There Are Seasons...

Labor Day is tomorrow.   And it has always struck me as a little bit funny.

Not the idea that we should honor those who labor and work. We absolutely should! Many of us couldn’t feed, clothe or shelter ourselves without working, and our society certainly wouldn’t function without a workforce.

But the timing?

That part makes me smile.

Labor Day marks the end of summer - a season when instead of “laboring” many of us have taken time off of work, done a bit of extra celebrating, traveled, stayed up later, relaxed, and generally stepped outside our normal routines.  

And now? We head into fall.

Back to school. 

Back to work. 

Back to schedules. 

Back to routines.

Back to the grind, so to speak.

But maybe there’s actually something pretty wise about this seasonal rhythm - because there are distinct seasons for momentum and seasons for maintenance.

Spring and fall tend to be natural times for establishing routines, building momentum and creating a strong baseline.

Summer and winter often pull us in a different direction. They give us opportunities for celebration, adventure, travel, rest and connection.

And this applies to so much more than our calendars.

It applies to our work.

Our homes.

Our relationships.

Our health and fitness.

Even our personal care rituals.

We tend to think that if we get “off track,” we’ve failed somehow.

We were doing so well...

And then vacation happened.

Or school let out for summer.

Or work got crazy.

Or the holidays came.

Or life simply… happened.

So we start over.

Again.

And again.

And again.

But what if instead of thinking of this as constantly getting on and off the wagon, we thought of it as an "ebb and flow"? A pendulum swinging one direction, and then inevitably back the other.

Athletes understand this - They don't train at maximum intensity every day, forever. They have training cycles. 

They push. 

They build. 

They recover. 

They maintain. 

And then they build again.

Farmers understand this too - They rotate crops and allow fields to rest and regenerate so the soil can continue producing year after year.

Even performers and musicians understand there is rhythm - There are seasons of intense practice and preparation, followed by seasons of performing, seasons of recovery, and then back into seasons of steady skill maintenance.

The goal isn't to be at maximum effort all the time.

The goal is to create a pattern - one that can continue.

And I think this is an important concept when it comes to our health.

Because the amount of effort it takes to create a change isn't necessarily the same amount of effort it takes to maintain that change.

Think about weight loss.

Building muscle.

Improving your strength.

Improving your cardiovascular fitness.

Improving your bloodwork.

Creating better sleep habits.

Building a healthier relationship with food.

Those things usually require some intentionality and consistency.

And to achieve that, you need a season where you are more focused.

You prioritize your workouts.

You plan your meals.

You get serious about your sleep.

You make some changes that may require a little more effort than you're accustomed to giving.

And honestly?

For me, knowing that incredibly focused season has an end makes it so much easier to hit it hard.  I certainly don't want to live at 100% effort, 100% of the time, forever and ever until the end.

That's a pretty scary commitment.

But give me a season?

I can do a season.

And then comes maintenance.

The work doesn't disappear, but the intensity can change.  You don't necessarily need to keep pushing harder and harder to hold onto what you've built.

You need to keep showing up.

You need a baseline.

You need habits that support the gains you've made.

And when you're ready for another season of growth?

You build again.

That, to me, is a much more sustainable way to approach health.

Not perfection.

Not constant intensity.

Not starting over every time life disrupts your routine.

A rhythm.

A season of pushing forward.

A season of maintaining.

A season of rest.

And then another opportunity to grow.

So as Labor Day weekend comes to a close and we head into fall...

Maybe instead of asking yourself:

How do I get back on track?

Ask yourself:

What season am I entering?

Maybe this is your season to build strength.

Maybe it's time to focus on nutrition and create some momentum with your weight.

Maybe you've already made some wonderful changes and your job right now is simply to maintain them.

Maybe you need a season of rebuilding your energy and taking better care of yourself.

There isn't one right answer.

And your season doesn't need to look like anyone else's.

The Revitalize Method is built around this same idea: looking at the whole picture - movement, nutrition, mindset and lifestyle - and creating the right balance of effort and support for where you are now.

Because your health isn't a 12-week project.

It's something you get to build, maintain, adjust and grow into through all the different seasons of your life.

So as we head into fall, don't worry about doing everything.

Choose what matters most - for this season.

And if you're not sure what that should look like, or how much commitment is actually right for you right now - reach out. I'd be happy to help you design a season of commitment that moves you forward - without requiring you to live at 100% forever.

Because sustainable doesn't mean you never push.

It means you know when to push, when to maintain, and when to let yourself breathe.

Happy Labor Day and here's to your next season!

xoxo, 

Kim