September’s fresh-start effect: Why starting feels so hard
September is when life gets busier with year-end deadlines, holiday plans, social gatherings, and vacations. Just thinking about everything coming up can feel overwhelming. Feeling tired and having so much to do can make exercise harder to start, even when we know how good it is for us.
New month, fresh start
I’ve always loved September—not just because it’s my birthday month but also because it feels like a new beginning. Research calls this the “fresh-start effect,” when meaningful moments can renew our motivation to pursue our goals.
And why wait for January? Over the years, I’ve seen some of my most successful clients begin or become more consistent around September and keep going even as life got busier toward the holidays. By then, they already had healthier habits in place—making it easier to handle celebrations, changing routines, and all the food around them. It’s a great time to build that foundation before the busiest months of the year.
It doesn’t matter if January to August didn’t go as planned. You don’t need the perfect exercise plan or to wait until you feel motivated. Just make it easier to start.
Why is it so hard to start?
The hardest part isn’t always the exercise itself but getting started. Before you move, you’re already thinking about the effort, how much time it will take, or how tired you feel. Then something else comes up, and “I’ll do it later” easily becomes tomorrow.
Your body needs time to shift from rest to movement as your heart rate and breathing increase. There isn’t a set 10- or 15-minute point when everything suddenly feels easier. That’s why it helps to take your time with the warm-up itself and let your body gradually adjust before deciding how much more you want to do that day.
Even after exercising regularly for most of my life, I still need those first few minutes to get into it, especially when I lack sleep or when hormonal changes affect my energy. I see the same with my most consistent clients. They aren’t always fully motivated or energized, but they show up anyway because they’ve made movement a priority.
These are strategies I’ve learned over the years and the ones that work with the people I train—drawn from exercise psychology.
1. Don’t wait until you feel capable
When we doubt what our body can do, starting feels harder. You may be thinking, “I can’t do this,” “I’m too unfit,” or “I won’t be able to finish.” This is related to self-efficacy, our belief in our ability to do something. But you don’t have to feel confident before you begin. Confidence can come from doing.
Start with something you know you can do, like a walk, a few dance moves, or 10 minutes of light bodyweight exercises. Then keep track of your progress. Mark your workout days on a calendar or keep a simple workout log. Notice how consistently you show up and what you can do now that you couldn’t before.
As you become more consistent and see yourself improving, you may find yourself wanting to do more. That’s how motivation can build along the way.
2. Change the thought, not the weather
Gloomy weather can affect our mood and motivation. You may plan to exercise, but when rain starts, staying in bed or on the couch feels more inviting.
Psychologists call this incidental affect, when the mood you’re already in— whether from weather, stress, or a difficult day—affects how you feel about exercising. But how we feel in that moment doesn’t have to decide what we do next.
This is where cognitive restructuring can help. Identify the thought that’s holding you back and change the way you look at it. Instead of thinking, “It’s gloomy. I don’t feel like exercising,” try, “I may not feel like starting, but I know I’ll feel different once I move instead of spending the day on the couch.”
I actually enjoy exercising more on gloomy days. The darker and quieter it feels outside, the more I want to move, get my heart pumping, and feel energized. I wasn’t like this before, but over time, I changed the thoughts that drained my energy. You can’t control the weather, but you can change the energy and attitude you bring into your day.
3. Make the start easy, not the exercise
Maybe it’s not the workout that stops us, but everything we have to do before it. Change clothes, get to the gym, decide what workout to do. Each extra step can make it easier to say, “I’ll do it later.” In behavioral science, these little barriers are called friction.
Remove what you can. Can’t make it to the gym? Work out at home or outdoors. Short on time? Use the time you have. Have a plan so you don’t have to think about it later. Instead of saying, “I’ll exercise tomorrow,” make it specific: “I’ll run outdoors at 6 a.m. for 20 minutes. If it rains, I’ll take my cardio indoors.”
Make the first step small. Start with five minutes of walking, your warm-up, or just the first exercise. Once you’re moving, decide what your body is ready for that day. Save your energy for the workout itself.
4. Remember how it made you feel
In exercise psychology, affective response to exercise means how exercise makes us feel. How we experience a workout and remember it afterward can influence whether we want to do it again.
Numbers like calories, exercise time, and steps can build awareness, and knowing the benefits of exercise can motivate you. But don’t forget the experience itself. Maybe it’s feeling strong while lifting weights, the people you play pickleball with, or the music and energy of an indoor cycling class. Most importantly, it can be simply feeling grateful that your body can move and you have the freedom to do it.
You don’t always have to ask, “What’s the best exercise?” Ask, “What kind of movement makes me want to come back?”
Just begin
The next time you don’t feel ready or motivated, just begin. Once you start, you give yourself the chance to discover what your body can do and what movement can bring to your life.
Keep showing up, and movement can slowly become part of who you are.
