Sarah’s Holiday Tips Pt. 1
The holiday season is upon us! This time of year can mean different things to different people. For me, these two months of the year felt like a marathon of survival when I was very sick with my eating disorder. Nowadays, the holidays feel fun and festive! However, with my goals of competing at a high level of CrossFit, I don’t take them as a free-for-all. In fact, I have a few ground rules for myself and reflective exercises to keep me grounded. Here are my rules that help me enjoy the holidays while taking steps toward my goals.
HAVE A PLAN BEFORE THE HOLDIAYS BEGIN. Intead of winging it, take a moment to consider what your goals are for the holidays. Do you want to maintain weight? Enjoy your holiday treats with no guilt or shame? Perhaps you’re doing a bulking cycle where you’re trying to put on more muscle. Take a few minutes to figure out your goal and answer the question, “why?” why is this important to you? What will achieving this goal do for you?
NO STARVATION! It’s not worth it and it will lead to you over-eating later on. I suggest eating a high-protein breakfast to set yourself up for success for the day. I like to put a good chunk of my fats and carbs toward the party or event so that I can confidently indulge without going off of my macros. Drink plenty of water, focus on consuming fruits and vegetables with your protein, and you’ll be golden.
MINDFULLY INDULGE. You’re human! We all indulge during the holidays but it doesn’t have to end in a spiral where you wake up on the couch with your hand in a box of Trader Joe’s Peppermint Jo-Jos! You can take a beat, look at your options, and maybe have a little bit of a few things you like. For me, I LOVE apple pie so I will always choose it but I also love wine and champagne. I know I want both but I won’t go HAM on both of them. I’ll prioritize my wholefoods and then I’ll make room for a little bit of apple pie and 1-2 glasses of wine or champagne. I’ll savor the taste and texture of each bite as well as the memories I’m making while indulging.
MOVE. But not to “burn off” or “earn” your calories. That’s BS and not a good way to have a healthy relationship with food and your body. If you want to get a workout in before a holiday party, go for it! Have fun, make sure it’s something you enjoy, and invite others to join you!
DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING. After you’ve mindfully indulged or even overindulged, just go back to your normal routine! Prioritize lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, and hydration. There’s no need to beat yourself up or do a crazy detox. Your liver detoxes your body naturally and does a phenomenal job. By simply going back to normal and enjoying your life, you'll help cultivate a healthy relationship with food.
TRACK. I have two definitions for this. One, this is the time of year when maintaining our results or even trying to put on muscle is the move. Weight loss during this time of year can set you up for failure. It’s not a bad goal, but I have my clients pump the breaks on weight loss for those couple of months and move toward maintenance. Tracking your food through portions or macros can help you become more aware of how flexible you can be with your nutrition. The second definition is to track days where you indulge if you start to feel like you’re indulging every day. Sometimes, it’s hard to come out of the holidays so I’ll start to mark days on my calendar where I indulge in treats or alcohol so that I have a visual representation to help me determine if I’m being too critical or if I’m drifting towards over-indulging.
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