Avoiding a Christmas blowout
The Christmas season is upon us and if you’re anything like me, you’re already planning and prepping for the big day.
Food has this incredible way of bringing people and cultures together. It has always been a celebration of life in my extended family, especially on Christmas day. We go all out!
If you are feeling a little anxious about a Christmas blowout however, please know that food should never be something to fear, nor should you entertain the idea of trade-offs. You can enjoy the food on Christmas day and then continue with whatever nutrition routine works for you afterwards.
One day of indulgence will not undo any hard work you’ve put in the 3, 6 or 12 months leading up to it. Do however be aware of over-eating. We all know that there is a limit to how much our bodies will comfortably tolerate. Over-eating can leave us feeling nauseated, lethargic (enter the good ol’ Christmas day afternoon nap) and bloated.
This year, I have training and body composition goals in place which will require that I apply a little more discipline to my eating habits on the big day. If you are in the same position as me or are working towards better nutrition and health overall, I have some strategies below that you may like to use on Christmas day. Choose one (or more) if they align with your personal nutrition goals.
- Do not arrive hungry – Do not fast the day before Christmas. Eating on an empty stomach can be a recipe for disaster. It is much harder to exercise portion control when you are feeling famished.
- Enjoy a healthy breakfast – Fill up on protein and healthy fats at breakfast time to keep you satiated until lunch.
- Eat mindfully – Enjoy the food and conversation, eat slowly, tune into your body’s fullness cues, and stop eating when satisfied…. not stuffed!
- Bring a healthy salad – Not sure what awaits you? Take a salad packed full of nutritional goodness and make that your main staple.
- Don’t binge – Eating to the point of discomfort is never good. We are at our happiest when we feel healthy and are getting good nutrition.
- Try the 80% full tip – Eat to 80% full to give your body the time it needs to register that you are full. Did you know that it takes about twenty minutes from the start of a meal for the brain to send out signals of satiety?
- Have a plan – Before arriving, form an image in your mind of your plate containing portioned sizes of lean protein, healthy fats and carbs for your personal macro goals, and then stick to it when the food arrives.
- Make adjustments to your meal plan – If you are in the practice of carb cycling, switch your carb cycle days to make Christmas day your high carb day.
- Food swap – try swapping out some of the more traditional Christmas treats and sweets with healthier alternatives. I have included a link below to some delicious raw Christmas Puddings by Pete Evans.
- Take responsibility – no one else is loading up your plate!
- Exercise self-control – think ‘am I eating this food because I want/need it, or am I eating it just because it’s there?’
We want to wish all of our members and followers a wonderful Christmas and a safe, prosperous, happy and healthy New Year. We hope to see you all out for a workout with Outdoor Grit soon!
Raw Christmas Puddings:
https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/raw-christmas-puddings-20140901-3eohb
Keen to try Outdoor Grit?
Outdoor Grit is the new outdoor group fitness provider in Adelaide, specialising in functional health and fitness services for all. We are based in Prospect, at St. Helen’s Park, on 39 Prospect Road, Prospect.
We offer early and mid-morning sessions on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as well as Tuesday afternoons. As our group continues to grow, we endeavour to grow our session times too. This is something we will do in consultation with our members, so we can offer more session times that work in with your varied schedules.
To book in your free intro session, click on the link below:
https://outdoorgrit.sites.zenplanner.com/freeTrial.cfm
We can’t wait to see you at one of our upcoming sessions.
Dayna Jackiw – Co-Founder Outdoor Grit
Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach