlife?
Caroline