It is officially cozy sweater season. As the air cools and the leaves transform to fall colors, nature reminds us that change is constant. Summer babies like me feel the season slipping away; I’ve had to work at adjusting my mindset, so that I can appreciate and enjoy every season. I’ve learned to love walks in the crisp air, and I’ve become something of a soup wizard in the cooler months. Even though I’ve learned to love fall, if seasons were children, summer would still be my favourite. LOL.
“May you Fall in love with October and all the beauty it brings,
May your life be as colorful as the turning of the leaves, on each blessed autumn day.”
– poet Charmaine J. Forde
Just as the trees prepare for the months ahead, we too have an inner clock that encourages us to take stock and prepare ourselves for the season to come. Our well-being is influenced by the rhythms of the seasons and as we adjust to less daylight and cooler temperatures, let’s embrace autumn as a natural time to apply simple habits that will help us thrive in body, mind and spirit.
“My favorite color is October.”
– Unknown
One of the four pillars of wellness we’re going to focus on here is sleep, which is an important underpinning when it comes to living well. According to the National Institute on Aging (NIH), though it may seem simple, sleep is a complex process. Many parts of the brain collaborate to produce signals that prepare us for sleep. Our body clock provides the timing for sleep while other signals in the body lead us there. Melatonin, a hormone that’s released in the body when it gets dark, makes us feel sleepy. Our energy level, heart, lungs, brain and our mood are impacted by sleep. A good night’s rest makes us more open to learning new things, provides the energy for creativity, having swift responses, solving problems, creating new memories and impacts our attention span. Over time, lack of sleep can have an impact on our blood pressure, our mood, our heart function and our risk of diabetes, not to mention our day-to-day functioning.
I’m no sleep expert but I have a few suggestions to add to what the experts would tell us. They’d say to have a sleep routine as well as a bedtime routine. I would add: write a to-do list for the next day before you wrap up the day, so you don’t have to think about it. The list will be waiting for you when you start the day and it’ll serve to free up some real estate in your brain, so it can rest and detox as it should while you’re sleeping. I love a good nap but if I snooze after 3:00pm it’ll mess with my sleep, and I avoid exercise, alcohol and caffeine in the evening unless I want to have a restless night.
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
– author Lauren DeStefano
Foodwise, autumn is a favourite in our house. The harvest of root vegetables roasted in the oven, everything but the kitchen sink soups and fall fruit are both comforting and nourishing. Rich in vitamins and minerals, fall produce is great for our immune system. There’s lots of fiber which is good for our digestion and contributes to a healthy gut. Let’s talk about heart health: lowering cholesterol and blood pressure by favouring these colourful vegetables and fruit. Our mothers and their mothers had the best recipes that have stood the test of time. Roasted squash and sweet potatoes, roast turkey that’s both impressive and so easy to do for a family supper. Pumpkin loaf and muffins, apple crisp, apple pie, they’re all chef’s kiss yumminess in my opinion.
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
– author Jim Bishop
Let’s not forget the importance of movement as the weather gets cooler. Being active in a variety of ways avoids boredom and keeps not only our parts lifted but our spirits too. Tried yoga? Stretching for fun? Boxing is cool, as is indoor walking when you can’t take the cold. There’s swimming, dancing and on-line classes galore. There are sports like table tennis and bowling to name a few. Figure out what resonates with you or what you really enjoyed as a kid and give it a whirl. It’s important for us to challenge ourselves while also going easy on ourselves. Life is not a contest, it’s meant to be enjoyed, and having a variety of activities in our day will enhance pleasure in every aspect of our lives.
“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.”
– poet Victoria Erickson
May I ask who lights you up and makes you feel great? When you think about that person, you feel like you matter. Let’s have more of those people in our circle; let’s surround ourselves and let’s surround others with laughter, support, empathy, compassion, and as much fun as we can get our hands on. Being connected is our lifeline when it comes to living a healthy and happy life. Research shows the greatest predictor of our longevity is how well we’re connected socially. So those wonderful people who make you feel like a million bucks are really medicine you should take every day.
It’s important to remember that our well-being is about adding simple steps to our day; not about striving to reach anything or anywhere. What we’re doing is honouring ourselves and recognizing what keeps us on a good track. Daylight may be dwindling but the lightness we’ll feel inside when we take care of ourselves by nurturing good habits will help us sail through the cooler months with calm and resilience.
