October: A Cautionary Tale
Oh hello October, it’s nice to see you again!
I am going to be really honest with you here, October is a month that has never really held any significant meaning to me. Keeping up with the honest trend here, I really dislike October.
What does October entail exaclty? Pumpkin EVERYTHING, Canadian Thanksgiving, the weather is finally shifting into the colder side of life and Halloween. Oh ya, and pumpkins are literally everywhere (ooops, did I say that already? )
So, pretty much October is a month surrounded by a lot of orange coloured things… my least favourite hue in the world! Sorry Mom. Yes, this means that every time I am in your bright orange kitchen all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
When you think about orange, what images pop into your head? Maybe you imagine foods like oranges, carrots and pumpkins. I asked my husband what his first image is when he thinks of orange, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups was his answer, LOL.
For me, when I close my eyes and imagine orange things, aside from my Moms bright kitchen, I imagine things that have to do with construction signs. What a fun association to have with such a transitionary month; caution, things are shifting and you might not like it but it’s going to happen anyways.
As I mentioned, the weather starts to shift in October. If you are a Northerner like I am, you know how serious winters can be, this knowledge can be an outside activity buzz kill!
Not wanting to get outside to be active in the cold, I get that. I used to be ALLL about that life till I realized how limiting my life was becoming. I know for a fact that anytime between September to March it could be cold and snowy where I live. Why the hell should I put my physical/mental wellness on hold for half of the year because the weather isn’t my favourite? Fitness is about so much more than hitting up the gym all the time and posting our best flexed selfies. Life long lasting fitness comes when we learn how to move our bodies daily in all situations of our lives. The gym is only a percentage of that.
Ok, so we have the colder weather which cuts down on peoples drive to stay active outside, plus we have the start of ‘Winter Holiday Season Food Mentality’ with Thanksgiving. Bring on all the comfort food your little heart desires. Potatoes, gravy, turkey, buns, pies, oh, and pumpkin variations on all of your baking needs. You know, all the really dirty, bad food that you should be ashamed to even eat. How dare you even enjoy one bite of these foods?!?!?
PS, I hope you are able to read between the lines here and sense my sarcasm.
If you know me, or if you have ever worked with me, you know I have a huge dislike when we place morals on food. There are no good/bad foods. Yet how often do we associate comfort/winter type foods with the word bad? As soon as I have mentally decided that a food is morally inferior, and I eat it, I can start to snowball and just say screw everything. But, what would happen if I took the judgement away?
If you want to eat a piece of pie, go for it my friend! Eat a piece, enjoy it, then move on. Know that in Canada, we live in a food rich society so we don’t need to eat all of the delicious foods at the holidays in a fear they will vanish from the planet… This scarcity, and FOMO (fear of missing out), mentality around food is a massive reason why portion control nowadays is hard to learn for many of us. Especially during the holidays.
Traditionally we are slowing down with physical activity starting in October, at the exact same time, we are also indulging in all of the goodness that our taste buds can handle. Not knowing how to mentally steer this situation because we haven’t addressed our negative food issues yet.
No shit this month is associated with the colour of caution. But this transitionary phase doesn’t have to be as reckless as we believe.
Deep down I think my dislike of October really is as simple as the fact that having a month influenced by a colour of caution isn’t my favourite subliminal message.
Yes, things will shift this month in regards to your health and wellness, but that shift is controlled by you. The way you eat, or your food mentality, doesn’t have to be any different this month than it was in June. Getting outside to move your body and get some sunshine on your soul is still possible thanks to a little something that I learned later in life called ‘dressing appropriately for the weather’.
I for one am going to mentally bypass all of the orange pylons that have been placed in my brain warning me of the dangers of this month. The only danger that exists is the simple fact that I am letting outside forces (like food and the weather) control my actions/reactions.
Nope, not this girl, not anymore.
I need not be cautious because I am choosing to live my life in control. I am the driver of my vessel, and of my life. I turned off my autopilot a while ago and I don’t see the need for it anymore, especially not during October.
What will it be for you this month?
31 days of caution and limiting the amount of life you allow yourself to experience, or 31 days of living and thriving?
You choose your own adventure here my friends.
-SJ
