Why Your Healthy Habits Change with the Seasons (and How to Adapt)

Healthy habits often fall apart when the seasons change not because you lack willpower, but because your food preferences, energy, mood, and routines shift with weather and daylight, and the solution is to plan for those changes

TL;DR: Why Your Habits Change with the Seasons

• It’s not you. it’s the change of the season. Shifts in weather, daylight, and hormones change cravings, energy, and routines.
• Expect resistance. Dips in motivation are normal and predictable, not signs of failure.
• Plan with the forecast. Save seasonal recipes and have indoor/outdoor movement options ready.
• Flex beats force. Rigid rules break; flexible habits bend and keep you consistent.
• Health is year-round. You can feel good in every season by preparing for what’s coming, not reacting after the fact.

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Why Your Habits Always Feel Like They’re Falling Apart

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You’re crushing it in the summer. You walk most evenings. You’re eating peaches so juicy you need a paper towel bib. And you’re actually sleeping better because the days feel long and full.

And you start thinking, “Oh my god, maybe I’ve finally figured it out. Maybe this time it’s going to stick.”

Then the season changes.

One day you wake up, and suddenly it’s dark before dinner. That crisp salad you loved in July? Now it feels like you’re gnawing on wet cardboard in a sweater. Instead of lacing up for your walk, you’re staring at the couch like it’s your long-lost lover. You crave bread. Stew. A blanket. You swear you’ve lost your motivation overnight.

And here’s the part that stings:
You immediately blame yourself.

You think:

• “I’m lazy.”
• “I’ll never stick with anything.”
• “What is wrong with me? Other women seem to figure this out.”

But what if the problem isn’t you at all?

The Problem Beneath the Problem

Here’s what I know: midlife women are experts at blaming ourselves. We think every dip in motivation is proof we’re broken, lazy, or weak.

I used to do it too. Back when I lived in Austin, I remember one fall night, standing in front of the fridge, shivering in my socks (back when I wore shoes that covered my toes) trying to figure out dinner. I thought, “What did we even eat last year when it got cold?” and I couldn’t remember. I stared at the lettuce wilting in the crisper drawer and felt like a failure because the thought of another salad made me want to scream.

That’s when I realized something:
My habits weren’t broken.
They were seasonal.

In summer, grilled chicken and salads felt easy. In winter, I wanted soup and carbs. My energy shifted. My sleep changed. Even how my jeans fit felt different.

But because no one ever told me that’s normal, I made it mean something about me. That I was undisciplined. That I couldn’t stick to healthy routines.

Sound familiar?

The Deeper Truth

Here’s what I need you to hear: you are not broken.
The external problem is that your habits don’t stick.
The internal problem is that you think you’re lazy or undisciplined.
But the philosophical problem (the real crime) is that women have been trained to think health only “counts” if it feels like punishment.

That we’re supposed to white-knuckle our way through kale salads in January like martyrs.

It’s absurd. And it’s why so many of us feel like failures when the weather changes.

You deserve habits that support you. Not habits that shame you.

And that’s exactly what I want to show you how to do.

I’ve Been There Too

Look, I don’t come to you as some perfect wellness robot who never struggles. I come to you as a 56-year-old woman who has had plenty of “what the hell is wrong with me?” moments in front of the fridge.

When I moved from Austin to Mexico, I lost all sense of seasons. December looked exactly like July. Shorts, sandals, mangoes in January. At first, it was great. No coats. No ice scraping. No socks (seriously, I barely own socks anymore).

But without seasons, I lost my rhythm. Back in Austin, the weather cued me – lighter foods in summer, cozy meals in winter, more walks when the days were long, more couch time when it got dark. But in Mexico, every day looked the same, and I realized how much I’d been relying on seasons to structure my habits without even knowing it.

And here’s why I’m telling you this:
It’s not because I want you to move to the tropics (though, hey, it’s not bad). It’s because I want you to see that I’ve lived both sides. I’ve felt the “why can’t I just stick with this?” shame spiral. And I’ve coached dozens of women through the exact same thing.

So when I say: “Your habits aren’t broken, they’re seasonal,” I’m not giving you a cute slogan. I’m giving you the truth I wish someone had told me years ago.

