|
2006/11/01, 09:16 AM
Surviving the Holidays - How to enjoy the holidays without undue stress about your ‘diet’ or fitness level.
It has been asked on the boards that someone make a post about this subject. I will open the subject and anyone else with good tips can chime in!
Holidays are difficult times for fitness-minded people. They are so tied in to food as an integral part of the holiday. One thing to do with any holiday is to enjoy the company, enjoy the get-together, rather than focusing solely on the food. Being with extended family and friends is a treasure, savor it.
If holidays are unpleasant occasions that cause you to backslide into bad habits (drinking to relieve the pressure, etc) than you need to re-evaluate the importance of those get-togethers and scrap them if necessary. Create your own, new holiday traditions that don’t involve family members who are intolerable or miserable or hostile. It is easier than you think and lifts a huge weight off your shoulders.
As pointed out in another post, if your eating is on track the rest of the year, a slice of pie will not set you back. But you do need to realize that the typical Thanksgiving meal has a full day's worth of calories in it, so wise choices need to be made. You need to allow yourself to enjoy the holiday foods and relax. (this doesn’t apply to challenge competitors, who will get specific treat/cheat days but need to stay pretty strict).
One good tip for any holiday is to get in a really good workout the day of the holiday, so when you do eat more/different than normal it will be a little less impacting.
Let’s start with Thanksgiving - navigating your way around the table at Thanksgiving isn’t that hard - many things are very good for you. (especially if you are the host, then you can make healthier versions of things. I will post a separate holiday meal recipe post in the nutrition section) White meat from the turkey breast, green beans with almonds, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes. Have small servings of what you like, leave the things you don’t really care for (I have found that I used to eat some of everything, whether I really liked it or not, now I leave the things that aren‘t ‘worth‘ the calories to me (creamed pearl onions) and focus on the things I really like ..(stuffing)), and try to focus on the meaning of the holiday - Thankfulness. Enjoy the company, the conversation, the abundance of great things in your life. Try to make that your focus instead of how much food you can get onto your plate. Eat slowly, savor the flavors, drink plenty of water. Moderation is key. After the big meal, try to be the motivating factor to get people to go for a walk or play a game - anything other than just flopping, overfed, onto the cough. If no one is interested, make yourself busy by helping with the clean-up.
If you are hosting, send home any leftovers that you know aren’t on your daily diet with guests. Send away the leftover pies and desserts, etc. You had them for the holiday, now back to your master plan, right?
Christmas/Hanukkah/Yule, whatever holiday you celebrate at mid-winter, it is again invariably tied to certain foods and getting together to eat. Being the host is one easy way to be sure there are items on the menu that you can eat - roast pork loin, roast beef, roast turkey - all good choices for holiday protein. And again, the sides are your choice, make veggies and stuffing, make them healthier. This doesn’t mean losing all of the flavor or fat. Just even cutting half the fat out of a recipe makes it healthier than it would have been. If you are not the host, but it is a potluck, bring something you know is good for you. Again, sample the things you really want to have, leave the things you don’t really care about and take small portions. Savor the flavor, make good conversation and relax. You have ahd a month of good eating and exercising since thanksgiving - you can have that slice of pie. Again, right back on track tomorrow - send the leftovers away if they are things you don’t normally eat.
Organize a sledding party or a winter’s night walk 0 so beautiful when it is snowy… be the motivating factor in getting people moving. Even if it is a board game, it is better than sitting.
New Year’s - not too food focused, but often a night of too much drinking.. Pace yourself with a glass of water in-between drinks. Try a wine-spritzer or a cranberry /vodka or grapefruit/vodka. Or stick with flavored water and enjoy being one of the few people who don’t have a hangover on new Year’s Day and go to the gym and start reaching for those new goals….
I hope this is helpful, as I said I will post some holiday recipes, I have made them and my in-laws were none the wiser and raved about the food. You don’t have to be preachy, you don’t have to feel deprived, but you can make it healthier and more enjoyable, less stressful!
--------------
Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.
Napoleon Hill
|
|
|
|
2006/11/01, 09:19 AM
That is flopping onto the couch, not cough. Spellcheck didn't catch it because it is a real word, darn it...
--------------
Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.
Napoleon Hill
|
|
2006/11/04, 09:05 AM
This is from bodybuildingabout.com :
Top 10 Stay Fit During the Holidays Tactics
From Hugo Rivera,
Your Guide to Bodybuilding.
