THANKSGIVING POINTERS…
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, can you believe it! It is time to start preparing ourselves for the holidays! Just like we prepare our weeks, in advance, mapping out a game plan, we have to do the same for the holidays!
Tis the season where sweets and treats are everywhere! We are tempted at the office, at home, at friends, at the bank and just about everywhere we go. From now until the New Year, treats are everywhere! This can make it harder to stick to our exercise regimen and nutritional program but not if we are prepared and have a plan! Family gatherings and holiday travel can make it difficult to stay on track, but it IS possible! Holidays revolve around good, rich and yummy foods which are tempting. If you have been exercising and eating balanced and healthy, year round, you can partake in the holiday craze without guilt! The key is portion control and jumping right back on your program the following meal and the following day.
Make exercising earlier in the day a priority. Then you’ll be less likely to put it off and you will feel better about having a bite or two of your favorite holiday foods. Even if you don’t usually exercise in the morning, think about it and get it done! If you can’t make it to the gym or your gym is closed, use one of my circuit workouts or exercise outdoors (for those who live where it is not snowing!)
Eat a light snack before you go to your dinner. That way you won’t feel quite so hungry when you arrive and you can graze the hors d’oeuvre table, without going too crazy! Don’t go to big holiday meals on an empty stomach. Eat a light healthy snack before going to family dinners or holiday events. It sounds funny to eat before you eat but if you go to the table very hungry, you are more likely to eat more quickly and end up eating too much. Also you know how it is, waiting for everyone to arrive and for the food to be finished cooking, you could be waiting hours before you eat! Be prepared and eat something before you head out the door!
Do not eat less, during the day, to save your calories for dinner. So many people try to work out more and eat less, in order to bank their calories for later but this is NOT a smart idea. First of all, you want to keep your metabolism moving so need to start with your breakfast and eat every 2-3 hours thereafter. In order to be able to burn off that Thanksgiving food, you need your metabolism to be revved up, right? On the other hand, if you wait to eat until Thanksgiving, you will be absolutely starving and end up eating much more than if you were to have been eating on your regular schedule!
Take it all in with your eyes first. Look closely at what’s being offered — then pick out a couple of your favorite high-calorie options and have a small serving of each. Fill up on lighter stuff, like veggie sticks with salsa, shrimp cocktail, salmon or almonds.
Watch those drinks! Many holiday drinks have TONS of calories. I have offered up my Peppermint Martini as an option! Go for the clears (i.e. vodka) with a no calorie mixer (i.e seltzer water or diet soda) or a glass of wine but stay away from creamy cocktails!
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! Often you think you are hungry when really you are just dehydrated! Not to mention all the extra sodium that may be in the holiday food. Drink your water!
Cut down on sugars – We often tend to indulge ourselves by eating way too many sweets during the holidays. We either use it as an excuse to eat those delicious treats or we unconsciously eat as you walk by a break room or take a bite of someone’s homemade holiday treats! Remember that eating healthy foods will give you energy and help keep you healthy at the same time. Remember to make your healthy holiday treats the healthy way by simple modifying your recipe!! Check the recipe section for all those holiday treats made the healthy way!
Have a bit or too of dessert, as long as you don’t overdo it. If you do, don’t feel guilty! As long as you only have a small piece, you are in the Clear! If you fill up on your roughage and lean proteins at dinner, I am sure you wont be wanting to kill an entire pumpkin pie but at the same time if it is mama’s special pie, go for a bite or two. My thought is, if it was bought as Safeway, I would pass but if it was mama that slaved away baking all day, come on, give it a taste or two!!
This is one day I would not recommend you BYOP, (bring your own protein), you know how we do that protein in a purse thing… Keep your protein at home. There will be plenty of Turkey, just go for the light white meat over the dark meat. 🙂
It is easier to control a meal if you are the one hosting, making it easy for you to use healthier alternatives in your cooking. This isn’t always the case but if you are hosting the holidays, this is a great way to show people how delicious healthy cooking can be. I bet your guests will be asking you for recipes and wonder how you made something so healthy taste so delicious! If you are cooking, be sure to make choices that can easily substitute for the “real deal”. Using non fat plain or Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and mayonnaise can lower the fat of items such as mashed potatoes, coleslaw, egg salad, tuna salads and other cold salads. Remember our cauliflower mashed potatoes, oh yes, those are a great substitute for potatoes. Maybe you can’t get away with serving these to everyone but a few options are to dilute the potatoes with the cauliflower or make a side of the cauliflower mashed for you. Salad dressings can also benefit from the use of yogurt. I like to use lemons, grainy mustard and yogurt for a simple yet tasty, creamy salad dressing. Try to stay away from creamy casserole dishes but other than that, Thanksgiving tends to offer us the wholesome foods that are on our lifestyle program. Turkey, yams, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkin… all staples in our diets it is just what you do to them that can get you in trouble! Simply set aside your platter before dousing in butter or creams, if you must use those items to please your guests…
As for appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, vegetable plates, roasted veggies, smoked salmon, deviled eggs, bowl of nuts, olive platters or fruit plates make for fast and easy healthy finger foods. An alternative to crackers is celery, flax chips, or other whole grain crackers. You can use the dressing I mentioned above, hummus or salsa to dip the veggies and or crackers in.
When you are not in control of what is being served and are visiting friends and family, make sure to pick and choose the most nutritious items then find a few of the rich and or sweet items, that you must try, but choose smaller portions so that you can enjoy the taste without the guilt. If you just remember moderation, you will be able to enjoy your aunt’s homemade pie without it altering your weight loss goals!
Whether you cooking or being cooked for, it is really important to remember to get in some type of exercise, each day, even if only in small spurts. During the holidays, is a great time to utilize our circuit training workouts or simply create your own. It seems like our time is so limited, during this season, so being able to get in and get out becomes more attainable. Getting in a full circuit workout will keep your heart rate up and allow you to get the weight baring movements you need to sustain your hard earned muscle. Try a 5 minute warm up and then a 25-30 minute circuit comprised of exercises such as, push ups, crunches, pull ups, tricep dips, overhead press, body weight squats and step ups. Incorporate interval cardio in between sets by jumping on the stepper, treadmill or even jumping rope! You will be surprised what a great workout you will get in a short amount of time! The holidays are a great time to utilize circuit training. If you have extra time, you can do another session of moderate cardio, later in the day.
The best idea is to get up from bed early and get the workout done first. You never know how your day will unfold, as the holidays bring about some about of uncertainty, so it is best to get up and get your workout out of the way, first thing! Once you are done, you will feel so great and be able to go on with your day, regardless of what comes up.
If you just be sure to stay active and make smart nutritional decisions, you will cruise through the holiday’s just fine! It is all about preparing yourself for whatever situation may come your way! Plan and prepare and you will stay right on track!
