5 Tips to Stay Healthy During the Fall

To stay healthy during the fall, get your flu shot by the end of October, keep sleeping at least seven hours a night, and hold on to 150 minutes of activity a week as the days shorten. Add the produce that is in season and keep drinking fluids even when the heat is gone.

Updated October 11, 2026.

I spent years training people in gyms, and fall is when I watched routines slip, more than in January. The light goes early. The evening walk turns into the couch, and a workout that lived at 6 p.m. suddenly happens in the dark. Out here in Colorado the first cold snap can land before the leaves finish turning. The people who kept going moved their workout into daylight. They picked a plan before the weather picked one for them.

1. Eat the fall produce that is in season

The USDA’s SNAP-Ed seasonal produce guide lists 41 fruits and vegetables for fall. Apples, pears, cranberries, pomegranates, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, sweet potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin and winter squash are all on it. Broccoli appears on both the spring and fall lists, so it is a fall vegetable but not a fall-only one. Local supply still depends on weather and growing conditions where you live, the guide notes.

Most adults could use the nudge. A CDC report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that in 2019, only 12.3% of US adults met the fruit recommendation. Just 10.0% met the one for vegetables. The targets in that report are 1.5 to 2 cup-equivalents of fruit and 2 to 3 of vegetables a day.

A sheet pan of squash and Brussels sprouts roasted on Sunday covers a lot of those cups for the week. Apples and pears travel well in a gym bag, too.

2. Get outside while the fall weather holds

Fall color is a good reason to walk, and the CDC’s numbers give the walk a target. Adults need 150 minutes a week of moderate activity such as brisk walking, according to the CDC’s physical activity guidelines. That works out to 30 minutes on five days. Jogging or running counts as vigorous activity, and 75 minutes a week of it meets the same goal.

The CDC also asks for muscle-strengthening work on at least two days a week. It should hit the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. Going past 150 minutes brings extra health benefits, per the same guidelines.

A dog walk counts if the pace is brisk. Raking leaves works the back and shoulders, so bend at the knees and lift with your legs.

3. Keep drinking water to stay healthy in fall

The old advice was eight glasses a day. Mayo Clinic calls that rule easy to remember and a good goal. Some people need less fluid, though, and others need more. Mayo’s broader figure for the average healthy adult is 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) to 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of total fluid a day.

That total includes food. Mayo says food supplies about 20% of the water you need each day, so soup, fruit and vegetables all count. The page gives two simple signs you are drinking enough: you rarely feel thirsty, and your urine is colorless or light yellow.

4. Sleep more to stay healthy in the fall

Shorter days are a good excuse to go to bed earlier. The CDC recommends 7 or more hours a night for adults 18 to 60. The range is 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours from 65 on. Six hours falls short of every adult range the CDC lists.

Enough sleep pays off in the season of colds. The CDC ties it to getting sick less often, staying at a healthy weight, and lower stress. It also links good sleep to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

When the fall blues are more than a mood

For some people the early dark brings real depression. The National Institute of Mental Health describes winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder as depression that usually starts in late fall or early winter and eases in spring. Symptoms last 4 to 5 months of the year. On top of general depression symptoms, they can include oversleeping, overeating with carbohydrate cravings and pulling away from people.

Treatment exists. NIMH lists light therapy: sitting in front of a 10,000-lux light box for 30 to 45 minutes a day. It is usually done in the morning, from fall to spring. Talk therapy and antidepressants also help. Certain eye conditions or medications call for a different approach, so the first step is a talk with a health care provider.

5. Stay healthy this fall with a flu shot by October

The CDC says everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, should get a flu vaccine every season. September and October are generally good months. Ideally, the CDC says, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. Antibodies take about two weeks to develop after the shot, so earlier in the season beats waiting for the first local outbreak.

Timing has one wrinkle. Adults, especially those 65 and older, generally should not get vaccinated in July or August, because protection may fade over the season. Children who need two doses should get the first as soon as vaccine is available and the second at least four weeks later.

The stakes are real. In typical seasons, the CDC says, millions of people get flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to tens of thousands die. In a 2021 study the CDC cites, vaccinated adults had a 26% lower risk of ICU admission. Their risk of death from flu was 31% lower than for unvaccinated adults.

How to stay healthy during the fall

When should I get a flu shot in the fall?

The CDC says September and October are generally good months, and that ideally everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. Antibodies take about two weeks to build after the shot. Adults, especially those 65 and older, generally should not get vaccinated in July or August, because protection may decline before the season ends.

How much sleep do adults need?

The CDC recommends 7 or more hours a night for adults 18 to 60. The range is 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours from 65 on. Getting enough sleep is linked to getting sick less often and to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

How much water should I drink each day?

Mayo Clinic gives a range of 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) to 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of total fluid a day for the average healthy adult. Food supplies about 20% of that. The eight-glasses rule is a reasonable goal, Mayo says, and urine that is colorless or light yellow is a sign you are drinking enough.

What fruits and vegetables are in season in fall?

The USDA’s SNAP-Ed seasonal produce guide lists 41 items for fall. They include apples, pears, cranberries, pomegranates, grapes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin and winter squash. Broccoli is on both the spring and fall lists. Local supply depends on the weather and growing conditions where you live.

Why do some people feel depressed in the fall?

Some people have winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as depression that usually starts in late fall or early winter and eases in spring. Symptoms can include oversleeping, carbohydrate cravings and social withdrawal. Light therapy, talk therapy and antidepressants can help, and a health care provider can assess the symptoms.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.