Why You Can Take It from Me

I’ve spent years helping midlife women untangle themselves from the nonsense of diet culture. No calorie-counting spreadsheets. No shame when your body wants chili instead of salad. No “just try harder” advice.

Instead, I help women build habits that flex with the seasons, both the seasons outside (hello, winter cravings) and the seasons of your life (perimenopause, empty nest, retirement, you name it).

I get what it’s like to be exhausted from trying. To want to feel at home in your body again. To crave some dang consistency.

And I can show you how to get there without fighting yourself.

A Simple 3-Step Plan (You Can Try This Week)

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to overhaul your whole life to make your habits last longer than a carton of summer berries. You just need to plan for the season you’re actually in.

Here’s how to start:

1. Notice the Pattern

Grab a notebook (or the Notes app on your phone, I’m not picky). Write down how you feel right now:

• What foods sound good?
• What workouts feel doable?
• How’s your energy and mood?

Then look back. Last season, what changed? Did your sleep get weird? Did you start craving heavier foods? Did walks feel harder? Spotting the pattern is the first step to not getting blindsided again.

2. Plan for the Dip

This one’s sneaky. We always assume our current motivation will last forever. (but guess what: it won’t.) So instead of being shocked when you don’t feel like cooking, expect it.

Pick a couple “bare-minimum” options now, while you’re thinking clearly:

• The 15-minute dinner you’ll make when you want to quit.
• The 10-minute YouTube workout you’ll do when walking feels impossible.
• The script you’ll use when your brain says, “What’s the point?” (Mine is: “I will be so grateful to myself that I did it” – and it’s TRUE!)

3. Pivot With the Season

Here’s where the magic happens. Instead of trying to force summer habits into winter, pivot.

• Love big salads in July? Great. In January, switch to roasted veggies or soup.
• Walking your dog after dinner in summer? Perfect. In winter, walk at lunch or swap in an indoor stretch.
• Morning workouts feel good now? In darker months, maybe evenings work better.

Think of it like swapping your wardrobe. You don’t wear flip-flops in the snow – so why would you try to keep the exact same habits going all year long?

Bottom line:
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing differently – and that’s what keeps you consistent.

Want a deeper dive? Listen to the full podcast episode here:
Episode 238: Changing Seasons and Habits

total health in midlife podcast

Want More?

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to figure this out alone, and you don’t need another strict plan that falls apart the minute life shifts. You just need tools that actually work with your real life, not against it.

If this clicked for you, I’ve got two easy next steps:

Listen to the full podcast episode: Episode 238 Total Health in Midlife: Changing Seasons and Habits. I walk you through why this happens, what to watch for, and how to make your health feel less like a start–stop project and more like a steady rhythm.

Download my free guide: The 8 Basic Habits Healthy People Do. This checklist will give you the foundation you need to stay steady through every season — so your habits stop depending on perfect weather (or perfect willpower).

Pick whichever one feels like the right next step today. Or do both if you’re feeling ambitious. Either way, you’ll be moving toward habits that actually last.

Imagine What Success Could Look Like

Picture this: it’s mid-February. It’s gray, cold, and your neighbor is already talking about their trip to Florida. Normally, this is when you’d be face-first in a loaf of banana bread, wondering why you can’t “stick with it.”

But this time, you’re calm. You’ve got your cozy dinners planned – soup bubbling on the stove instead of limp lettuce mocking you from the fridge. You’ve swapped your after-dinner walks for a lunchtime stretch break, so you’re still moving without forcing it. And most importantly, you’re not beating yourself up.

You trust yourself.
You know the dip is normal.
And because you planned for it, your habits keep humming along – not perfectly, but consistently.

That’s what success looks like. Not six-pack abs or eating steamed broccoli in the dark.
It’s peace.
… knowing you can handle whatever season, mood, or craving shows up.
… and building health habits that feel like support, not a second job.

And when you’ve got that? You finally get to stop starting over.

What You’ll Avoid

Let’s be real. The alternative isn’t pretty.

If you keep trying to white-knuckle summer habits through winter, you know how it goes:

• You start blaming yourself when the cravings hit.
• You feel like you’ve “fallen off the wagon.”
• You waste weeks (sometimes months) in the shame spiral before trying again.

