5 Health Goals to Set This Fall That Will Help You Finish the Year Strong

I’m not quite sure where this year has gone, but here we are, already saying goodbye to summer.

And whether it was your healthiest summer yet, or you found it hard to get out of vacation mode, there’s nothing quite like a change in season to bring fresh motivation and sometimes, a much-needed reset.

A lot of people like to save their goal-setting and resolutions for January, but I love to do it seasonally. Because why only focus on STARTING the year strong, when you can end strong too?

And that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.

Hey there, and welcome back to the Feel Better, Live Free podcast! Once again, my name is Ruth Soukup and I am the founder of Thinlicious and the creator of the Thin Adapted System.

And if this is your first time listening, here’s what you should know about me: I’m a 47-year-old woman who struggled with my weight and health for almost 10 years, failing at diet after diet, until I finally decided to take a radically different approach. 

Instead of starting yet another diet, I started researching. And I quickly learned that almost everything we’ve ever been told about health and weight loss is totally wrong.

So I changed the way I ate. I stopped focusing on calories and started worrying about hormones. 

And I lost 49 pounds without dieting or Ozempic or making myself miserable, and now I’ve kept that weight off for years. 

Not because every day is perfect, but because I’ve learned that progress matters more than perfection, and that big goals never happen all at once–they are only the result of small steps taken consistently over time.

And that’s probably the perfect lead-in to what I want to talk about today–five health goals you can set for yourself this fall that will help you finish the year strong, instead feeling like you are limping to the finish line.

Because I’ll be honest, there was a time when fall felt like the start of my shame spiral. I’d beat myself up for all the ice cream, all the sugary cocktails and skipped workouts that filled my summer. 

I’d start obsessing about calories and trying to punish myself back into control.

But that never worked. It only made me feel worse.

What finally worked—what helped me lose those 49 pounds and actually keep it off—was flipping the script. 

Instead of starting another diet, I started building habits and setting goals that helped me feel empowered, not restricted.

And that’s exactly what I want to give you today: 5 simple health goals you can set this fall that don’t involve dieting, guilt, or starting over. Just real, sustainable change that will help you finish the year strong.

Because if you’re anything like me and a lot of my clients, you’ve probably spent a big portion of the summer in survival mode. Driving kids to camp and summer practices. Hosting get-togethers. Traveling. Letting routines slide because you’re just trying to keep everyone happy and get through the day.

And now? 

You’re ready for a vacation from your vacation. You’re frustrated with yourself, but you’re also scared to start something new because what if you fail again?

I hear you. And I promise—these goals are designed to help you start small but build big momentum. No perfection required. No misery involved. Just forward movement.

But before we dive in, if you’re new to this podcast and you want to understand exactly why your metabolism feels broken and what you can do about it, be sure to check out my free training video. It’s called Healthy, Happy & Free and will help you map out a 12 month plan for transforming your health for good. It’s super helpful, and again–it’s free. Just go to HERE to get your hands on it.

And with that out of the way, let’s dive into these five simple health goals you can set this fall.

Goal #1: Commit to a Morning Anchor Habit

Goal number one that I want you to consider is committing to what I call a morning anchor habit.

And before you roll your eyes at me, know that I’m not talking about some elaborate two-hour morning routine that you see all over Instagram. You don’t need to wake up at 4 AM, meditate for 45 minutes, journal for 20, and hit the gym before your kids wake up.

That’s not realistic for most of us, and honestly, it’s setting you up to fail.

What I’m talking about is ONE small habit that grounds you and reminds you that you are in charge of your day.

Maybe it’s a 10-minute walk around the block. 

Maybe it’s writing down your top 3 priorities for the day. 

Maybe it’s sitting with your coffee for five minutes and not checking your phone. 

But whatever it is—make it non-negotiable.

Here’s why this matters: 

Your morning sets the tone for everything that follows. If you start the day reactive—checking emails, scrolling social media, jumping straight into everyone else’s demands—you’ve already lost control before 8 AM.

But when you start with something that centers you, something that reminds you of your priorities, you create what psychologists call a “keystone habit”—one small behavior that triggers other positive behaviors throughout the day.

When I first started my own health journey, my anchor was a protein-packed breakfast every morning. It didn’t seem like much, but it stopped me from grabbing the kids’ leftover waffles or skipping breakfast entirely and then being ravenous by 10 AM.

That one habit created a ripple effect. Because I started my day nourished, I had steady energy. Because I had steady energy, I made better choices at lunch. Because I made better choices all day, I felt proud of myself instead of defeated.

One habit. Multiple benefits.

But here’s the key—it has to be something you can actually do. If you’re not a morning person, don’t commit to a 6 AM workout. If you hate journaling, don’t force yourself to write three pages of gratitude. Pick something that feels doable, even on your worst days.

Because here’s what happens: When you start proving to yourself that you can follow through on one small commitment, your brain starts to believe you’re the kind of person who follows through. 

And that identity shift? That’s where real change begins.

So your action step for goal number one: Choose one morning habit that centers you. Something that takes 10 minutes or less. Something that reminds you that you matter and your health matters. And do it every day for the next 30 days.

Don’t overthink it. Don’t make it complicated. Just pick one thing and commit.

Goal #2: Put Yourself Back on the Calendar

The second goal is simple but revolutionary: 

Open your calendar right now and schedule 20 minutes a day for your health.

I can already hear some of you saying, “Ruth, I don’t have 20 minutes. I’m barely keeping my head above water as it is.”

But here’s the thing—you’re not finding time for your health because you’re not making time for your health. 

And if it’s not on the calendar, it’s not happening.

Think about it: You wouldn’t miss a doctor’s appointment for your kid. You wouldn’t skip an important work meeting. You wouldn’t forget to pick up your dry cleaning if you’d written it down.

But somehow, we expect ourselves to magically find time for the things that matter to us without actually scheduling them.

That stops now.

Whether it’s meal prep, a walk, listening to this podcast, or just sitting quietly for 20 minutes—it doesn’t matter what you do with that time. 

What matters is that you block it and you honor it.

I always tell my clients: Your health is the meeting that makes all the other meetings possible. Your energy is what allows you to show up for everyone else. Your well-being is what lets you be the mom, the wife, the employee, the friend that you want to be.

So treat it that way.

If you’ve followed me here to Thinlicious from my other brands, you know that I’ve been a stickler for time blocking for a very long time–I even used to sell my own Living Well Planner that incorporated time blocking into your weekly planning rhythm.

But it’s a non-negotiable for me, even now, all these years later.

I have time blocked out every morning for a walk outside, and rain or shine, that walk happens.

But what I noticed when I started blocking out time for me is that I started showing up differently for everything else because I was taking care of myself first.

Now, I know this feels selfish. Especially if you’re a mom, especially if you’re used to putting everyone else’s needs before your own. 

But the truth is that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. It’s strategic.

When you’re running on empty, everyone gets the worst version of you. When you’re nourished—physically, mentally, emotionally—everyone gets the best version of you.

So what could you do with 20 minutes a day? 

Maybe it’s prep vegetables for the week on Sunday. Maybe it’s a quick walk after lunch. Maybe it’s taking a bath instead of collapsing in front of Netflix.

The specifics don’t matter. What matters is that you’re sending yourself the message: I am worth 20 minutes of my own time.

Your action step for goal number two: Open your calendar right now. Block 20 minutes every day this week. Write “health time” or “me time” or whatever you want to call it. And then honor that appointment like you would any other commitment.

Because that’s exactly what it is—a commitment to yourself.

Goal #3: Choose Progress Over Perfection

Alright, let’s talk about goal number three: Choose progress over perfection.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever “started fresh on Monday,” only to blow it by Wednesday and quit entirely.

I see you. I’ve been you.

For years, I was the queen of all-or-nothing thinking. I’d start a new diet with perfect intentions—meal plans mapped out, workouts scheduled, zero room for error. And for a few days, maybe even a week, I’d nail it.

Until I didn’t.

Maybe I’d eat a cookie at a work meeting. Maybe I’d skip a workout because I was tired. Maybe I’d have a glass of wine on a Wednesday night because it had been a long day.

And then what would happen? I’d tell myself I’d blown it. That I was weak. That I might as well eat the rest of the cookies and start over Monday.

Sound familiar?

That’s perfectionism talking. And it’s a trap that keeps so many women stuck in cycles of starting and stopping, losing and gaining, feeling motivated and then feeling defeated.

But here’s your permission slip: It doesn’t have to be perfect to be working.

We tell our TAS clients all the time—just show up and make the next best choice. 

Even if it’s messy. Even if you have wine on Thursday night. Even if you eat a cupcake at your kid’s birthday party.

Health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about building consistency over time.

Let me give you an example. One of our TAS clients, Michelle, came to us after years of yo-yo dieting. She was convinced she had to eat perfectly to see results. So she’d white-knuckle it for a few weeks, then binge, then start over.

When she joined TAS, we had to completely rewire her thinking. We taught her that eating well 80% of the time would get her infinitely better results than trying to eat perfectly and burning out every few weeks.

So she started embracing the “good enough” approach. Most days, she ate nutrient-dense, hormone-balancing foods. But some days, she had pizza with her family. Some days, she grabbed fast food because life got crazy.

And you know what happened? She not only reversed her Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, but she went through breast cancer treatment feeling stronger and more energized than she ever thought possible. Not because she was perfect, but because she was consistent.

Because here’s the truth: Perfectionism isn’t actually about having high standards. It’s about fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of disappointing yourself again.

But when you choose progress over perfection, you give yourself permission to be human. You give yourself room to learn and grow and adjust. You make the process sustainable instead of suffocating.

So what does this look like practically?

Instead of thinking, “I blew it, so I might as well give up,” you think, “That wasn’t my best choice, but I can make a better one next time.”

Instead of thinking, “I have to eat perfectly to see results,” you think, “I’m going to aim for mostly good choices and see what happens.”

Instead of thinking, “I’m a failure because I missed my workout,” you think, “I’ll take a 10-minute walk instead.”

It’s about reframing setbacks as data points, not disasters. It’s about focusing on the trend, not the individual moments.

Your action step for goal number three: The next time you make a choice you’re not proud of—maybe you eat the leftover Halloween candy, maybe you skip your walk, maybe you have one too many glasses of wine—instead of spiraling, take a deep breath and ask yourself: “What can I learn from this? How can I make a better choice next time?”

Then make that better choice. Don’t wait for Monday. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Make it right then.

Because progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about getting back up one more time than you fall down.

Goal #4: Reconnect with Your Why

Goal number four might be the most important one on this list: Reconnect with your why.

When was the last time you asked yourself, “Why do I actually want to feel better?”

Not the surface reasons. Not what you think you should say. The real why.

Because I’m going to bet that if you’re like most women, you’ve been so focused on the “what”—what you should eat, what you should avoid, what the scale should say—that you’ve lost sight of the “why.”

And without a strong why, you’re trying to fuel long-term change with short-term motivation. And that never works.

Let me share something personal with you. When I first started my health journey, I thought my why was simple: I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to look better. I wanted to fit into smaller clothes.

And sure, those things mattered. But they weren’t enough to sustain me through the hard days.

My real why—the one that kept me going when I wanted to quit—was deeper than that.

I was tired of being tired. I was tired of feeling like I was just surviving instead of thriving. I was tired of saying no to things because I didn’t feel confident in my skin. I was tired of my daughters seeing me hate my body and learning that that was normal.

I wanted energy to be fully present with my family. I wanted confidence to pursue my dreams without feeling held back. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do hard things.

That’s what got me through the plateau at month four. That’s what got me through the cravings in week two. That’s what gets me up for my morning walk even when I don’t feel like it.

Your why has to be bigger than your excuses. It has to be more compelling than your comfort zone.

Maybe your why is having the energy to keep up with your grandkids. Maybe it’s feeling confident enough to go on that vacation you’ve been putting off. Maybe it’s modeling self-care for your children. Maybe it’s proving to yourself that you’re worth the effort.

Whatever it is, it needs to be yours. Not what you think you should want. Not what worked for your sister or your friend. Yours.

And here’s the key—it needs to be about how you want to feel, not just how you want to look.

Because the truth is, the scale might not move for weeks. Your jeans might fit the same for months. But how you feel? That can change much faster.

When you’re eating foods that balance your hormones, you’ll have more energy. When you’re moving your body regularly, you’ll sleep better. When you’re taking care of yourself, you’ll feel more confident.

Those changes happen long before the physical ones. And they’re often more meaningful.

One of our TAS clients came to us feeling completely depleted. She was juggling a demanding job and teenagers, and she felt like she was just going through the motions of life.

When we asked her about her why, she initially said she wanted to lose weight. But when we dug deeper, what she really wanted was to feel like herself again. To have the energy to enjoy her life instead of just enduring it.

That became her north star. On days when the scale didn’t move, she focused on how much better she felt. On days when she wanted to quit, she remembered how tired she was of feeling tired.

And that deeper why carried her through to not just weight loss, but to feeling alive again.

Your action step for goal number four: Take 10 minutes right now and write down your real why. Not the surface reasons, but the deep ones. Why do you want to feel better? How do you want to feel in your body? What do you want your life to look like?

Write it down. Put it on your bathroom mirror. Save it as the wallpaper on your phone. Read it every morning.

Because your why is what will get you back on track when motivation fades. And trust me—motivation will fade. But your why? That’s what lasts.

Goal #5: Say No to One Thing That Drains You

And that brings us to goal number five: Say no to one thing that drains you.

This might be the hardest goal on the list, especially if you’re a people pleaser. But it might also be the most important.

Because here’s the thing—fall gets busy fast. The holidays are coming. School activities ramp up. Work projects pile on. And if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself saying yes to everything and everyone except yourself.

But every time you say yes to something that drains you, you’re saying no to your own well-being.

I learned this the hard way. For years, I was the yes woman. The volunteer coordinator. The friend who would drop everything to help. The employee who took on extra projects. The mom who signed up for every committee.

And I wore it like a badge of honor. Look how helpful I am. Look how needed I am. Look how much I can handle.

Until I couldn’t handle it anymore.

I was exhausted, resentful, and running on empty. I had no time for my health, no energy for my family, and no bandwidth for the things that actually mattered to me.

That’s when I realized that saying no isn’t selfish—it’s strategic.

Every obligation on your calendar is a choice. Every commitment you make is a trade-off. And if you’re not choosing consciously, you’re choosing by default.

Now, I’m not saying you should become a hermit or stop helping people. But I am saying you need to get honest about what’s actually serving you and what’s just depleting you.

That PTA meeting that always turns into a gossip session? That friend who only calls when she needs something? That volunteer commitment you took on out of guilt? That extra project at work that you know will go unnoticed?

You’re allowed to say no. In fact, your health requires it.

So what’s draining you? What are you saying yes to out of obligation rather than desire? What could you eliminate to make room for what actually matters?

Maybe it’s a toxic friendship that always leaves you feeling heavy. Maybe it’s a social media habit that makes you feel worse about yourself. Maybe it’s a weekly commitment that you dread.

Whatever it is, you have permission to let it go.

Your action step for goal number five: Identify one commitment, obligation, or habit that drains your energy. This week, either eliminate it entirely or set a boundary around it.

And when you feel guilty—because you probably will—remind yourself: Every no to something that drains you is a yes to something that serves you.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it—5 simple but powerful goals to help you reset, refocus, and reclaim your energy this fall.

Let me recap them for you:

First, commit to a morning anchor habit. One small routine that centers you and reminds you that you’re in charge of your day.

Second, put yourself back on the calendar. Block 20 minutes a day for your health and honor that time like you would any other commitment.

Third, choose progress over perfection. Aim for consistency, not flawlessness. Good enough is better than not at all.

Fourth, reconnect with your why. Remember why you want to feel better and let that fuel you when motivation fades.

And fifth, say no to one thing that drains you. Make room for what matters by eliminating what doesn’t.

Now, I want you to imagine something. Imagine what could happen if you followed through on even one of these goals. Imagine what it would feel like to end the year strong instead of defeated. Imagine looking back on this fall as the time when everything started to shift.

That’s not fantasy. That’s possibility. And it’s available to you right now.

But here’s the thing—reading about these goals won’t change your life. Setting intentions won’t transform your health. Action will.

So pick one goal. Just one. And start today.

Not Monday. Not after Halloween. Not when things calm down. Today.

Because the truth is, there will never be a perfect time to prioritize your health. Life will always be busy. There will always be obstacles. There will always be reasons to wait.

But you’ve been waiting long enough.

And if you want more support in building these habits and transforming your health for good, I want to invite you to check out our Thin Adapted System program. TAS isn’t just about weight loss—it’s about healing your body from the inside out so you can feel amazing in your skin.

We give you the science, the meal plans, the coaching, and the community you need to make lasting change. Not through restriction or deprivation, but through nourishment and balance.

You can learn more by watching our free training. Or if you’re not ready for that step yet, grab our free starter guide HERE. It’s called Flip the Switch, and it’ll help you understand exactly why traditional dieting fails and what actually works for women over 40.

You can find the links for both in our show notes.

But remember—freedom isn’t found in a diet. It’s found in ownership. And these 5 goals are your invitation to take that ownership back.

You don’t have to wait until January to start feeling better. You don’t have to wait until you have it all figured out. You just have to start.

So here’s to finishing the year strong. Here’s to choosing progress over perfection. Here’s to putting yourself back on your own priority list.

You’ve got this, friend. And I’m cheering you on every step of the way.