Summer Isn’t the Problem. The Way We Think About Health Is.

From 22nd–28th June, people around the world celebrated World Wellbeing Week. It encouraged us to pause and reflect on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and consider whether the choices we make each day are helping us live the life we want.

Research shows that people are more motivated to start health goals after holidays, birthdays and the beginning of a new year because these moments create a psychological “fresh start”. While this can be helpful, it can also keep us trapped in a cycle of waiting for the next perfect moment. If we are always waiting until after the holiday, after summer, after Christmas or until September, we may spend more time preparing to start than actually living the healthy lifestyle we want.

As we move into July, it’s the perfect opportunity to continue that reflection.

Because if we’re honest, many of us don’t think about health as a way of life. We think about it around events.

We want to lose weight for the holiday, we want to get fit before a special occasion, we tell ourselves we’ll start again in September. Then September becomes Christmas, Christmas becomes New Year, and before we know it another year has passed.

The challenge isn’t summer, the challenge is the belief that wellbeing has a start date.

The reality is that health doesn’t happen when life becomes quieter, less stressful or more convenient. It happens during real life. It happens during holidays, family gatherings, busy work schedules and weekends away.

In fact, summer can be one of the best times to improve your wellbeing because it gives us the opportunity to practise healthy habits in real-life situations. Rather than asking yourself:

“How can I be perfect on holiday?”

Perhaps the better question is:

“How can I take care of myself while enjoying my holiday?”

That’s a very different mindset.

For many people, especially those managing menopause symptoms, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, persistent pain or long-term health conditions, wellbeing isn’t about achieving a short-term goal. It’s about maintaining the health and function that allows them to enjoy life.

Nobody wants their health condition to dictate what they can and cannot do. We want to enjoy days out with family, we want the energy to play with grandchildren, we want to travel, socialise, walk, garden, exercise and live independently. We want our bodies to support the life we want to live.

That means learning how to manage our health safely and effectively around life, rather than putting life on hold while we focus on health.

Wellbeing is not something we do between now and the holiday.

It is not something we restart every September.

It is not a punishment for enjoying ourselves.

It is a way of thinking.

A way of living.

A collection of daily choices that help us feel stronger, move better and maintain the health that allows us to make the most of every season of life.

This July, instead of asking yourself what you’re trying to achieve before your next event, ask yourself a different question:

“What can I do today that will help me enjoy my life for years to come?”

The answer may be simpler than you think.

You don’t need September. You don’t need Monday. You don’t need the end of your holiday. The best time to start looking after your health is the moment you decide it matters.

If it matters to you and you’re not sure where to start, get in contact with Laura here

Research papers:

The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014).
Published in Management Science.

This is the paper that introduced the concept of the “Fresh Start Effect.”

What they found

Researchers analysed:

They discovered that people are significantly more likely to start health and wellbeing behaviours after:

In other words, people naturally look for temporal landmarks that create a feeling of a “clean slate.” 

The researchers found that searches for the term “diet” increased immediately following holidays, supporting the idea that many people postpone health goals until after a holiday or special occasion has ended. 

A second paper:

Temporal Landmarks Spur Goal Initiation When They Signal New Beginnings Dai et al. (2015)

This study found that simply drawing attention to a new beginning increased people’s intention to pursue goals. The key message is that motivation is often tied to the perception of a new chapter rather than the date itself. 

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