It’s exhausting. And it’s not even true failure — it’s just unplanned resistance.

When you learn to expect the dip and pivot with the season, you skip the self-blame. You stop restarting from scratch every spring. And you get off the exhausting loop of “all in / all out” that’s been running your health for years.

How to Build Seasonal Flexibility Into Your Habits

If you want your routines to actually last (not just until the next weather change) here’s a simple, five-step process you can start today.

1. Save Recipes by Season

Don’t rely on memory (because no one remembers what they ate last January).

• Make a folder in your Notes app or recipe app.
• Label them “Summer Lunches,” “Winter Comfort Dinners,” “Quick Meals When I’m Tired.”
• Each time you make something that works, drop it in.

Future you will thank you.

2. Build a Movement Menu

Think of it as your workout wardrobe: indoor and outdoor options.

• Outdoor walks, bike rides, or hikes for warmer weather.
• Indoor yoga, treadmill, YouTube classes, or even hallway laps for colder/darker days.
  Having choices makes it easier to pivot instead of quit.

3. Expect the Dip

Write down your “bare-minimum” backup plans now.

• 15-minute dinner (hello, quesadillas).
• 10-minute workout (stretch, dance in the kitchen, whatever).
• A phrase you’ll use when your brain says, “I don’t feel like it” (mine is: “Do the smaller version.”).

When resistance shows up, you’ll be ready.

4. Match Self-Care to Energy and Daylight

Notice how your energy shifts with shorter or longer days.

• In darker months, move harder in the morning, rest more at night.
• In brighter months, use the extra daylight for evening walks or outdoor time.
  Your body isn’t broken — it’s just responding to light and temperature.

5. Reset Each Season

Put a reminder on your calendar for the start of each season.
Ask yourself:

• What’s working right now?
• What feels harder than it used to?
• What small pivot would make this easier?

That 10-minute seasonal check-in will keep your habits going strong all year.

If you’re ready for a foundation that works in every season, grab my free 8 Basic Habits Guide & Checklist. It’s simple, doable, and doesn’t depend on perfect motivation.

FAQ: Seasonal Habits and Midlife Health

This is where support helps. If you want guidance tailored to your life, learn more about working with me with the Total Health Solution

Sources

1. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — Seasonal Affective Disorder (2023).
   Explains how changes in daylight affect mood, energy, and behavior, which can influence habits across seasons.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Benefits of Eating Seasonally (2022).
   Highlights how seasonal produce supports nutrition, affordability, and variety, reinforcing the idea of aligning meals with the seasons.
3. Harvard Health Publishing — Why Willpower Is Overrated: How to Actually Change Your Habits (2020).
   Shows that successful habit change relies on systems and environment, not raw willpower — supporting the “flex beats force” message.
4. American Psychological Association (APA) — The Power of Habit and the Think-Feel-Act Cycle (2019).
   Describes how thoughts influence feelings and behaviors, which explains why expecting resistance helps reduce shame and self-blame.
5. World Health Organization (WHO) — Healthy Aging and Lifestyle Factors (2021).
   Stresses that sustainable lifestyle habits — tailored to the realities of midlife — improve quality of life long-term, not quick fixes or strict plans.

Internal Links (ElizabethSherman.com)

1. Podcast Episode #238: Changing Seasons and Habits
   https://elizabethsherman.com/238
   Direct link to the full episode this blog is based on.
2. 8 Basic Habits Guide & Checklist
   https://elizabethsherman.com/habits
   Free resource for readers who want a starting foundation.
3. Beyond Overeating Program Page
   https://elizabethsherman.com/beyond-overeating
   For women struggling with emotional eating and inconsistency.
4. Total Health Solution Coaching Page
   https://elizabethsherman.com/total-health-solution
   Premium 1:1 program for women ready for whole-person transformation.
5. Podcast Archive
   https://elizabethsherman.com/podcast
   Keeps readers in your ecosystem exploring related episodes.

You’re not lazy, and there’s nothing wrong with you. Your habits just need to flex with your life. Start by listening to the podcast episode, or download the 8 Basic Habits Guide and take the first step toward habits that finally stick, no matter the season.