September means change: kids are back in school, weather gets colder, workloads ramp up, and the relaxed pace of summer is gone. Many people find their fitness routine disappearing— not because they’ve lost motivation, but because life gets busier.
Here’s how to manage back-to-work stress while staying in shape.
1. Structure workouts for your busiest week — not your week off during July 4th!
Plan your training schedule based on the most hectic weeks of your year. If that means you can only train twice a week, commit to it and hit those sessions hard. Think two whole body workouts with about 20 sets total. If you have more time, do a third one, maybe do push pull legs..
2. Prioritize protein, vegetables, and water in your meals.
When life gets busy, convenience foods full of carbs and fats are easy to grab .Donuts, anyone? But to stay lean and energized, build your meals around protein (chicken, fish, eggs, lean beef, Greek yogurt), plenty of green things and enough water. These are harder to “find on the go,” so make them your foundation. Most office snack bars are full of high carb, medium fat products such as granola bars, pretzels and the like. Easy to fill your carb needs from there.
3. Schedule your sleep
Back-to-work stress can tempt you to stay up late catching up on emails or watching TV. But poor sleep wrecks recovery, hormone balance, and fat loss. Set a fixed bedtime, stick to it, and protect your 7–8 hours like your life depends on it. Because it does! Lack of sleep is linked to heart attack, depression and a host of other unpleasant conditions. . Turn off your phone at least 90 minutes before you go to bed, paper books only!
Bottom line: Since we are not trying to be Mr. Olympia, you don’t need to be 100% in September — you just need a plan that works for you and allows you to get your workouts in while not falling off the nutrition wagon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I lose body fat if I only train twice a week?
A: Yes, you will be fine as long as you are in a caloric deficit.
Q: Can I train at home if needed?
A: Yes, think push ups, squats, lunges and abs. Purchase some bands if you find yourself in that spot often.
Q: What matters most- progress, intensity or consistency?
A: Consistency beats anything. Even if you train 30 minutes, four times a week you are better off than doing one 3 hour monster workout on Sunday.