The nights are drawing in, summer holidays feel like a distant dream, and it’s oh-so tempting to throw all good health and fitness habits out the window and throw on the stretchy fleece instead. However, TV and NHS doctor Amir Khan is aiming to address that with his tips for a “September reset”.
Rather than an extreme post-summer overhaul, Dr Amir’s approach is about small changes that can actually work when life is busy. It includes things like getting outside and moving every day, switching off properly after work, making food decisions before you’re starving and introducing more plant-based meals.
With six seemingly simple steps to try, I decided to give it all a go. The vegetarian doctor, regularly seen on ITV shows like Lorraine and This Morning, has worked with the plant-based company Beyond Meat on the Beyond Busy September Reset campaign, so in among the tips to try was having a go at some of their veggie “meat” recipes as well.
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For me personally, September is one of the most hectic of the year; It’s back to school time for the kids, and all the resulting child admin that comes with that.
As a lifestyle journalist here at the MEN, it’s also a busy time with pre-Christmas launches, major events being announced (like those huge Oasis gigs) and just generally a lot of rushing around to attend interviews and meet deadlines. So I was a little worried if I’d be able to follow the reset to the tee.
But, given the idea was to make realistic and positive changes, and for this kind of reset to NOT be a source of extra stress, I figured it’s better to make a start at healthy habits rather than do nothing at all. Here’s how I got on.
1) Build a new habit into daily routine
The idea with this one is to choose one small change and attach it to something you already do, for example walk for 10 minutes after lunch, add a vegetable to your evening meal, put your phone away well ahead of bedtime or go to bed 30 minutes earlier.
The advice was once that feels normal, to add another new habit in a sort of habit stacking scenario. But Dr Amir recommends being realistic, so ask yourself – could you still do it on a dark Wednesday in November?
I decided on the walking more one for this tip. Although it didn’t get off to the greatest start when the rain suddenly made a return at the start of September!
However, I’ve stuck with it after every lunchtime to try and make it a habit as suggested. The best thing about doing this is it has helped me curb the feeling I need a sweet “treat” after my lunch itself. Doing the walk helped to clear a bit of that food noise, and also gave me time to mull over some thoughts before heading back to the desk to work.
2) Eat better by adding, not restricting
The adding rather than restricting sounded like music to my ears. For this tip, the doctor says there’s no need to reinvent your favourite meals, just add one healthier thing instead of restricting.
For example, add fruit to breakfast, add an extra vegetable to lunch or dinner, throw beans or pulses into a meal and to consider making one or two dinners a week plant-based. He’s not big on the word “diet” so the idea is to simply make your meals more nutritious rather than feel you’re depriving yourself of other things.
As the campaign is sponsored by Beyond Meat, this tip also suggests doing some non-meat days during the week as reducing meat consumption is considered better for health, the environment and of course for animal welfare. I was sent some Beyond Burger and Beyond Steak Pieces to up the veg count during the reset week.
I’ve never tried them before but was actually very impressed with the taste of the burgers which are made from pea and bean protein, and I would honestly not have known they were not meat. The Beyond Steak pieces were also lower in saturated fat than the burgers (although both contain zero cholesterol which is a win) and made for a great shawarma-style filling for pitta breads which I piled up with lots of peppers, onions and cabbage as per one of Dr Amir’s recipe suggestions.
The reset did make me more mindful of adding veg to all of my main meals, for example adding a nice leafy salad with my usual bolognese dish that I make for the family, and using tins of chick peas to make my own home-made houmous rather than relying on shop-bought versions.
3) Your 10 minute dinner plan
Dr Amir’s instagram page is full of his own healthy meal suggestions, and for this tip he suggests choosing three 10-minute ‘emergency dinners’, that are always on hand so you don’t let hunger get the better of you. This is one I often fall victim to, so it’s definitely a good idea.
The doctor suggests thinking of recipes where you can keep the ingredients, like quick protein, vegetables, an easy carbohydrate and something with plenty of flavour in storage, so you always have the building blocks on hand for an easy, satisfying meal.