Continuing with my Holiday’s Theme, I want to share with you my Holiday Survival Tactics to Staying On Track With Your Bodybuilding and Fitness Program. In this article, I will disclose my top 10 personal strategies for surviving the Holiday’s with minimum fat gain, if any.
1) Workout as early as possible, preferably first thing in the morning.
If your schedule is really hectic, I would advise waking up early and getting training done, if possible, right before you go to work. If this is not possible, then try doing it at lunch-time or right after work so that nothing else interferes with your workout. On days off from work, definitely get the training done as early as possible.
2) If you really cannot train more than 3 days a week, try my Holidays' Routine.
The Holidays' Routine is designed for a serious bodybuilder that wants maximum muscle along with definition and is willing to train 3 days a week for 75 minutes. If that is still too much then just cut 1 set for all the exercises listed with more than 1 set for them and this will bring down your gym time by around 15-20 minutes.
3) Plan your workout days one week ahead.
Because of the amounts of get togethers and days that the gym may be closed, it is best if you decide a week ahead which days you will be attending the gym. In this manner, your chances of missing a workout due to parties or gym closures are eliminated.
4) Plan Your Cheat Days Wisely.
I have to say that I am an expert at this one. Reason for this is because Thanks Giving is on the 24th, my birthday is on December 5th, my anniversary on December 17th, Christmas on the 25th and New Year’s on the 31. So those are my cheat days. My advise is to attempt to space cheat days with at least 5-6 days in between, 6 being the better choice.
5) Eat Your Cheat Meals Wisely.
When you have a cheat meal, start eating the protein portion first as this will get you to start getting full. Leave the carbs for the end of the meal. Also, try to not stuff yourself. Instead allocate four hours and a half of cheating per cheat day. This will allow for 3 cheat meals (one every 90 minutes). After your cheat period, go back on your regular diet.
6) Have a tough workout before you cheat to minimize fat gain and maximize muscle.
Reason for this is because after a workout the body is primed to absorb nutrients in the form of proteins and carbohydrates. Thus, having a cheat meal afterwards will ensure that most nutrients are used for recovery and muscle production.
7) Take 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate and 300 mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Taking 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate and 300 mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid at the beginning of your cheat period helps to increase your cell’s ability to accept insulin, and thus, assimilate the extra carbohydrates better. As a matter of fact, increasing insulin sensitivity is one of the reasons why I like to have a big workout prior to the cheat period.
8) Have some EFA’s with your cheat meal.
Research indicates that some Essential Fats like the ones found on flax oil or fish oils have anti-lipolitic properties. In other words, they inhibit some of the enzymes responsible for fat storage. By taking these fats with your first cheat meal of your cheat period, you can minimize some of the damage. One tablespoon of Carlson Fish Oils or Spectrum Flaxseed Oil should do the trick. Capsules can be used but you would need 10-14 of them to equal a tablespoon of the liquid version.
9) Take some digestive enzymes with each one of your cheat meals.
This will ensure maximum nutrient assimilation and will also help you avoid feelings of excessive fullness and indigestion.
10) Three to five hours after the cheat period has ended have a 30-minute walk.
I’m not talking about anything strenuous; around 2.5 to 3 miles per hour is a good pace. Doing some cardiovascular activity after the cheat period has ended will start burning some of the carbohydrates that may still be lingering around. The more of these you burn, the less likelihood of storing body fat. If you cannot do this walk on the same day of the cheat period then try it on the morning after on an empty stomach.
|
|
2006/11/08, 07:33 PM
Here is an article by Monica Brant :
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/monica8.htm
|
|
2006/11/08, 08:06 PM
Good read Asimmer...
|
|
2006/11/12, 09:27 AM
Hey - check out my holiday tips as an article!
http://www.liftforlife.com/holidaydieting.htm
--------------
There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.
Kurt Hahn
|
|
2006/11/13, 03:25 PM
i am not a serious bodybuilder...but i do like to stay in shape. every year around this time, my girlfriends and i have a fitness challenge. we all put money in a pool and compete in different catagories. losing body fat, fastest mile run...most sit-ups, push ups etc. keeps us on track and i am not as tempted to eat or slack off from the gym because i want to kick their butts!!
|
|
2006/11/13, 07:55 PM
Great idea!
--------------
There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.
Kurt Hahn
|
