Holiday Nutrition
The end of the year is fast approaching. As we gear up for a candy filled month, it’s also a prelude into a season filled with festivities and indulgences. The grocery store isles are lined with bite size candy, soon to be replaced with pumpkin pie and followed by peppermint bark. Sugar is around every corner waiting for the smallest of excuses to be consumed. Temptations are gearing up and we are going to have to figure out a way to make it through to the other side. We can enjoy this moment right now, it is the calm before the storm.
Over the past 18 months, some of us may have put on a few of those covid pounds. Some of us may have struggled to get consistency with workouts, whether it’s coming to the gym or going on a walk. Some of us may have just felt like everything is impossible. So the thought of the usual holiday weight gain is scary and defeating. But it really doesn’t need to be. We are our own worst enemies and sometimes we sabotage ourselves before we even begin. This year, go into the holidays ready with intention. Set yourselves up for success and give yourselves a break when perfection isn’t reached. We don’t need to go into the holidays like a free for all, I think most of us have been there done that. What we need is to go in with our heads held high and our intentions set. We need to be proactive with our temptations and also our limitations.
There is no easy time is to tackle nutrition and the holidays are definitely no exception. it is not important to be perfect, in all honesty, perfection is over rated and pretty stupid. What is important is that we allow ourselves to have the flexibility to enjoy all of the activities ahead and also to take our nutrition seriously. As we lead up to Halloween, it is easy to say “I am not going to eat any Halloween candy.” It is really fucking hard to actually not eat any candy. It is easy to say, “I am going to get my ass to class at 6:30am every morning.” But when the rain is pounding on the windows in the pitch black your cozy bed is going to seem a lot more enticing. I could continue on, fueling excuses for every occasion. Instead, I am going to give you the power to accomplish your holiday goals and enter the new year feeling a little happier about what lies ahead.
Nothing is going to be easy, but everything can be doable. Don’t start next week, or the first of the month. Start today and make habits out of your positive behavior. The first piece of nutritional guidance: eat protein at every meal, have minimally processed carbohydrates at every meal, eat unlimited vegetables and drink at least 70 ounces of water. Focus on what you can and should eat. Fill your plate with food, not junk. To be a little more specific, all my athletes should be eating at least 90 grams of protein everyday. A chicken breast is about 25 grams and a cup of greek yogurt is about 25 grams. I am not one to advise one carbohydrate over another, so choose foods you enjoy and be conscious of serving sizes. Carbohydrates are important to your energy levels and hormones, I strongly recommend eating one serving at every meal. Don’t fear having carbohydrates, enjoy them and know that you are fueling your body. Eat as many vegetables as you want. It doesn’t matter if it’s carrots or pumpkin, kale or broccoli, you should be getting at least six servings a day. Water is critical to overall health. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, not juice, not sodas, not coffee (I am a coffee lover and although I drink a few cups a day, it is not part of my water intake).
Now that you have an idea of what to eat, prepare for your success. If you were going into a job interview or a big presentation at work, I am assuming that you would prepare for it. Treat nutrition the same way. Put together a quick meal plan for the week and make sure that you have enough protein on hand and prepared to grab some quickly. I recommend people cook up one type of meat and have it easily available for lunches or breakfast. And I also recommend stocking your fridge with veggies. You can buy grab and go ones at the store or you can prepare them over the weekend. Have protein and veggies ready before the week starts.
And since we are on the subject, prepare for your workouts. The night before, look at your schedule for the next day and put in the time for your workout, maybe it’s putting your clothes out for your 6:30am class, or packing your clothes for your 4:30pm class. Or maybe it’s planning for a lunch time walk or an evening walk with a friend. Planning ahead will take out the excuses in the moment.
The best thing you can do for yourself is prepare for everything. Go into all of your holiday activities prepared for what lies ahead. A fun night with your girlfriends can be a night of overindulgences, just get back on track the next day. Thanksgiving dinner can be enjoyed with everything you love, but don’t eat the things you don’t like, and dinner doesn’t need to last all weekend. Take each event and experience and just enjoy it. Put your weekly nutrition ahead of quick fixes and stressful baking. Let your indulgences be enjoyable and with people you want to be with. Keep your nutrition on track most of the time so you can savor all the holiday festivities. One night will night ruin your hard work.