And another tip is to decide what you eat perhaps in the morning or night before so that you don’t make stupid decisions when it gets too late, you’re hungry and just grab whatever is readily to hand – for me that’s when crisps or chocolate in the cupboard get a bit tempting.
I’m trying to crack down on my sugar addiction, so for this tip I decided to try and keep healthier snack options ready for when I start desperately thinking of a chocolate bar or cake in the afternoon. I kept hummus in the fridge, as well as pre-chopping up some carrots, red peppers and cucumber to dip in when I felt the hunger. So far, so good on this one.
4) Open the door and get outside
For this one, Dr Amir suggests getting outside for 10 minutes every morning, even if it just means having your coffee outside, walking around the block, walking part of the school run or getting off the bus or tube at a stop early. The trick is to make this part of your routine at the same point each day, so it becomes something you do automatically rather than yet another task you have to remember.
Now, I’ve read before about the idea of “grounding” yourself each morning, which involves walking barefoot on grass. So now that I’ve finally got some grass growing again in my back garden post-heatwave, I have been using this tip as an excuse to get out and have a little potter in the garden each morning and to do some stretches.
I’d have to say this is actually a great way to start your day and a positive change that I would like to keep. I’m just a little bit worried about how this one is going to survive as it gets colder and darker in the winter.
5) Notice what’s draining your energy
For three days, I’m asked to look out for the moments that leave you feeling most depleted, for example checking work emails in the evening, saying yes when you want to say no or doomscrolling before bedtime. I mean, all of these apply to me.
At the end of the three days, it’s suggested to pick one drain and make a change – whether that’s turning off phone notifications after 7pm, saying no to a commitment or giving yourself 30 minutes of phone-free time.
With this in mind, I decided that I should really try and tackle my doomscrolling addiction. I’ve noticed that more and more often I will sit on my own after the kids have gone to bed just mindlessly scrolling right up to bedtime. It’s pointless, very annoying but I don’t seem able to stop it. So surely this would be a good thing to address for this one?
Well, I started off quite well and quite small I suppose, deciding to switch off the phone an hour before bedtime. Knowing I was undertaking this challenge I really made a conscious effort on the first couple of days. But before too long I would start twitching thinking “Oh I’d better just check emails quickly” – and then that descending into a full-on doomscroll.
I know it’s something I need to address, but doing this challenge has really made me realise how much I do this – and how much time in the day I’m wasting my energy on it. Definitely one I need to continue with and tackle more decisively.
6) Do something for yourself
As I mentioned at the start, September is often a month where you end up getting everyone else organised (particularly parents with school-aged children). But this tip advises on how important it is to check in on your own healh and wellbeing this month.
Dr Amir suggests for this tip booking one health job you’ve been putting off, checking whether you’re up to date with relevant screenings, book an overdue appointment or speak to your GP about something that’s been bothering you.
He also says to try and put something you enjoy in the diary too – a walk, dinner with a friend or simply an hour that isn’t about somebody else.
Predictably, I probably found this one the hardest to try and do, just with the juggle of everything else going on. It doesn’t help either that when I ring my local GPs to try and book in a routine appointment I’ve been putting off I’m told… there are no appointments for the next three weeks and I need to ring back again the next morning or the morning after for the next slots to become available. Which predictably I forget to do.
The verdict
I liked that with Dr Amir Khan’s tips it was a gentler idea of a health reset, rather than a gung-ho series of big health and fitness changes. His idea of “habit stacking” – that one good thing can lead on to another, is certainly a more achievable way to make a difference.
I’ve taken on board the idea of getting outside more, and I do feel that has been beneficial for mental well-being and also with the lunchtme walk in stopping me from crashing into eating sweet stuff so easily.
It’s also made me realise just how much time I spend on pointless activities (eg that phone addiction).
As I’m keen to get into healthier habits in the run up to Christmas and not simply pile loads of pounds on over winter, I feel I probaby need to get a bit tougher in my own personal reset. But for anyone simply wanting to get a few better habits in their daily routine, some of these tips are a good way to start it.
Dr Amir Khan is backing The Beyond Busy: September Reset campaign across the month. Recipes can be found on www.beyondmeat.com/en-GB/recipes/
