Holiday Season Tips
By Kait Coward
What if I told you that you could have a completely guilt and stress free holiday season? Crazy thought right?! Every year I try to prepare clients for the stress that comes from not knowing how to eat to stay on track and the emotional rollercoaster that can be associated with it.
It can be really overwhelming, especially if you’ve put so much time and effort into your fitness journey to not want to “ruin” your progress. But just like one single healthy meal won’t make you fit, one or two carb-filled Thanksgiving dinners won’t ruin your progress either. There are ways we can approach this season and maintain our progress! We’ll go into steps you can take to help you navigate eating during this holiday season so you can actually focus on enjoying time with your friends and family.
First, eat normally before the meal. Don’t skip your meals in order to “save” calories. You may end up overeating because you’re insanely hungry. Also, don’t skip eating the next day because you “over-indulged” in calories the day before. Trust me when I say that your body will respond better and stay on track if we resume our regular eating schedule!
Next, balance your plate. Make sure that you’re incorporating lean protein into your dinner. It’s really easy to fill your plate with carbs drenched in butter and sugar. I recommend putting protein on your plate first. Then, take a look at what’s available. What side dish do you look forward to every year? For me it’s sweet potato casserole! I’ll make sure I put a serving of that on my plate and choose 2-3 others I have to have.
Be mindful of your fullness! Eat slowly and ENJOY the meal. This meal is meant to be savored! When we slow down our eating, it helps aid digestion. You won’t feel so miserable because your body is trying to digest so much at once. You’ll also feel that “full-cue” a lot sooner. With holiday meals, we tend to overeat because we pile on the food and eat too quickly. If we listen to our hunger cue and start with smaller portions, we can avoid that miserable feeling!
Do exercise! Go for a walk after your meal or even do the 5k the morning of! What we don’t want to happen is overtraining and working out harder or longer to “burn” off the extra calories consumed. The meal shared with your family is not meant to be punishment in the gym. If that day you get your normal workout in, great! If you don’t get a workout in at all until the next day, that’s ok too.
Lastly, be choosy at work functions, Friendsgivings and all other parties. There’s going to be so many opportunities for you to snack and share meals with others. You don’t have to try everything because you’ll feel bad if you don’t. You can say no thank you to cookies at work on a Monday if it means staying on track and feeling better! And you don’t have to explain yourself either. This is your specific and individual journey!
Tips aside, the best way to enjoy your holiday season is to eat, hydrate, and train normally. Enjoy your meal without guilt and go to bed happy! Then wake up the next day and jump right back onto your routine. Your body will not only thank you but you most definitely will not sabotage your progress! Remember what’s important here is enjoying time with your loved ones, knowing you’re blessed to be able to eat and enjoy food. I hope you have a wonderful meal and an amazing holiday season! Please feel free to reach out to me at any time for more tips and guidance in your fitness journey.
Kait
