After-Summer Reset: 7 Practical tips to Boost Energy and Get back into a Healthy Routine

August 31, 2026 - Behnaz Atree, MD

As the long, carefree days of summer come to an end, it may be time for your body and routine to reset.  More sunshine, time outdoors, and opportunities to relax may be energizing but many find themselves feeling tired, unmotivated and just out of their routine.

Travel, late nights, irregular meals, later bedtimes, more restaurant food, less structured exercise patterns, hot weather and a more relaxed schedule can disrupt the routines that support our health and energy.  Even vacations or enjoying slower mornings can make it difficult to transition back to everyday life.  As Fall approaches and the calendar starts filling up with work and school schedules, many realize it is time to “reset”.

Getting back on track doesn’t have to be a strict diet or an intense exercise program.  It’s about knowing how to gently reset and reconnect with what makes you feel well.  Here are some practical, realistic lifestyle strategies to help restore your energy and rebuild your routine that supports you in feeling your best.

1.Start With Sleep: Reset Your Body Clock

One of the first things that can get disrupted during summer is sleep.
Longer daylight hours, late evenings and travel can shift your sleep-wake cycle.  Even if you are getting enough hours of sleep, an inconsistent schedule can leave you feeling tired during the day.  So, try to adjust your sleep regularity first.

• Pick one wake time and hold it, even on weekends. A stable wake time is one of the strongest determinants of daytime energy – more so than trying to sleep a perfect number of hours. Then you can try to gradually move bedtime earlier if needed.
• Get outside for natural light in the morning within an hour of waking. Morning light exposure helps anchor your circadian rhythm and reinforces the natural cortisol rise that gets you going.
• Dim the lights in the evening. An hour or two of lower, warmer light before bed helps melatonin do its job and makes falling asleep easier.
• Create a relaxing wind down routine. Even 15-30 minutes of something calm and consistent (reading, stretching, a warm shower) signals to your body that the day is closing.
• Limit caffeine after 3PM.

2.Build Meals with Foods that give you Energy

Between vacations, irregular meals, and days built around whatever sounds good in the moment, your gut doesn’t get the variety it needs to thrive.  So, as you ease back into routine you need to give your gut that extra support.

• Rebuild a consistent eating rhythm. Avoid skipping meals. Anchoring 2-3 regular mealtimes helps regulate hunger hormones and energy levels.
• Front load protein and fiber at breakfast. This can help sustain morning energy and fewer mid-morning crashes.
• Pair carbohydrates with protein – Protein slows down how fast your body takes in sugar from carbs preventing blood sugar spikes. Try adding peanut butter to apple or eat fruit with yogurt.
• Fill half your plate with vegetables – Vegetables are rich in fiber and support digestive health as well as healthy blood sugar regulation. Start by adding one more serving of vegetables to at least one meal every day.

Examples of a balanced plate:

Tofu, fish or chicken with roasted vegetables and brown rice

Lentil and vegetable soup with wholegrain bread

Salad with chickpeas, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains

3.Bring Movement Back into the Routine

Summer can produce extremes – being very active on vacation or becoming less active due to heat and disrupted routines.  Exercise is one of the fastest ways to generate energy and it is also a cue that helps reset your internal clock.  But as you return to your regular schedule, resist the urge to suddenly commit to an intense exercise program.  Instead, try to build consistency first.

• Start with a daily walk. Even 10-15 minutes can help, any time of day, whatever works best for you.  Different times of day have different benefits.  A morning walk can help reset your circadian rhythm.  A 10-minute walk after dinner supports energy stability and can ease blood sugar spikes.
• Then add one strength session a week or two short sessions if that is more realistic. This supports muscle mass, strength, bone health and physical function.
• Pick one physical activity that felt good over the summer and try to repeat it during the weekend. It can be a hike, a bike ride, swimming, pickleball – carry it with you going forward rather than starting a new gym routine from scratch.  Enjoying it and having it easily fit into your schedule is more important than intensity.

4.Keep up with Hydration

Once the summer heat fades, staying hydrated often gets overlooked.  Even mild dehydration can drain your energy.

Few simple tips that help stay hydrated:

• Keep water readily available. Carry a water bottle with you when you are out.
• Choose water or unsweetened beverages.
• Eat water-rich fruits.
• Pay attention to your body’s thirst signals.

