Shock-tober

Posted On Oct 11, 2019 By Lisa Traugott

A variety of pumpkins

I don't know about you, but September and Shocktober (that moment of shock when you realize it’s almost October) are beyond crazy busy for moms like me with kids in school. Every time I look up, there are more papers to be signed and meetings to attend and all the fall fundraisers. So. Many. Fundraisers. It's tough finding time to food prep and exercise and I'm a darned personal trainer!

My core belief is that a person can only be healthy when they balance three things: belly (nutrition), brain (motivation) and body (exercise). When one aspect is off, all three can get in a tailspin pretty quick. Here are some tricks I use to keep my clients (and myself!) on track during October.

  1. Find a short-term goal for the month

    Maybe you want to dress up in a certain Halloween costume that is a little sexy. That’s a pretty good motivator. The person I want to dress up as this year isn’t so much sexy as she is a total badass. Remember Sarah Connor from Terminator 2? She did chin-ups and had these amazing biceps and fought all the robots from the future? My goal is to be able to do an unassisted chin-up by Halloween. Whatever goal you come up with, make sure it’s exciting to you.

  2. Set your alarm one hour earlier

    I know. It sucks. But that extra hour when it’s quite and everyone else is sleeping can be the most productive hour of your day. I like to multi-task by doing cardio and watching uplifting YouTube videos. After 20-30 minutes of cardio, put your phone down and do 20-30 minutes of strength training. In an hour or less you’ve burned fat, built lean muscle, released endorphins and took control of your day.

  3. Food prep

    Get a good mix of whole foods that include proteins (chicken, fish, lean steak, eggs), complex carbohydrates (old fashioned oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes), fruits and veggies and some healthy fats (avocados, olive oil and whole roasted almonds). Cook them up twice a week and portion them out into Tupperware, that way you will never need to ask, ‘What should I make for dinner?’ because the task will already be done.

Once your brain finds its proper motivation it becomes much easier for your belly and body to get with the program. If you can make it through Shocktober, you will be grateful just in time for Thanksgiving.