Growing up I would always get reinvigorated as September rolled in and the autumn leaves began to change. It represented not only a new school year, but a new chance to reinvent myself. I recently saw an article in New York Magazine called September Is Your Second-Chance January and it made me think that as adults we get a do over too.
September is the perfect time of year to set new goals or revisit your January resolutions. Researchers have discovered that setting goals around what they deem the fresh start effect can motivate you to stay on track. The idea is that “marking fresh starts via birthdays, holidays, or other noteworthy events is indeed an effective way to promote aspirational behavior like exercising more or eating healthier.” With that in mind, let’s set some goals for the rest of the year.
I challenge you to come up with 3 things you can do to improve your and your dog’s lifestyle. For instance, increase one walk a day to 30 minutes or dedicate three nights a week to cooking a healthy meal at home. The changes do not need to be extreme or drastic. In other words, you do not have to go on some crazy strict diet, taking all of the fun out of your life.
Remember, it’s the small sustainable changes that add up over time to create your RDM lifestyle.