3 Ways to Stay on Track in the Holiday Season
In this blog, I'm going to give you three ways to do your best with staying on track so at the minimum you can avoid the extra five pound holiday-weight that almost everyone gains during these 6 weeks. If you're already starting to freak out about the holiday season and food, then this article will put your mind at ease.
1. MAKE EVERY DAY AROUND EVERY HOLIDAY OR EVENT COUNT
Here's what I mean by rule #1. Do not become one of those people who says to themselves, "When Monday comes, I'll get back on track." or, "After Thanksgiving weekend I'm going to stay focused up until Christmas." Let's be honest here, you probably won't start on Monday, nor will you stay focused up until Christmas. Every single day counts. Let me put that out there again: EVERY SINGLE DAY COUNTS. So, get your mind right now, and take every single day as it comes, and plan for your food for every single day leading up to your holidays. Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, so that means that all the way up until Wednesday you should be focused on your nutrition. It also means that on Friday, you should be back at your nutrition just like you were on Wednesday. Oh you have left over stuffing, and mashed potatoes, and blah, blah, blah, blah...STOP IT! If you have guests over send food home with them, and keep the items that you know can be considered healthy, and get back on track. Which leads me to #2...
2. COOK HEALTHY FOOD FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Thanksgiving is the perfect example of this. Outside of stuffing and pie (which even then these items can be made 'healthier'), turkey does not need to be smothered in butter, mashed potatoes can be made with stock rather than butter and cream, and your squash, peas, and other side items can be made relatively healthy. So what the heck is all the fuss about then? "Oh, it's so hard to have all that food in the house and not to eat it!" WHAT? You have protein and veggies for the most part, and as long as you prepare them in a healthy way, you can have your Thanksgiving dinner for three nights in a row and it won't show on your waist line at all. Don't become a victim in this scenario and act like eating crap happens to you...you control what you put in your mouth, and if you're hosting dinner, you control what goes on your table (for the most part). Indulge on the special day, but don't make everything with a stick of butter and then cry about how you can't eat leftovers. Make it healthy and clean, and then you can enjoy the leftovers like everyone else in your family.
3. GET YOUR FREAKING WORKOUTS IN!
No, you cannot outrun a bad diet. We have all heard this saying. However, you can keep your metabolism going strong all day everyday if you just make working out daily a priority. The more muscle we put on our body, the faster our metabolism, the more fat we burn, and the more calories we can consume. I worked with a guy that was muscularly HUGE, and most of the time I was just disgusted watching the amount of food he consumed, but he was the prime example of this scientific fact. If you make your workouts a priority, then the extra calories that you consume around the holidays will do very little when it comes to added pounds or extra inches around your waist. If you become one of those people who takes this time of year as an opportunity to overeat, and then also become sluggish and inactive, then you're really just asking to not only look like you've thrown in the towel, but to also feel that way. I'm notorious for working out on holidays. I wake up early, put in a solid 30-45 minutes, hit it hard, and then I eat what I want on that day. Sometimes people who know how healthy I eat regularly see me eating like this, and they're in shock. But, I work hard almost every single day of the year, so if I want to eat 2 rolls, too much stuffing, and a huge piece of pie, I'm not going to feel guilty about. Especially if I eat healthy every day around the holiday.
As you dive head first into this holiday season, remember to keep your health and fitness goals all the way up until the last day of December. Do your best to avoid becoming one of those people who decides to join the gym on January 1st, and then stops working out by mid February. Stay strong on every day around the holidays, and make sure your workouts are a number one priority so that when you do slip up, the added calories have very little effect on your waistline and energy levels. Nobody wants to feel like crap around the holidays, and overeating and being inactive is a surefire way to guarantee that you'll look and feel sluggish and gross. If you're looking for a way to stay strong in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, think about joining my November 30th Holiday Cleanse 2-Week Clean Eating Challenge Group. Being part of a group that also desires to eat healthy and stay active will help keep you motivated during the holiday season. You can get more information about the Challenge Groups at www.MariasSuperFitTraining.com or by emailing me at maria@mariassuperfittraining.com. Good luck staying strong during this season of temptation, and stay focused on what really matters in your life which is your health and your loved ones.
Maria
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