Summer's over, time to get back to work--and healthy habits

Ah, summer. A time of vacations, barbecues and abundant sunshine. No wonder employees report being happiest during these months. And that happiness might be just the kick they need to jump into a new health and fitness regime come fall.

So says the End-of-Summer Checkup, a survey from digital health company Rally Health, Inc. that quizzes Americans about how they feel about how summer affects their health routines, including changes in dietary and fitness routines, as well as end-of-summer mood shifts and their perspective on autumn.

Related: Employee burnout now an official medical condition

Among the survey’s findings: 60 percent of respondents say they feel energized in the fall, and see it as a chance to resume healthy habits that may have gone begging during the summer and to refocus on health goals. People admit to unhealthy changes in eating habits (44 percent), sleep routines (59 percent) and exercise practices (42 percent) during the summer, and look to the changing seasons as a fresh start of sorts.

But although a third of Americans say that they view the end of summer as a time to get an annual checkup or screening, they’re almost as focused on going shopping for a new wardrobe (25 percent) or looking for pumpkin spice flavored treats (19 percent).

In fact, the biggest item on their agenda is actually undertaking a big cleaning or reorganization (42 percent), and 35 percent say they don’t have a primary care doctor anyway. In addition, only 40 percent take their kids to the doctor for a well checkup in the fall—nearly as many (29 percent) are focused instead on their kids’ Halloween costumes—while 25 percent of parents don’t take their kids to the doctor at all unless they’re sick.

Still, nearly 70 percent overall say they’d like to learn more about preventive health care.

The aspect of health most important to respondents is mental health, with 44 percent putting it at the top of their list; that’s followed by sleep (25 percent), nutrition (16 percent), social health (9 percent) and exercise (6 percent).

However, with open enrollment coming up, the end of summer would appear to be a good time to take advantage of employees’ “fresh start” perspective to get them thinking about their health—especially the 62 percent who’d rather achieve health goals solely by eating healthily and not at all by exercising. They’re likely to need a little help with that.

Read more: 

• Dental and vision exams: The lesser-known school supplies
• How to encourage employee participation in preventative health
• Can fun fitness apps improve wellness participation?