Stop Fighting Fall (And Start Actually Enjoying It)

October 23, 2025By Stephanie Valentine

Why your body wants to slow down, what to eat when it's cold and grey, and the truth about Halloween candy

October 23, 2025
Reading time: 6 minutes

It's 5pm on a Tuesday in late October.

The sun is already setting. There's a chill in the air that wasn't there yesterday. You're exhausted in a way that feels different from summer tiredness—deeper, heavier, like your bones are asking you to just stop.

And instead of listening, you're fighting it.

You're trying to maintain your summer energy, your summer schedule, your summer portion sizes and salads. You're pushing through when your body is literally begging you to slow down.

What if I told you the exhaustion isn't a problem to fix? It's information to listen to.

Your body isn't broken. It's responding exactly as it should to shorter days, cooler temperatures, and the natural rhythm of fall.

The question isn't how to fight it. It's how to embrace fall wellness and lean in.

Blue Jays World Series: Why Community Matters for Your Wellness

Before we dive into fall wellness, I need to talk about what happened Monday night.

The Blue Jays are going to the World Series.

For the first time in 32 years. Game 1 is tomorrow night.

If you're reading this and wondering why I'm mentioning baseball in a wellness newsletter—stick with me. This matters.

Whether you're a die-hard fan (like me, if you haven't guessed) or someone who barely knows the rules, there's something special about rallying behind your team. The collective energy. The shared hope. The sense of being part of something bigger than yourself.

That's not just fun. It's good for you.

Community and connection matter for your health. There's actual science behind this. When you're part of something bigger than yourself—when you rally behind a team, celebrate together, experience collective joy—your body responds. Your stress hormones decrease. Your sense of belonging increases. Your mental health improves.

Loneliness and isolation are literal health risks. Connection and community are protective factors.

So when the Blue Jays make it to the World Series after 32 years, and an entire city and country comes together? That's wellness.

Make it fun:

Create the atmosphere: Eat on the floor, sprawl around the coffee table, break your usual routine
Make stovetop popcorn with sea salt and your favourite seasonings—festive, crunchy, and actually nourishing
Mix up celebratory mocktails that feel special
Build-your-own taco bar or a big platter of veggies with hummus and guacamole—interactive, shareable, and way better than feeling sluggish by the third inning

This is what showing up for your community looks like. Enjoy it.

Now, back to fall.

Why Fall Wellness Starts with Understanding Your Body

Let's start with some biology.

As days get shorter and temperatures drop, your body responds. This isn't laziness or a lack of willpower—this is your circadian rhythm, your metabolism, and your hormones doing exactly what they're designed to do.

What's happening inside your body:

1. Less daylight = less serotonin
Sunlight triggers serotonin production (your mood-regulating neurotransmitter). Shorter days mean less exposure, which is why so many people feel a little lower, a little more tired, in fall and winter.

2. Your melatonin shifts
With darkness coming earlier, your body starts producing melatonin (your sleep hormone) earlier in the evening. That 5pm "I just want to curl up under a blanket" feeling? That's not weakness. That's melatonin.

3. Your metabolism naturally wants to slow down
For thousands of years, humans survived winter by conserving energy and eating heartier foods. Your body still carries that programming. It wants more calories, more warming foods, more rest.

4. Your appetite changes
You're not imagining it—you genuinely crave different foods in fall. Your body wants root vegetables, soups, stews, warming spices. It wants fat and protein to keep you warm and satisfied.

This isn't a problem to overcome. It's your body being incredibly smart.

The issue is that modern life tells you to ignore all of this. To maintain the same pace year-round. To eat the same salads in October that you ate in July. To fight your body's natural wisdom.

And that fight? That's what's exhausting you.

What Leaning In Actually Looks Like

Leaning into fall doesn't mean giving up on wellness or "letting yourself go." It means working with your body instead of against it.

In practice, this looks like:

Eating heartier foods without guilt.
Your body wants soup, stew, roasted vegetables, warming grains. Give it what it's asking for. This isn't indulgence—it's nourishment.

Going to bed earlier.
If your body wants sleep at 10pm instead of 11pm, that's not lazy. That's listening. Honour it.

Moving in different ways.
Your summer outdoor routine might not work now—or maybe fall is your favourite running season and you're thriving. Either way is fine. The point is listening to what feels good, not forcing what doesn't.

Slowing your pace.
You might have less social energy. Fewer weekend plans. More quiet nights at home. That's not depression (though if it is, get support). For most of us, it's just fall.

The goal isn't to white-knuckle your way through until spring. It's to find the rhythm that actually works for this season.

Nourishing Fall Foods That Support Your Wellness

This is the season for food that feels like a hug.

Not trendy pumpkin spice lattes (though if you love them, enjoy). I'm talking about actual nourishing fall food that's been sustaining people through cooler months for centuries.

The Fall Staples:

Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy, naturally sweet, ridiculously satisfying. Make a big batch on Sunday. Eat it for lunch all week. Add a dollop of Greek yogourt for protein, some pumpkin seeds for crunch.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets. Toss with olive oil, salt, and whatever herbs you have. Roast at 425°F until caramelised. Eat them with everything.

Stuffed Peppers
Orange bell peppers (festive!) stuffed with ground turkey, quinoa, and fall spices. Cosy, satisfying, done in 30 minutes.

Warming Soups and Stews
Lentil soup. Chicken stew. Chilli. Anything that simmers on the stove and fills your house with the smell of comfort.

The Spice Cabinet Secret
Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom—these aren't just for flavour. They help stabilise blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and literally warm you from the inside out. Use them generously.

