STAYING ON TRACK OVER THE HOLIDAYS!?

I touched on this briefly in my last post on how to stay fit over the holiday / while in lockdown. But the general notion of the topic is moderation. It is by the far for many the most wonderful time of year. We're granted time off, we get to be with loved ones, and we have the opportunity to scoff down home cooking....yum!

But for many it is a tough time of year as it brings a great deal of food related stress and cravings. A lot of folks dread the thought of over eating and potentially ruining their fitness gains. Though this is in general is a sound thought process, as it promotes being accountable, it is also flawed.

Here's why....

Can you / did you make fitness gains in a single day? Grow all your muscle after one workout? Lose weight after one jog?

I can say with 100% certainty the answer is no.

So how on earth will one day of overeating result in the total detriment of your fitness success and therefore result in you "falling off course". It's simply not possible!

Things that will occur that may make you think "it's all over ;("

Scale going up?

- Common occurrence as you have a lot of food and liquids in your system.

- The contents of your stomach take time to break down and be processed

- It may be a few days where the scale reads 1-5lbs over your current bodyweight

Feeling of guilt?

- Don't blame you...but it's not the end of the world

- You can limit this by selecting small portions of diverse pickings

- Grab a little bit of everything rather then a plate full of each

- Guilt is self imposed. Come to terms early on that you will likely indulge in the things that make you happy, don't sweat it.

- Remember you didn't gain in a single day, so you won't lose in a single day.

Headaches / dehydration:

- After consuming a whole lotta calories, especially above that of which you are used too your body may reject all the "crap" you put into it. Headaches, dehydration, and pour sleep often follow a night of less than ideal eating conditions.

- Drink a big glass of water following the meal to help hydrate and start the flushing process of the food.

Here's what to do....

1. Fogetaboutit!

We've established the situation may be less than ideal but it surely is not the end of the world. Get over yourself and get back to basics tomorrow.

2. Don't worry about it!

Same dang principle. Move on!

3. DO NOT DO EXTRA EXERCISE!

People have the tendency of thinking. "Well if I ate too many calories, I can just burn them off" .... proceeds to over exert themselves with cardio and feel even worse.

Extra calories does not mean more cardio. Just relax. Take the time off. Calm yourself.

For the most part a lot of folks are already under eating so the sudden surplus (re-feeding event) in calories may actually provide a greater benefit to your subsequent trainings.

Doing extra exercise is a path to injury, or getting chewed out by your family / SO for working out on Christmas day.

4. Enjoy it while it lasts!

For some of us who are seasoned in getting back on track, this time of year can't come soon enough or last nearly long enough. So enjoy the treats while you can :)

These are but a few things to help you understand and enjoy the festive treats and delicacies without thinking the fabric of time and space will come crashing down.

Just remember that it took you 10 months to learn how to walk, 5 years before you could read, and 20 years before you became an adult, so gaining weight and losing all hope won't happen over a turkey dinner and some shortbread cookies.

Food for thought ;)

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by passion"

JB