The Holidays Have Arrived and I’m Scared

The holidays have arrived and I’m scared.

I hope the title of this got your attention. That is my intent of course. But, it’s not just the title of this little article. It is the truth.

What am I afraid of? I’m afraid that many of my new friends will give themselves license to return to their OLD way of life.

It’s Thanksgiving, shouldn’t I indulge? Yes you should. But, you should also REMEMBER. Remember how much hard work you have put in. Hard, hard work. Many of you have worked harder in the past 6 months than you have in your entire lives. So, I ask again, should I indulge? Again, yes BUT… we need limits. Primarily what I want to share with you is: HOW DO I STAY ON TRACK DURING THE HOLIDAYS? Before I give you some easy to apply tips about staying on track, let me set this up for you some.

One of the things that I have guarded against over the years is to not ostracize myself because of how I eat. Let me be really clear, open and honest. I have cheat meals. I think it’s mentally healthy. And more to my point here, I think it’s the correct thing to do SOCIALLY. We live in a culture that has made mealtime, social time. Wether it’s right or wrong, this is the age that we live in. We associate good times and friends with food and drink. In my mother’s house, on Thanksgiving day, she expects me to eat some of nearly everything that she has spent two days preparing. And I will comply. It will make me need a nap but, I’ll happily and guilt free eat everything that my dear mother has made. I encourage you to do the same. But, we have to do so knowing that we have to get back on track right away.

Here is where TIP #1 comes in: Plan how many cheat meals will take place over the Thanksgiving holidays and DO NOT vary from that plan. If you don’t have family close enough to visit, don’t like them or you just like to eat alone, you have an advantage here. You get to control what and where you will eat for your holiday meal. However, if you are like my family, we have MULTIPLE places that we are EXPECTED to be on Thanksgiving. So, if you already know when, where and how many of these feasts you have to attend, plan that many cheat meals and be done with it. In our case, we will go to my parent’s house and two days later, Windi’s parent’s house. That would be two cheat meals plus another cheat meal of leftovers. DONE. OVER. Back to normal. I recommend you do something similar to this.
But, why? I’m glad you asked. The why is because, unless you have been eating a natural food diet (Paleo, etc.) for a year or two, you are liable to revert back to old habits. That third piece of pecan pie COULD SEND YOU IN TO A TAIL SPIN. Don’t let it happen. Make a plan and stick to it come Hell or high-water.

Tip #2. Workout ASAP after a day of bad eating. If you have too much pumpkin pie on Thursday, get your butt in to that gym on Friday. If you are traveling and don’t have access to a gym, step off 50 meters and do 10 wind sprints as fast as you can, drop down and do 50 push-ups and call it a day. Working out is a part of your life rhythm now. Get back in rhythm. Here is a little secret too: That first workout after eating bad for 1-2 meals might rock you pretty good (as intended). That leads to tip 3.

Tip #3. It is all SYMBIOTIC. When you eat good, you sleep good, you perform good. Put those in any order that you choose. They are a circle. I’ll leave this here for you to mull over while you are having that last glass of holiday wine.

Tip #4. Don’t go nuts with your cheat meals. Yes, they are cheat meals. Eat whatever you want. But, be smart with portions. You will be glad you did. If you haven’t been eating high carb stuff like…well, stuffing, it’s going to hurt. The more you consume, the more it will make you uncomfortable. Small portions. One piece of pie not 3.

Tip #5. Drink a lot of water. I recommend leaving the sweet tea and sodas alone even on these cheat days/meals. Staying hydrated while eating all this junk will keep you feeling decent. But, the loads of sugar in sodas, sweet tea and fruit juices is just more than your system will stand if you are eating all of the other treats.

Tip #6. See this as a once a year thing. I’m always fearful when athletes start seeing food as their “treat”. Your real treat is looking, feeling and performing better. You didn’t get here by “treating” yourself to any and every food under the stars. My point is, have this meal or two and get back on track immediately. This isn’t a pass to go back to attempting to “out exercise my diet”. IT DOESN’T WORK.

Tip #7. Workout often the week of the holiday. Also, workout the night before you are leaving town or having your feast. Don’t see the workout as a necessary evil, see it as a part of your life. When you do these workouts with other people, it is straight up fun. The ability to perform the way that you all do, is a gift. See it as that. There are plenty of people that would do anything to be able to do ring rows or wall balls or (GASP!) burpees. Be thankful for the ability to walk, run, push, pull and sweat.

Thanks for reading. Have safe travels and a Happy Thanksgiving. GET IN THE GYM THIS WEEK!

-Coach Matt