What to drink:
Bone broth. Herbal tea with honey. Hot water with lemon and ginger. Golden milk (turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, warm milk). Things that warm your hands while you drink them.

The beauty of fall eating is that the foods your body craves are also the foods that support it. Your intuition isn't broken—it's brilliant.

Halloween Candy Season: A Guilt-Free Approach

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Halloween candy season.

Whether you're handing out candy, raiding the discount bins on November 1st, or just trying to survive your office's candy bowl—late October brings sugar temptation.

Here's the truth: You're probably going to eat some candy. And that's fine.

The goal isn't perfection. It's feeling good in your body and not spiralling into guilt and shame every time you have a mini Snickers.

The Candy Season Strategy:

Before the sugar: Eat actual food first.
A handful of mini chocolate bars hits completely differently when you're already full versus when you're starving at 3pm. Protein, fat, fibre—eat your meal or snack first. Then decide if you actually want the candy.

The pairing trick:
If you're having candy, pair it with protein or fibre. A few pieces of chocolate with almonds. Apple slices with a couple of fun-size candy bars. It creates a totally different blood sugar experience than candy alone.

The honest conversation with yourself:
Are you eating the candy because you genuinely want it and it tastes good? Or are you eating it because it's there, you're bored, you're stressed, or you're trying to numb something?

There's no wrong answer. But awareness helps.

The day-after reality:
One night (or week) of more sugar than usual doesn't derail anything. It's the daily habits that matter—not the occasional party, celebration, or Halloween binge.

Just get back to your normal routine. No drama. No guilt. No "I ruined everything so I might as well keep going."

One day doesn't define you. The pattern does.

Fall Exercise Ideas: Movement for Unpredictable Weather

Some days in fall are perfect. Crisp, golden, made for long walks where you actually notice the leaves changing.

Other days? Grey, drizzly, cold in a way that makes you want to stay under a blanket forever.

The key is matching your movement to the weather and your mood instead of forcing yourself to do the same thing every day.

For beautiful days:

Walk around your neighbourhood and actually pay attention to the season
Take your coffee outside and stretch in the fresh air
Rake leaves (yes, that counts)
Play with your dog, your kids, yourself

For grey, drizzly days:

Put on music while you clean the kitchen—suddenly scrubbing counters feels less like a chore
Carry all the groceries in one trip (you know you do it anyway, might as well count it)
Rearrange furniture, organise a closet, vacuum with purpose—housework is movement
Dance in your living room like nobody's watching (because they're not)

The music effect:
Everything hits different with the right playlist. Folding laundry, doing dishes, putting away groceries—add music and suddenly you're moving your body AND getting stuff done.

Movement doesn't have to be "exercise." It doesn't have to be structured or tracked or Instagram-worthy.

It just has to feel good and get you out of your head for 10 minutes.

This week's challenge: Move for 10 minutes daily. Match your movement to the weather and your mood. Some days that's a walk. Other days it's cleaning your house with Lizzo on full volume.

The Permission You're Waiting For

Here's what I want you to know:

You have permission to slow down.

You have permission to eat heartier foods without labelling them as "bad."

You have permission to go to bed earlier, say no to more plans, and honour what your body is actually asking for.

You have permission to stop fighting fall and start working with it.

This isn't giving up on wellness. This is understanding wellness.

Wellness isn't maintaining the same pace, the same foods, the same schedule year-round regardless of what your body needs. That's not health—that's rigidity.

Real wellness is tuning in. Listening. Adjusting based on what season you're in—both literally and metaphorically.

Fall is asking you to slow down, get cosy, nourish yourself deeply.

What if you just said yes?

What This Actually Looks Like in Real Life

I'm 56 years old. I've spent decades learning to listen to my body instead of fighting it.

In fall, I go to bed around 10:30pm because that's when my body wants sleep. I don't fight it or call myself old—I just honour it.

I eat more soup. More roasted vegetables. More warming foods. Not because I "should," but because they make me feel good.

I move my body because of how it makes me feel—not to burn calories or meet a step goal. Some days that's a walk. Other days it's dancing in the kitchen while I cook dinner.

I let myself have Halloween candy. I don't spiral. I don't restrict the next day. I just get back to my normal habits and move on.

I spend more time in nature paying attention to what's beautiful right now—the changing leaves, the crisp air, the way light hits differently in October.

This is what it looks like to work with your body instead of against it.

And it feels like coming home.

Your Fall Self-Care Action Plan

If you're reading this and thinking "okay, but where do I actually start?"—here's your simple action plan:

This week:

Make one fall recipe that sounds good to you. Soup, stew, roasted vegetables—something that feels nourishing and warming.
Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual. See what happens.
Move for 10 minutes in whatever way matches your mood and the weather.
Notice one beautiful thing about fall every day. The leaves. The air. The light. Train your brain to look for what's good.
If you eat Halloween candy, enjoy it without guilt. Then get back to normal the next day.

That's it. You don't have to overhaul your entire life. Just start embracing seasonal wellness instead of fighting it.

Your body has been waiting for you to listen.

Share this post: Help someone else stop fighting fall and start enjoying it.

What's your favourite thing about fall? How are you leaning into the season? Leave a comment below or email me—I love hearing your real-life strategies.

About Stephanie Valentine: Holistic nutritionist, clinical hypnotist, and mental health wellness coach helping women embrace seasonal wellness and tune into their body's wisdom. Based in Ontario, Canada.

Keywords: fall wellness, autumn self-care, seasonal wellness tips, fall nutrition, healthy fall habits, Halloween candy strategy, fall exercise ideas, seasonal eating, holistic health, wellness coaching