How to Stay on Track Throughout the Holidays
Happy Thursday Squadies and happy Thanksgiving to all my American Squadies! For all the Americans planning a Thanksgiving feast this weekend, this post is for you! One of the BIGGEST reasons we choose not to stick to our healthy habits during the holiday season is because we don’t know how to navigate through our whoopsie-filled holiday celebrations. Today I am going to be talking about how to stay on track throughout the holidays!
Although this year our celebrations may have to be smaller due to COVID-19 restrictions, there may still be plenty of whoopsies to go around! What are some of the easiest ways to stay on track while still enjoying the holidays?
The Day Of…Preparation for your Thanksgiving feast all starts in the AM!
Fasting and Morning Workout
First thing in the morning, let’s get our metabolisms ready to go with a fasted morning workout! If you do not fast, that is totally okay, working out in the morning will STILL get your metabolism going, fasted or not, meaning you will BURN MORE throughout the day ahead!
Another great way to prepare yourself for the big meal ahead is to eat LESS and/or stay in a fasted state LONGER the day of the feast. This way, you are consuming fewer calories beforehand, giving you MORE calories to consume before hitting your daily caloric intake goal.
Although it is totally OK to go over that calorie intake goal once in a while, finding ways to avoid intaking a huge excess of calories is always beneficial! This tip is a huge help when trying to stay on track throughout the holidays!
FEAST time: Water!
A key way to avoid falling off track is to pay attention to your water intake! Having some fun whoopsie drinks is a MUST, but many whoopsie drinks including pop, beer, mixed alcoholic drinks, or juices contain TONS of sugar! Not only will this fill you up, leaving less room for your holiday feast, but it will also leave you feeling tired and bloated afterward.
Keep your water close by and full! Have a glass between drinks and make sure you are pacing yourself throughout the night!
Lean Choices
Who said LEAN foods couldn’t be just as tasty and satisfying as unhealthy ones?! Mixing in some healthy side dish and dessert options with some of your favourite whoopsies will allow you to still have a super tasty and enjoyable meal, without all the bloating and other negative effects that come along with eating too much of the wrong foods.
There will ALWAYS be some family traditional dishes and fan favourites that are just unreplaceable, no matter HOW similar the healthy version may be - and that is totally okay! I would never encourage my Squadies to cut out all the foods they love, instead, mix in some healthy side dish options, like these ones and start enjoying your holiday meals WITHOUT feeling guilty afterward!
Portion Control
The last point goes hand and had with this one: It is 100% OKAY and ENCOURAGED to enjoy your whoopsies, but that doesn’t mean that you need to over-indulge. Portion control is a HUGE factor that can make the difference between staying on track or not throughout the holiday season.
Sometimes, we overeat for the simple reason that it is already in our plates in front of us, ready to be consumed! A great way to portion control is to simply put LESS food on your plate and eat a bit slower than usual.
Another tactic you can try is staying further way from the whoopsie foods! Grab a cookie and walk away! Standing or sitting right by the whoopsies makes it SO much easier to just lean over and grab another one...or two!
The Next Day…
After your holiday feast, it is important to take steps to get back on track right away! Instead of going another 2-3 days eating unhealthy foods or not exercising, wake up and jump right into a workout!
Workout: One of the most effective workouts you can do is a HIIT workout. You don’t need any equipment, just 30 minutes of time and a small amount of space!
What better way to get back on track than jumping straight into a 30-Day Lean challenge? Checkout my NEXT 30-day challenge, beginning on November 30th to help you stay LEAN with the right workouts and a supportive community all throughout this holiday season!
Healthy Foods:
There may be some whoopsies leftover from the night before, but let’s avoid those right off the bat! Try making some leanlicious, healthy foods to get your body running off of the right nutrients it needs to keep your feeling your best! Not sure where to start with healthy meals? Check out my custom MEAL PLANS, with easy-to-make, tasty recipes that will keep you satisfied and feeling good on the new LEANSQUAD App!
