With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner it's easy to lose focus and let health and fitness goals slip. After all, Thanksgiving is based around a giant meal, and most of us associate it with stuffing ourselves with so much delicious food that we must unbuckle our belts, loosen our pants and take a nap on the couch during the big football game. But with a little planning, you can keep your fitness lifestyle on track during the holidays.
Exercise early
Hit the gym or home exercise routine early in the day before the festivities begin. You won't regret a workout when it's over, but you will regret not doing it.
Have a plan
Even if it's just thinking through the best choices a few hours ahead of the meal, it will prevent you from making impulse decisions that you will later regret. Make decisions about what is worth indulging in and what isn't.
Consider the following calorie counts: Turkey, 30 calories; stuffing, 400 calories; macaroni and cheese, 207 calories; mashed potatoes with gravy, 217 calories; green bean casserole, 110 calories; pumpkin pie, 323 calories; pecan pie, 117 calories.
It all adds up, so choose your calories carefully.
Don't starve yourself
Eat your normal healthy breakfast, and have small, healthy snacks before your get-together. If you're starving, you're more likely to lose control at the food buffet and overindulge.
Fill your plate with healthy choices
Holiday meals actually have some excellent choices. Turkey white meat is an excellent staple for your plate. It's lean and full of protein. Sweet potatoes are another great choice, as long as they aren't loaded with butter, marshmallows or brown sugar. Also, cranberries, salad, apples, broccoli and even red wine are Thanksgiving staples that you can enjoy without doing much damage to your diet.
When preparing meals , you can alter certain recipes and make them healthier. In recipes, use egg beaters instead of eggs, 1/3 less fat cream cheese and skim milk. You and your guests won't miss the extra fat and calories.
Enjoy treats in moderation
It's a holiday, so enjoy the foods you love. But do so in moderation. After you fill up your plate with the best choices, take a small sampling of the mac and cheese, the apple pie, the mashed potatoes. A few bites aren't going to break your lifestyle change. Also, be careful with beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating, and non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.
Move a little
Instead of lying down after the meal to watch the game, get outside and play a game of touch football or take a stroll with your family. Moving after the meal will remind you of your fitness goal and help you stay on track.
You indulged. Now what?
Don't worry about what you ate. It's more important to get right back into your good habits. If you overdid it on the big meal, go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain 1 pound. You will not gain weight from that one piece of pie.
Laura Marentic is owner of Glambition Girl fitness and a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness in Waterloo.
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