Autumn Reset: How to Support Your Body as We Move Into the Colder Months

There’s something about September that always makes me feel ready for a bit of a reset.

I absolutely love summer and everything involved in it, but by the time September comes, I’m usually ready for a little more routine.

I hear the same thing from many of my clients too. They’re tired, feeling a little run down, their sleep has gone out of the window and suddenly the children are back at school, work gets busier and the first round of seasonal bugs start to appear.

It can be tempting to think we need to compensate with a strict diet or a dramatic detox, but I really don’t think we do. For me, an autumn reset is much more about coming back to the foundations that help us feel well like nourishing our bodies properly, getting back into a good sleep routine and supporting areas such as our gut, immune system, liver and general defences.

That thinking is exactly what went into our Autumn Reset & Resilience Bundle. Rather than throwing lots of supplements together under the label of autumn immunity, I wanted each product to have a genuine reason for being there.

Feeling run down? Start with your immune foundations

One of my biggest autumn health tips is not to wait until you’re already feeling under the weather before you start thinking about your immune system. 

We’re all guilty of it, someone in the house gets a cold and suddenly we’re reaching for the vitamin C! But our immune system doesn’t work in isolation, sleep, stress, nutritional balance and gut health all play a part.

This is where Defence by YourGut comes in.

Defence contains 10 billion CFU of beneficial bacteria with key nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc, which all have recognised roles in normal immune function. It also contains beta glucans, reishi, elderberry, NAC, ginger and black seed.

One of the things I love most about Defence is how it brings gut health and immune function together rather than treating them as two completely separate things. The gut plays such an important role in our immune health, and for me, it makes sense to support both when we're thinking about building those foundations for the months ahead.

It’s why this is the time of year I naturally start thinking about adding something like Defence into my routine, giving both the gut and immune system that extra bit of support as we head into the colder months.

Thinking about a post summer detox? Think liver support instead

If you’ve ever reached September and thought, right, I need a detox after summer, then you’ll be with the thousands of others thinking the exact same thing! But I’d encourage you to think about it slightly differently.

Your body already has incredibly sophisticated systems responsible for processing and eliminating substances it doesn’t need, with your liver playing a key role. You don’t need to “cleanse” it because you enjoyed your holiday.

However, there are plenty of sensible ways we can think about how to improve liver health, from reducing excessive alcohol intake and eating a nourishing diet to supporting it nutritionally. After a summer of meals out, travelling and changes to our usual routines, this feels like a really natural time to bring our attention back to liver health, which is why I chose Milk Thistle Bioactive by Natroceutics.

Milk thistle has been used traditionally for liver health for centuries, but the quality and delivery of a supplement matters too. Natroceutics combines full spectrum silymarin with Siliphos®, a more bioavailable form of silybin, making this a really lovely addition when we’re thinking about supporting the liver and the body’s natural processes after a busy summer. 

For me, that's a much healthier way of approaching an autumn reset. No punishment or restriction, just getting back to the things that support your body every day.

What are the benefits of glutathione?

This is probably the part where I could very easily lose you in nutritional science, so I promise I won’t!

Glutathione is one of the body's own important antioxidants and plays a role in protecting cells against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress sounds complicated, but I tend to think about it as part of the everyday wear and tear our cells are continually exposed to.

Glutathione SOD Advanced by Natroceutics combines glutathione with SOD (superoxide dismutase), another antioxidant enzyme. I think this is an area we sometimes overlook because cellular health isn't something we necessarily feel in the way we notice being exhausted or catching every bug going.

Something else I often hear people talk about with glutathione is glowing skin, something I like to call the glutathione glow. I like to think about it as supporting us at a cellular level and helping you glow and thrive literally from the inside out.

So, when I'm thinking about long term health and resilience, supporting the body's own antioxidant defences absolutely has its place. 

And then there’s sleep…

I could give you the most beautifully thought out supplement routine in the world, but if you're consistently getting five hours of sleep and dragging yourself through the day, we're missing a pretty essential part of the picture. 

Which is why, for the final product in the bundle, I chose APIMILE by Natroceutics. 

APIMILE contains a standardised chamomile derived source of apigenin, a natural compound found in chamomile that you may have already come across when looking at apigenin for sleep. 

Apigenin has become popular with people using it to support relaxation, winding down and better quality sleep. For me, it’s not just about getting to sleep either, it’s about supporting that deeper sense of relaxation that can sometimes be so difficult to switch into after a busy day.

And I have to say, from the feedback I’ve had from clients and even my own personal experience, APIMILE quickly became a regular part of my evening routine.

However, I’m in no way suggesting that you rely on a supplement alone, as I also think the ritual around our evening supplements is just as valuable. Dim the lights, put your phone away, make a herbal tea, read a few pages of a book, or whatever it is that helps you relax a little. 

It sounds so simple, but having those little signals that tell your body we're winding down now can completely change the feel of an evening.

You don’t need to undo your summer

Please don't reach September feeling as though you need to undo the fun you had over summer.

You don't need to restrict all food and enjoyment, you don't need a juice cleanse, and you don't need to suddenly overhaul your entire life. Instead, think about what you can start adding back in.

More nourishing meals, more colourful plants, enough protein, plenty of water, regular movement, time outside, earlier nights, and nutritional support where it's appropriate for you. It’s these small things, done consistently, where you’ll really start to see and feel the change.

For me, autumn isn't about starting again. It's about coming back to the habits that help you feel your best, and supporting those foundations now so you can head into the colder months feeling nourished, supported and ready for the season ahead.