Ariel Shepley-McTaggart Shares Tips on Work-Life Balance and Personal Training
We live in a world full of multi-hyphenates these days. It seems every person we meet wears multiple hats professionally. There is the Hairdresser-Dog Walker, the Writer-Lyft driver, the Accountant-Interior Designer. But there is one woman who brings multiple nomenclature to a new level. Ariel Shepley-McTaggart, who you may recognize as one of the stars of Beachbody’s Insanity videos, is a former professional ballerina, personal trainer, and now is a Veterinarian/PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of her PhD program, she has worked with both Ebola and Covid19 in the lab. If this weren’t enough, she is also a mother to an adorable little toddler.
There are only 24 hours in a day, but Ariel clearly seems to maximize every minute of it. How does she do it? We found out.
With all that you do, how do you find time to stay in such great shape?
I don’t have time to take ballet class everyday, like I used to earlier in my career. What I have discovered though, is that my body really takes to running. Since I eat healthily, just 30 minutes a day of running really has a positive effect. I squeeze a 30 minute run every morning at 6am, before the rest of the family wakes up. It is a wonderful way for me to get outdoors, get into my body and get a sense of accomplishment before the crazy day commences.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I run at 6am
Wake up my daughter
Breakfast with the family
Go to the lab at Upenn
Experiments, lab meeting, class or seminars at Upenn (depending on the day)
Home for personal training virtual session with clients
Dinner with family
Bedtime for my daughter
Research reading, writing/editing papers, studying for classes (depending on the day)
Light stretching to wind down
Asleep by 10pm
What do you eat to stay in shape?
I strongly believe that everything is ok in moderation. I don’t restrict myself if I want some sweets (and I have a sweet tooth!), but normally, I feel better both mentally and physically if I eat mostly white meat, seafood, fruits and salads in several small meals. I think of my body as a very expensive car- you can put the low grade gasoline in that kind of car, but it breaks down faster and is sluggish on the road soon after. Or you can put the high-end, expensive gasoline in the car, and it drives like a dream and lasts longer! Healthy, nutrient rich foods are my high end gasoline and my body thanks me in many ways when I eat them everyday.
How do you keep your sanity?
Dance was my first love, so I try to squeeze in at least one ballet class a week. It feeds my soul. I find class peaceful because I can just concentrate on myself and the music, and it’s a great workout too!
What do you recommend people do, if they want to create better work/life balance?
It’s a constant challenge to find balance in life, so I recommend constantly evaluating what works for you and what’s not working. You may find that making schedules and lists of things to do may work for one week, but not the next. Being flexible when new commitments or challenges arrive allows you room to adjust easier or realize that there’s just no room for that at the moment.
What do you love best about teaching virtually?
I love being able to “bring” equipment with me to the session that I use regularly at home! For example, I highly recommend using a foam roller to help reduce recovery time and improve flexibility. So I used to drag my big foam roller with me in my bag to demonstrate exercises and stretches when I would work with a private client. Now I can just grab it from the closet- no bag necessary!
What types of exercises yield the best results for your clients?
I use ballet-type movements often in my classes to increase strength and flexibility. For example, I will often do traditional squats, followed by plies in a turned out second position from ballet. Both exercises use the glute muscles (along with other muscles) but each in a different way. The variation in position keeps the body working hard and keeps it guessing, while avoiding overuse injuries!
Any advice or tips when it comes to training virtually, as opposed to in person?
Ask questions! Sometimes it can be difficult to see exactly what the teacher is demonstrating on screen, depending on the camera or how far away you are from your screen. So if the teacher is not explaining the exercise well or you can’t see something, speak up! It’s much more important to stop and take the time to find out what you are supposed to do, than to take a guess at it, and hurt yourself!
You can follow her on Instagram:
And check out her Rodan and Fields website for life changing skincare:
