Small Changes That Can Make a Big Difference
September always feels like a fresh start.
Summer is coming to an end, the schools are back, holidays are over and suddenly we’re all trying to get back into some kind of normal routine.
But I don’t think a reset has to mean completely changing your life.
One of my favourite books is Atomic Habits by James Clear, and one of the ideas from it that has always stayed with me is just how powerful one small change can become when you repeat it consistently over time.
We often think we need to make huge changes to see a difference, but usually it’s the small things we actually manage to keep doing that have the biggest impact.
And I think September is the perfect time to think about that.
Rather than creating an enormous list of things you’re going to change, choose a few small habits that make you feel better and fit naturally into your life.
Sometimes it can be as simple as making time for a cup of tea.
Start Your Morning Well
Getting back into a morning routine after the summer can be difficult.
Instead of trying to completely reinvent your mornings, start with something small.
Give yourself even ten minutes before the day gets really busy. Have breakfast, make your tea, write down what you need to do that day or simply sit and enjoy a few quiet minutes.
That ten minutes might not seem significant, but when it becomes part of your everyday routine, it can completely change how you start your day.
Our Chi Fit Original Tea Blend was created as our daytime blend and contains ten natural ingredients.
Green tea is the base of the blend, but when I originally created Chi Fit, I actually didn’t like the taste of green tea!
I knew how popular green tea was, but I wanted to create something I would genuinely look forward to drinking. So I blended it with mint for freshness, rose petals for a touch of sweetness, along with oolong, pu’erh and our other teas to create a much fresher, more enjoyable flavour.
It’s lovely first thing in the morning or throughout the day, and you don’t need to add milk or sugar.
A cup of tea might seem like a tiny part of your routine — but that is really the point. The best habits are often the ones that are easy to repeat.
Get Moving Again
If your exercise routine disappeared a little over the summer, don’t worry.
You don’t have to suddenly decide you’re going to exercise every single day.
Start with something manageable.
Go for a walk. Get back to the gym once or twice. Take the stairs. Get outside at lunchtime. Park a little further away.
Again, think small and think consistent.
A twenty-minute walk you actually do regularly is far more valuable than an ambitious exercise plan that lasts for a week.
And even a short walk is a great opportunity to get away from your phone or laptop and clear your head for a while.
Make Time to Slow Down
One of the biggest things I notice when September comes around is how quickly everything gets busy again.
Work, school, activities, appointments and everyday life all start competing for our time.
That makes it even more important to create little moments in the day where you consciously slow things down.
Our Chi Fit Calm Tea Blend was created with exactly this in mind.
I’m not a huge fan of the strong taste of chamomile on its own, so just like I did with green tea in our Original Blend, I wanted to create something that tasted genuinely delicious as well.
Calm contains mint and rose petals alongside chamomile, rooibos, hibiscus, jasmine, lavender, lily and Flower of Silk Tree to create a beautifully balanced flavour.
Making a cup of tea, putting your phone down and giving yourself ten minutes might sound simple.
It is simple.
But when you repeat those little rituals, they become part of how you look after yourself.
Get Back Into a Good Evening Routine
Sleep routines can easily change during the summer when the evenings are brighter, holidays change our schedules and everyone tends to stay up a little later.
September is a lovely time to gradually get back into a better evening routine.
Try going to bed at roughly the same time each night. Put your phone away a little earlier. Turn the television off. Read for ten minutes. Or create a small ritual that tells your brain the busy part of the day is finished.
Our Chi Fit Sleep Tea Blend is one of those rituals for me.
It contains mint, rose petals, chamomile, hibiscus, lavender, jasmine and valerian root amongst its ingredients, carefully blended to give it a lovely balanced taste.
I love the idea of making your cup of Sleep Tea the little signal that the day is done.
Kettle on. Phone down. Day finished.
Sometimes a habit really can be that simple.
Don't Try to Change Everything at Once
This is probably the most important part of any September reset.
There can be a temptation at this time of year to decide that from Monday we’re going to get organised, eat perfectly, exercise every day, drink litres of water, sleep eight hours and somehow completely transform our lives.
We really don’t need to.
Choose two or three small things you would genuinely like to do more consistently and start there.
It could simply be:
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Having breakfast every morning
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Drinking more water
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Getting outside for a walk
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Taking ten minutes away from your phone
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Going to bed a little earlier
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Preparing something the night before to make your morning easier
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Making time to sit down and actually enjoy your tea
None of these things sound life-changing on their own.
But that’s what I love about the idea behind Atomic Habits.
One small positive change, repeated consistently, can become something much bigger over time.
Keep Your Reset Simple
At Chi Fit, we’ve always believed that health and wellbeing should fit into everyday life rather than make it more complicated.
That philosophy is part of why I created our teas in the first place.
Our Original, Calm and Sleep blends have each been created for a different part of your day, using premium quality ingredients carefully blended together to taste delicious.
They’re not about transforming your life overnight.
They’re about creating those lovely little rituals that are easy to enjoy and easy to repeat.
So if September feels like the right time for a reset, don’t put pressure on yourself to change everything.
Pick one thing.
Start small.
Keep doing it.
And see where that one little change takes you.
Here’s to a happy and healthy autumn!
love Ros xxx
Dr Rosalind Beere
Founder and CEO of Chi Fit