Ready for your ‘autumn advantage’?
After the summer’s debilitating heat, Maria Lally says there’s no time like September to get back in shape and reset your wellbeing
After a summer spent trying (and failing) to get fit, it wasn’t until my children went back to school last week that I finally dusted off my trainers, made it the gym and started eating more healthily than I’d managed all summer. Which makes sense as autumn is, according to a new study, the time of year where we feel reinvigorated: researchers at the University of Toronto found that people over the age of 70 become significantly cleverer at the start of the season, with their cognitive function peaking on September 23. The difference between participants’ brains in spring, compared to autumn, was the equivalent to four years of ageing.
While the scientists couldn’t determine the reason for this “autumn advantage”, Rosa Sancho from Alzheimer’s Research UK said of the findings: “The changing seasons can affect our lifestyle and health in a variety of ways.”
“September is like January 1st, but in fact it’s an even better time to get fit and healthy,” says personal trainer Matt Roberts, who has worked with David Cameron and the designer Tom Ford. “The evenings are lighter, the air is cool but not too cold, and after a particularly hot summer that left us feeling jaded, many of us now feel brighter because that ‘back-to-school’ feeling extends to adults, too.”
Autumn, he says, “is the perfect time to re-set your wellbeing”.
So with that in mind, here’s how to make the most of the autumn advantage…
It’s the best time to get fit
“While most of us decide to begin a new fitness regime in January when gym memberships peak, September is actually a far better time,” says Roberts, adding that, just as we have a tendency to overindulge during Christmas, summer can be just as bad for eating and drinking too much. “But unlike January, by autumn you’ve had a good dose of vitamin D from the summer months and your holiday, which helps with energy levels.
“And while January runs can be freezing and summer ones intensely hot (especially this summer), autumn is the perfect time to get outside and exercise – the evenings are still light, it’s still pleasant and the seasonal changes are beautiful.”
It’s also the perfect time for forest bathing, a wellbeing craze from Japan that involves “soaking up” the atmosphere of forests and wooded areas. In the Eighties, the Japanese government studied the health benefits, which include reduced blood pressure, lower stress levels and improved concentration and memory.
They also found that chemicals released by trees, called phytoncides, have an anti-microbial effect and boost our immune system. Anational forest-bathing health programme was duly introduced.
Since then, forest-bathing fans have included Gwyneth Paltrow, guided forest bathing experiences have sprung up in New York and London, and the Forestry Commission, which manages one million hectares of woodland in England, is launching a nationwide forest bathing programme next year.
“You have more time in autumn too, especially if you have children and they’re back at school after a long summer break,” says Roberts. “Everybody is back at work and in a routine, which is helpful for sticking to an exercise regime.” One new study, published in the European
Journal of Social Psychology, found that it takes 66 days for a new habit to become second nature – so taking up exercise now means getting in shape in time for Christmas, at which point giving yourself a bit of a break will be well-deserved.
That doesn’t mean doing away with your good work entirely, however – there are a number of benefits to exercising in chillier climes. “While a lot of us are reluctant winter exercisers, studies show you burn more calories when you exercise outside on a cold day, because the cold conditions raise
‘Everybody is back in a routine, which is helpful for sticking to an exercise regime’
metabolism,” Roberts explains. A recent study from the University of Colorado found our production of ATPL (a chemical that promotes fat storage) almost doubles during winter, but exercise offsets this. “Exercising also boosts your immune system, which helps ward off a winter cold.”
It’s time to embrace autumn food
If you’re already missing the barbecue and salads, make the most of what the season has to offer, says nutritional therapist Amelia Freer: “Although summer is nearly over, the sudden abundance of delicious and healthy autumnal food is more than enough compensation.” She recommends the likes of artichokes, beetroot, squashes, pumpkin, carrots, celery, courgettes, celeriac, kale and runner beans to get you into an autumnal state of eating.
“I’m addicted to my slow cooker at this time of year and have batches of soup, stews and casseroles on the go,” Freer says. “You can then freeze them so you always have a quick and healthy meal ready for nights you don’t have time to cook.”
She advises doing away with starchy carbohydrates like rice, and in their place using dark green, leafy and seasonal vegetables like kale and pumpkin. “I also take traditional comfort foods like shepherds pie and make them healthier by swapping the mashed white potato topping for a mashed celeriac or carrot one instead.”
Freer also suggests cutting back on sugar in autumn to avoid swinging high and low blood sugar levels, which can increase lethargy, and instead to enjoy seasonal sweet stuff like blackberries, apples, pears, plums and figs. And if you bake or stew them with autumnal spices you’ll get a double health boost: the scent of cinnamon has been shown to sharpen your mind. Researchers at Wheeling Jesuit University in the US found smelling cinnamon is linked to improved attention and memory.
Boosting the immune system to ward off winter colds is also high on Freer’s health checklist, which she does by managing stress (“it’s the worst culprit for knocking your immunity”) and eating lots of whole fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas and lentils), minimally processed grains and zinc. “Zinc is essential for normal immune function, yet many of us don’t get enough of it,” she says. “Seafood, shellfish, nuts and seeds are good sources. And I also suggest a good omega-3 essential fatty acid supplement to my clients, which can be useful for autumn and winter months.”
Reset your mindset
According to Freer, autumn is also a great time for adults to “put that ‘back to school’ feeling to your advantage. In terms of eating healthily, managing stress levels or getting outside every day for some fresh air and a dose of vitamin D, it’s a great time of year to create new routines.”
And September can be a “lifedefining month,” says Cary Cooper, a professor of psychology and health at Manchester Business School. “What I’m hearing through my work, and also as a father of adult children who have young families of their own, is that September, rather than January, is the month we take stock of our lives.
“I hear parents who, having enjoyed the summer break with their young children or waved older ones off to university, spend September reflecting on their work, life and stress balance. Should they chase that next promotion, or aim for more disposable time with their families, which they’ve enjoyed over the summer months?
“If they’ve been working too many hours, not seeing their family, or emailing late into the night, they may reconsider whether this is how they want to live.”
In July, the Royal Society for Public Health also announced the start of the Scroll Free September campaign, which urges people to forgo social media this month. The campaign was a result of a survey they carried out that found half of social media users felt cutting it out would improve their sleep, relationships, wellbeing and work productivity. “September is also a peak time for career changes and adults signing up to new courses,” says Prof Cooper. “It’s the month to hit reset on everything from your stress to your diet, fitness, career and relationships. It’s the natural pause in the year that we all need, to take stock of where we’re heading.”
‘Although summer is over, the abundance of healthy autumnal food is compensation’