5.Build in Recovery and Stress Resilience Before your Calendar Fills up

The transition from summer to fall brings with it a packed calendar: work, school and appointments.   Try not to wait until you are overwhelmed to address stress as it becomes more difficult to create a space for yourself when you are under stress.

Instead build your recovery into your day.

• Schedule your downtime. If it is not on your calendar, it may be the first to be overlooked when things get busy.
• Be mindful of building in brief daily resets. Spend 5 minutes taking slow, intentional breaths, sitting outside, stretching, listening to calming music, journaling or taking a short walk without your phone. Quiet time between tasks helps regulate the stress response over the course of the day.
• Try to make your decisions in batches. Planning meals and workouts a few days at a time reduces daily decision fatigue, which itself drains energy.
• Say no to one thing. As routines build, consciously choose not to fill up every slot on your schedule.  Protect some unstructured time and use it as a time to reset.

The goal isn’t to eliminate stress but to improve your ability to respond to it.

6.Reconnect with People Who Help You Thrive

Summer may have included plenty of built-in social activities like barbecues, trips, longer evenings outside.  Once they fade away due to the busy schedule, social connections can get overlooked.  Meaningful relationships are an important part of overall well-being.  Try to think about who makes you feel supported and energized and try to reconnect with them.

• Put one recurring social touchpoint on the calendar. It can be a weekly walk with a friend, coffee or tea with someone you enjoy, a family dinner, a weekly call with someone who lives far away or a class with a friend.  It could be a regular group activity or time volunteering in your community.
• Make your movement habit with someone else. Pairing exercise with connection – a walk with a friend, a fall sports league – makes it easier to sustain.

Don’t leave connection to chance.  Put it on the calendar.

7.Design Your Environment to Make Healthy Choices Easier

Motivation and ability are important for resetting behaviors, but your environment may be the most important factor.

• If you want to eat more vegetables, make them visible and easily accessible.
• Keep your healthy snack on the counter or visible as soon as you open your refrigerator.
• If you are too busy to cook every night, try batch cooking.
• If going to the grocery store cuts into your schedule, think in categories when you grocery shop and stock up on convenient healthy options like frozen vegetables, canned beans, whole grains, fruit, nuts, plain low fat yogurt, hummus, tofu and eggs.
• If you want to walk in the morning, put your walking shoes by the door.
• If you want to sleep earlier, create a consistent bedtime routine.

When you are busy and tired, you are more likely to choose whatever is easiest, so try to create an environment that makes healthy choices easier.

You Don’t Need to Reset Everything at Once

Trying to change everything simultaneously can be overwhelming.  Instead, try to pick one or two high-impact behaviors and build on it.

If you are not sure where to start, try the following sequence:

Week 1 – Pick your wake time. Get morning light and a short morning walk or walk after dinner.  Fuel up with a nourishing breakfast.

Week 2 – Add one evening wind-down habit and dim the lights before bed. Include vegetables with meals.

Week 3 – Layer in a weekly strength session and one recurring social touchpoint. Be mindful of hydration.

Week 4 – Add on 5-10 minutes of scheduled downtime.

Think about “What made me feel better” and then keep that habit.

Being healthy and making the healthy choices does not require perfection.  It is created by what you do most of the time as well your ability to return to them when life gets off track.  That is a central principle of lifestyle medicine.  Rather than focusing on quick fixes, we look at the everyday behaviors and environments that influence health over time.   It is not a reset you do once, but a rhythm you build and carry with you into the fall and every season after and help you be your best self.

This content is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.

Sources:

Barriers and Facilitators to Diet, Physical Activity and Lifestyle Behavior Intervention Adherence: A Qualitative Systematic Review of the Literature.

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021. Zilioli S, Jiang Y.

Behnaz Atree, MD

Dr. Behnaz Atree has been a practicing Primary Care physician in Raleigh, NC, for over 20 years. Dr. Atree has become certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2022 as well as Health and Wellness Coaching in 2023. She is excited to integrate her experience in Internal Medicine with her training in Lifestyle Medicine and Health Coaching to provide evidence-based, therapeutic lifestyle interventions through Carolina Lifestyle Medicine.

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