Hard to believe Halloween is at the end of this week, right? Mostly because that means that Thanksgiving is next month and Christmas and New Years the month after. Basically, it’s 2015 already. Are you ready for this? It’s crazy how fast time flies sometimes. It’s even crazier how many holiday get-togethers with glorious foods and drinks and treats like mashed potato martinis and sticks of butter and gobs and gobs and gobs of sugar (because, hey, that’s what Grandma’s recipe calls for, okay?!) are going to be part of our schedules for the next 8 weeks. It’s my favorite time of year…costumes, my birthday, turkeys, laughs, good cheer, warm hearts. I don’t know, people just seem nicer, probably because we’ve all watched Love Actually or Miracle on 34th Street and we just want to do better.
What I do know is that despite how much I love the holidays, it’s also a huge source of stress. Schedules are hectic, sleep gets lost, and everything is done with excess. I don’t know about you, but in my nearly 37 years of existence, I’ve never entered this season as someone who works out on the regular and is focused on conscious eating. (Not sexy eating. That’s a different thing that you’ll have to ask Mike Fotis about on Twitter.) I’m actually kind of excited to take this holiday season head on with 4x a week workout regimen and the support of the Solcana Food Fan Club (newly deemed Solcana WholeMe). Have you joined our Facebook food group yet? We’re gearing up for a get together on Saturday, November 15 – aptly titled “Let’s Get Through the Holidays!”. It’s a pretty amazing feeling to know you’re surrounded by friends who are thinking about/struggling with the same things you are. We’re in this together, people.
We’ve all read tips and tricks to make it through the season without losing sight of our goals. I’ve managed to come up with an attainable and realistic list of a few things I’m going to use during the scandalous Holidate 2014:
- Stick to a regular routine with sleep. I’m aiming for 7 hours of sleep every night. At least. Bed by 10:30/11pm during the week.
- Watch my alcohol intake. I don’t drink much as it is (I think I’m too old to deal with the hangovers). But should I choose to, I will aim to have a seltzer with a lime twist or a glass of water between alcoholic drinks to help cut calories and remain well hydrated.
- Eat a small, healthy meal before party time. This is good to keep blood sugar in check and help me refrain from binge eating later at night. I have a real problem with not eating enough food each day, which is bad for the metabolism.
- Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to register a “full” sensation and signal the brain that it’s had enough.
- Set goals and keep a food diary. The WODify system that Solcana CrossFit uses to track workouts/progress/schedules actually has a built in area to track your food, which is great! I’ve also used MyFitnessPal with some success, too. I think it’s important to write down what you eat just so you can get a feel for where you’re at during the day, so you don’t feel awful for eating sweets or holiday foods within moderation. The point is to keep stress levels low!
- Eat protein. Quality protein will help you feel full and control your appetite.
- Try to stay consistent with my workout routine. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve never come into a holiday season with 5 consistent months of a workout routine. It’s part of my daily life and I schedule activities around gym time, and I make no apologies
What are things you do to make sure you stick to working towards your goals during the holiday season?
xo,
Jenn