Restart your life in autumn: 7 mid-year resolutions to make this month

Eat better, smoke less, get fitter. The September issues of magazines are full of tips on how to be your best self - although how many of us actually commit to changing our slovenly ways in autumn?

Usually, the big promises are made in January. Of course, there’s something slightly more poetic about starting the new year with a new outlook, but actually this might just be the most disastrous time to try and form new habits - you’re hungover, you have a to-do list the size of China to get through at work and you’re still mourning the end of the party season.

This is why mid-year is secretly the best time to recommit to self-improvement. As the new school calendar begins it’s a natural time of year to start a new cycle healthier habits, and in doing so, it’ll form good habits for when the juggernaut of January rolls around.

So in the spirit of reform, here are seven resolutions you might want to make this month, and some handy tips on how to stick to each of them:

1. Get fitter

Losing weight is the top resolution for Brits, and in London, we’re spoilt for brilliant ways to get fit that go far beyond treadmills and weights. While the rooftop yoga and alfresco breakfast barre classes might be closing for the season, you could try moving into the colder months with a relaxing candlelight yoga class at Triyoga - leave the high-intensity classes for a January boost. Failing that, try our pick of the best gyms in the capital to get you kicking, punching and flexing into autumn. Or if your budget is slightly more modest, there are always these handy ways to get fit for free in London.

2. Learn a new skill

You might not be going back to school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start a new term by getting stuck into a fresh set of extra-curricular projects. For crafty types, Central Saint Martins runs a calendar of short courses throughout the year ranging from illustration and graphic design to fashion design and styling. Elsewhere, the how to: Academy hosts evening talks with experts on a variety of topics and life skills - there are classes on how to design your life, how to sell products and even how to cope with anxiety.

And if you’ve been telling yourself for years that you’ll finally finish what you started during GCSE French, the Babbel app can get you on the right track to speaking with confidence. It works using integrated speech recognition, so you can dictate your garbled sentences into the app and it will correct you on your pronunciation as you learn. Perhaps not one for the packed train commute, then.

3. Eat more healthily

One of the major biggies to contest with on the yearly resolution list is improving your diet. If one too many nights have ended at the local kebab house or Chicken Cottage, don’t wait until January to get on a hardcore health kick.

Those lacking in culinary prowess shouldn’t waste their time traipsing around Whole Foods and panicking over the usefulness of spirulina and matcha powder. Leave it to the experts.

Subscribing to healthy food delivery box Mindful Chef will see a box of fresh ingredients from their West Country farm arrive on your doorstep on a weekly basis, along with either meat or plant based prep to plate recipes that can be dished up in under 30 minutes.

Autumn also sees a new list of cookbooks to line your kitchen shelves with. There’s Insta-hunk Joe Wick’s Lean in 15, YouTube and lifestyle guru Niomi Smart’s healthy eating bible Eat Smart and Deliciously Ella’s Smoothies and Juices to get stuck into.

4. Travel more

This is a tricky one, as by the time autumn rolls around, you’ve probably used up the majority of your annual leave. The solution? Make the most of the coming weekends with our guide to the best natural nirvanas in the UK - you could go stargazing on the Isle of Man or hike the Brecon Beacons. Or, if the weather holds out, make a day trip to one of the best beaches near London and soak up some of those late-summer rays.

5. Meet new people

Travel and health kicks aside, who doesn’t love meeting a new friend to put some fun back into an otherwise dull time of year? London is one of the loneliest cities in the world, so there’s no shame in making conscious steps to build up your social circle.

The Citysocializer app lets you tap into a calendar of events that are happening around the capital, and hook up with like-minded people who fancy a night out too - whether you head to a gig or a new restaurant together.

You could also try Talking to Strangers and Free Convo London. Both have meet-ups around the city, so you can have a nice conversation with a bunch of strangers who could soon be your new BFFs.

6. Fall in love

Okay, so there isn’t really an easy way to do this, but there is certainly tech that can widen the options to set you on the right path to long-term success.

But with so many out ‘Tinder-but-better’ apps out there, where do you even start?

Get to know your Hinge from your Bristlr with our run-down of the digital dating downloads to have on your smartphone. Whether you’re looking for a quick tryst or your next big relationship, these ten downloads can, at the very least, ease you into the world of tech-based courtship.

7. Get out of debt

There’s nothing more depressing than having a dark cloud of debt hanging over your head, especially in the winter. If you’ve spent your summer spending, make a plan to pay off your credit cards and overdrafts before the festive season starts.

The OnTrees Personal Finance app will let you see all of your accounts in one place, to help you better visualise how your money is going in and going out.

It also, rather soberingly, splits your spending into categories such as restaurants, groceries and household bills, so it can flag to you if an alarming amount of your money is being funnelled into Topshop sprees or your local pub.

The Debt Manager app also helps you to pay back any outstanding credit card bills off by building a reasonable repayment plan with you. You can check into the app every day to see a summary of your payment progress, and exactly how much you have left to pay off.

All you have to worry about is resisting the urge to start the inevitable Christmas self-gifting early.