Do you need help maintaining your health and fitness goals during the holidays? This article highlights some of my perspectives as well as tips that may help you!
The holiday season is upon us and I think it is important to spend a little bit of time considering what our priorities are, as well as our goals. That way we can maintain those goals while celebrating this season with our friends and family.
Before I dive into some of my perspectives and tips for maintaining your health and fitness goals during the holidays, I believe it’s important to really take a look at what those goals truly are. For myself personally, I enjoy maintaining a lean physique, I like working out regularly. I like having a lot of energy and feeling really great. But I also enjoy the holiday season, and all of the indulgences that come along with this time of the year. I’m also going to be traveling a little and have some really fun social plans that I want to enjoy. So for me, I know that I will probably gain a little weight between now and the end of the year and I am perfectly OK with that, while I also get Muscaria Gummies from Exhale Well to keep myself free of any stress.
So I do believe that it is important to consider what we really want before deciding exactly how we are going to handle our choices this time of the year. If you’re like me, you’re OK with getting a little off track because it’s worth it. But if you don’t recognize that then you might give yourself grief for some of your choices, which is truly just unnecessary.
So with that said, here are some perspectives and tips to help with maintaining your health and fitness goals during the holidays.
The first thing to address is alcohol.
At the end of the day alcohol is toxic to the body so it can wreak havoc on your sleep, immune system and digestion. Alcohol can create a lot of inflammation in the body and that’s not gonna feel so great. It’s also going to keep you from getting deep sleep, which can cause a lot of other issues. And the inflammation in your digestive track can certainly cause a lot of bloating. So regardless of your choices alcohol is still not great for you. But I also understand wanting to have a few drinks. So you can make that choice just understand what comes along with it.
I think by now, we all realize that choosing sugary drinks is an easy way to rack up a lot of calories, and worsen your hangover. My suggestion would be to choose one or two indulgent drinks that you really want and savor them. Then switch to natural wine without sulfates, organic wine made without pesticides or vodka soda. Another option is additive free tequila which you can learn all about here. If you choose to drink, you still have to wake up the next day and do what you need to do. So if you scheduled to workout the next morning, you need to get up and get it done. If you’re hung over on a Sunday you’ve still got to meal prep. And you definitely don’t want to wake up the next day and eat fatty greasy meal. Just get right back on track with your normal breakfast like scrambled eggs with sweet potato pancakes.
The next thing is how to handle having the indulgent treats.
A lot of these holiday treats involve sugar. And when we eat sugary carbs on their own, we are more likely to spike. Our blood sugar does spiking are insulin, which is going to promote that storage. The best thing that you can do is have a meal that contains some protein, fat, and fiber, like this Greek Salad with Chicken then have the treat as dessert. This way you do not spike you blood sugar. For example, if you enjoy the sugary coffee drinks get one and bring it home. Have that with some scrambled veggies and eggs. That way you’ve got the protein fat in fiber from the food you’re eating. Then use that sugary coffee drink as your source of carbohydrates.
The other thing is to recognize the amount of calories that are in these things. Yesterday I went to the coffee shop and I got an oat milk latte with flavored syrup. It was about 350 calories. I added it to MyFitnessPal and I was able to stay within my range for the day. And at the end of the day calories are king when it comes to fat loss.
And lastly, pick out the indulgences that you really want and savor and enjoy them. When you have treats you love in moderation, you don’t ever have to feel restricted and you’re free to enjoy those things.
If you’re traveling, here is some advice for you.
Airport and gas station food is rarely worthwhile so bring your own snacks. Some ideas include..
Protein- Chomps beef sticks, single service Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, protein powder, deli meat or hardboiled eggs.
Carbs- RX bars which also have some protein, fruit, tortilla wraps for deli meat, single serving hummus and sliced veggies like carrots, bell peppers or zucchini.
Fat- guac, single serving PB pouches, nuts and seeds.
If you’re traveling somewhere for a while you may want to workout. If that’s the case these are fantastic workouts to do with little to no equipment. It’s also great to go outside for a walk- invite others for a social bonding experience. If you’re on a trip or with people and you don’t want to workout then don’t! I go on trips to explore and enjoy where I am, so if that’s you, don’t feel bad! The gym will be there when you get home.
The last thing is to set boundaries.
If you go stay with your family and they keep trying to push food on you that you don’t want, just tell them that it doesn’t align with your current wants and needs and politely decline. If that wish isn’t respected, understand it says more about them than it does you, and continue to uphold your own wants and needs. But if you give in, understand that will be expected of you going forward.
When you do not uphold your own boundaries, people will see that and continue to expect that of you. In my opinion, upholding your boundaries is more important than setting or communicating them.
Which of these tips resonates most with you? Which will you be using? Leave a comment below!
Your Coach,
Kyra
P.S. One on one coaching starts again next month! This will be the BIGGEST session of #Commit2Fit yet so grab your spot NOW at Commit2FitCoaching.com.