The September reset is here, and this time I mean it

At least that’s what I’m telling myself as autumnal air replaces the heatwaves I was using as an excuse to avoid starting an exercise regime.

Many people will try to tell you January is the perfect time to start anew. They are wrong. Who wants to work out when the sun sets at 4pm? No, the first month of the year is for surviving. If that means a two-person lasagna for one, so be it.

We are in a month of optimism, where autumn light makes one believe anything is possible. I might not be starting a new school year, but the nervous energy and burst of productivity are so deep in my bones it will never go away. Instead, I am going to channel that excitement into a new, better version of myself.

My track record is not great. This is also what I told myself in Spring, when warm breezes inspired me to take up an offer from One Day Tests for a full blood panel in another drive to sort out my life. They tested everything from my thyroid to my kidneys to get the full picture.

Since my visit to their Chelsea clinic, the words of CEO Yuri Fadeev have rattled in my head constantly: “There’s been a notion that whenever a test is needed, the NHS will get in touch and sort it out. But the NHS can’t babysit people. People have insanely unhealthy lifestyles: we don’t exercise enough, we don’t eat well, and we’re incredibly busy. Then, when something goes wrong, the expectation is: ‘I need saving now.’

“That’s not how it should work. Looking after your health and living a long, healthy life is your responsibility. And it's not, to be honest, that difficult given the basic healthy state we all start off with.”

Anyone else feeling guilty? I would say I’m generally healthy, but I also know that my diet and activity levels leave a lot to be desired. I’m in my mid-20s, with a job that keeps me at a desk most of the day and could easily be described as ‘sedentary’.

My blood test did drive some healthy changes on my part. My results showed I would probably benefit from a B12 supplement, and I started feeling more energetic once I began taking it. My Vitamin D results were also a helpful follow-on to an NHS test that found my levels were too high. These results showed I was back in the normal range, but on the lower end, so I started taking the vitamin again at a lower dose.

Did I need to know my vitamin D levels just eight hours after visiting the clinic and giving my sample? Probably not, but it was fun.

But never mind Spring! I’m on to my September reset, where I’m going to work out, eat healthy, and pack my calendar with social activities. Incremental change? I’ve never heard of her.

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Katy Ronkin is the opinion producer at LBC.

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