There is a stretch of the year most people never notice.
It starts right about now.
Summer is over. The barbecues are done. The holidays are still a few months out.
In between sits September and October. They are two of the most normal months on the calendar.
Normal is a good thing when it comes to eating. Summer has a party every weekend. December has a party every week.
Right now, that pressure is gone. That makes this the easiest time of year for a new habit to take hold.
The reason to build a habit in October is not October. It is December.
Thanksgiving is the first domino. After that comes a month of dinners, cookies at the office, and leftovers on every counter.
A habit that is two months old will hold up through it. A habit that is two days old will not.
Pick one or two of these now. Run them every day through October. Then take them into the holidays with you.
1. The same breakfast every day
Pick one high-protein breakfast and repeat it. The holidays rarely touch breakfast, so this one survives December almost untouched.
2. A daily step minimum
Choose a number you can hit on your worst day. A walk after dinner gets you there, and it works just as well on Thanksgiving night.
3. 64 ounces of water
Fill a bottle in the morning and finish it by dinner. No holiday party has ever gotten in the way of this one.
4. Log your food, even the messy days
You do not have to be perfect. You just have to write it down. That awareness is usually enough to keep one big meal from turning into a big week.
5. Protein first at dinner
Eat the protein on your plate before anything else. It fills you up and quiets the pull toward seconds. This works at your kitchen table and at your in-laws.
None of these need to be done perfectly. They need to be done most days, so that by the time the holidays hit, they feel like part of who you are.
Enjoy the meals you want to enjoy. Then go back to your habit the next day.
If you do that, January will not need to be a fresh start. It will just be the next month.
– James