Datefit's Guide to Surviving the Holidays
This time of year is full of celebrations and spending time with the ones you love. As we all know, it is also full of endless amounts of food, cocktails, and trays full of grandma’s Christmas cookies.
Some people choose to treat the holidays as a free for all when it comes to their health and fitness regime. While others restrict themselves so much that they forget to enjoy this special time of year. Believe me, I have been both of those people in the past.
If you’re the type of person that shows up to Christmas dinner in your workout clothes & Tupperware full of your prepped meals…..this post is for you. Or, If you’re the type of person that stuffs yourself so full that you have to unbutton your party pants…this one is also for you.
No judgment here, like I said— I’ve been on both sides of that dinner table before. However, there is a way to enjoy Christmas festivities while remaining on track. Here are a few pieces of advice from your friend's at Datefit to navigate the holiday weekend.
Datefit’s Holiday Hacks
Get moving! If you have the time for it, any activity during this busy time will help you destress and feel accomplished over the holiday weekend. This could be a quick jog with some relatives or a 20 minute HIIT (high intensity interval training) circuit. Don’t view this exercise as “earning your dessert” but as a way to celebrate another year of health and what your body can do. Even something as little as a walk outside can give you some endorphins that will last all the way through the holiday party. Here at Datefit, we like to fit our workouts in as early as possible so we have the rest of the day to focus on the festivities.
Be mindful. When navigating through assortment of tasty foods, keep in mind everything in moderation. We’re not here to tell you to steer clear of your holiday favorites— but to share what works for us. It’s not the best idea to starve yourself all day until supper time in order to save your calories. For breakfast and lunch eat meals that are high in protein and moderate in carbs and fat to keep you satisfied. This will prevent some serious binging when the pre-dinner snacks come out to play. During dinner, fill your plate up with all your favorites but try to fit it on just one plate. Going up for seconds and thirds before your stomach has time to digest will leave you uncomfortable and anti-social. Besides, who doesn’t want some room for dessert?
Eat the cookie. Restricting yourself from sweets with all that temptation sitting around, can cause you to associate dessert with guilt. Personally, we have a hard time avoiding the cookie tray at the Datefit Headquarters... Here’s a quick newsflash, one cookie will not cause you to lose ALL progress on your fitness journey. I like to pick the dessert I know I won’t be able to get my hands on the rest of the year (ie. my aunt’s amazing sugar cookies). By letting yourself live little, you won’t be distracted by the smell of warm dessert while conversing with your loved ones.
Don’t stress. The last thing you want to do after a holiday party is 1) weight yourself and 2) feel guilty from your food hangover the following day. Don’t punish yourself in the gym and restrict calories to make up for a night of celebrating. Just go back to your regular routine. Eat as your normally would, exercise as your normally would and enjoy the memories that you made! Try to refrain from the mindset that “the damage is already don" and continue to binge. Each day that you have this mindset is 2 days away from getting back to your routine. In other words, if you go off track for 4 days, it takes 8 to get on track again.
Disclaimer* If you are an individual with a specific goal in mind (such as a competition), this may be a stressful weekend for you. In the past, I have stuck to lots of protein and veggies during dinner and smuggled in my tastiest protein bar for dessert. This way, you’re still on track while enjoying a meal outside of your fitness bubble!
The main takeaway here is that-- balance is key. Us fitness folks tend to obsess over this time of year but it’s not about the food but who you are eating the food with! You didn’t make all of your progress in one day, which means you won’t lose all of your progress in one day either.
