How to avoid overeating at the holidays:
Holidays are special for many reasons, and food is one of them. But spending time with loved ones should be the main course, not the green bean casserole.
As a Personal Trainer and Certified Nutritionist, I believe a healthy, balanced lifestyle can include these occasional treats and social gatherings where you enjoy a slice of an uncle’s famous pie. Unfortunately, the large portions that often get served up with the holidays can trigger a stress response in the body, which can increase negative risk factors for many people, including anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The trick is not actually balance – at least, not in the way you’re thinking of it, as 50%-50%. When it comes to nutrition in modern-day society, we simply are not active enough to truly eat whatever we want 50% of the time.
Most qualified Nutrition professionals teach a balance of 80/20, which means you would consume whole, nutrient-dense foods 80% of the time, and Holiday parties, date nights, and other social gatherings make up for the other 20%. Many people can make use of this rule as a way to keep track of their indulgences, especially around the holidays.
So what does eating healthy 80% of the time look like? Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a week gives you 21 meals, so if you made 17 of those healthy, you’d be hitting 80%! Now what to do with the other 20%? It could be a pasta dish with wine a swanky new restaurant in town, or it could be take-out pizza because the kids all had sports. Whatever the case may be I suggest you keep track so that you stay on course throughout the holiday season.
Here are 3 tips to navigate through the holidays
1. Move! Take 2 walks per day, aiming for 10-20 minutes each. Regular activity helps your digestive system maintain regularity and eliminate sugar cravings.
2. Have a plan at the party –you can try everything!
Create your own sampler plate of JUST a bite of everything that looks tasty. Take it back to the table, enjoy each one, enjoying flavors and decide what you want to go back for an entire serving of. This will avoid the fear of missing out on any special desserts made for the occasion.
3. Distinguish between what you actually like the flavors of, and what you are eating because of the traditions in your family – can you make the recipe healthier? Swap out butter or sugar? Use veggies as a base instead of rice or potatoes? Every little bit helps.
Porch Pumpkin workout
15 reps each. Go through moves in order, then repeat 3-5 rounds.
Make sure you warm-up and cool down properly!
1. Shoulder press - alternating
2. Pushup - alternating
3. Russian twist
4. Sumo squat