It’s that time of year again…a time where we reflect on reasons to be thankful…and a time to eat turkey!!!
It’s the time of year where there are more parties, more food, and often as a result, a bigger waistline. Unfortunately, nothing changes unless something changes. (Let me say that again. Read: Nothing changes unless something changes.) It is all about having a plan and sticking to it!
Let’s be honest, we will probably all treat ourselves a little during the holiday season – that’s perfectly normal. As you know, we never claim to be perfect at Body Language. Hopefully we can provide some helpful tips that will keep you from gaining during this time, while still being able to enjoy everything that is happening around you. We are challenging everyone at Body Language to a “NO GAIN” Holiday season. You can do it!
Keep up a consistent workout routine and good eating habits throughout the week.
Just because you may blow it one day does not give you an excuse to miss the rest of the week. Your consistency will be what keeps you from gaining when you decide to indulge. Speaking of which…
Limit your indulging.
For Thanksgiving, we all know there is always way too much food and way too many dishes. I encourage you to take a small portion of everything you want to try and just go back for seconds on one of your favorite things. Moderation is your best friend at all of the eating events in which your partake.
Eat your veggies and avoid overeating carbs during the week.
When it’s cold outside, it’s easy to talk yourself into having some nice warm comfort food. There are a ton of light recipes for all of our favorite comfort dishes. Take some time to explore and fix a new recipe that doesn’t include all the calories.
Do some extra cardio.
It never hurt anyone to put in an extra 10-15 min more of cardio this time of year to help fight the extra calorie intake. If you get after it, you can burn 100-200 calories in a short amount of time.
Drink lots of water. When it is cooler outside we tend to not want to drink as much water. Keep track of how much you drink and challenge yourself to drink at least 65 oz. per day. This will also help you make better nutrition decisions throughout the day. Dehydration can cause a feeling of hunger and promote certain cravings.
Be generous. If you are like most people, at this time of year we tend to enjoy making extra goodies. Don’t keep them around the house. Give them away to friends, family, or neighbors!
Specifically for Thanksgiving day…
Did you know that the average person eats an extra 3,000 calories on Thanksgiving? That’s pretty much a whole pound’s worth of calories! Hopefully it makes you cringe a little just thinking about it. Here are some tips for eating that day.
- When you wake up drink a glass of water.
- Workout Thanksgiving morning. (BC 7-8am)
- Eat Breakfast, don’t skip it!
- Drink a glass of water before eating lunch.
- Take a small portion of everything you want to eat.
- Only pick one thing if any at all to go back for seconds on.
- Eat your veggies first before indulging in the high carbohydrate foods.
- Take a walk or play a game with a family member that includes some physical activity.
- Eat very little for dinner that evening.