I was at a Weight Watchers meeting on Sunday and the meeting leader had, in big block letters on a white board up front, the words, "September is the new January!" I had to laugh, because a couple of weeks earlier one of my best friends told me she was planning a "September Reboot:" a time to rededicate herself to her classes and her exercise and diet priorities, now that summer travel and the general laziness that August brings are both over.
I like the idea that September is a starting point of its own, and not just because I love new school supplies! Vacations are over, so we've put away the beach towels, the car-travel games, the summer pass to the pool. School is starting, which brings a focus on new classes, new clothes and a new routine. Our brains are waking up from the lethargy of the heat. And we find ourselves willing to take on new things.
A September Reboot can be a reason to do anything you've been wanting and meaning to do but keep putting off. The WW leader encouraged us to think of it as resolutions that would PAY OFF by New Year's, rather than resolutions we MAKE on New Year's. I like that kind of thinking!
If you start a diet this month, you could reasonably expect to lose 15-20 pounds by New Year's Day. Wow! Think about that! Think about how great you'll feel in family pictures over the holidays. And think about how ahead-of-the-game you'll be come Jan. 2. Instead of thinking "OK, I made those resolutions and now I have to keep them," you'll be thinking, "I rock! I'm already on my way!"
And just think how much fun you'll having requesting presents that come in a smaller size....