I’ve heard some people call Nov-Dec “Eating Season” because of the holidays and the countless gatherings, social events, etc that tend to happen in this time
It seems like all we do is eat.
For two months – non stop
When I worked at a school, there was food around everywhere this time of year. In the Teachers Lounge, in the Office, in MY Office. Students would even bring me food.
The week before winter break the administration at the school used to walk to every staff member’s room with trays of cookies, pastries, and all kinds of tasty stuff.
You want to partake, but you don’t want to get off track with your training and nutrition goals.
This can be a stressful time for some. However, you can enjoy this time of year and still make progress towards your fitness goals.
A couple of quick tips to enjoy yourself and keep progressing through “Eating Season”:
✅ If you know you are going to a holiday function that evening, save up some of your daily calories for that gathering. Eat much lighter leading up to it then you might otherwise. do. Some people eat very little or even completely fast prior to a gathering. Either way, you will bank some calories that you can “spend” that night
✅Try eating some protein before you go to that function. Eating protein will take the edge off your hunger, and will probably keep you from overloading your plate too much.
✅Keep an eye on the alcohol consumption. I am not saying don’t have a drink, but the more you do drink, the more the “munchies” tend to set in, which means the more calories you will most likely consume.
✅Continue to be active – Schedules can get crazy this time of year, but its really important to keep working out – whether that is going to the gym, walking, running, biking, or even fitting in a quick workout at home, keep it up!
I think THE most important thing to do is,…. listen carefully,……
Let yourself enjoy this time of year WITHOUT feeling guilty about it. Period. Go to the party, try some of these strategies, enjoy yourself, and get back on track the next day. That’s all it takes. It’s simple.
The holidays can be stressful for a number of reasons – just don’t let you worrying about going to a party and how it will affect your progress, be one of them.
Keep everything in perspective – keep your goals in your sight.
Most importantly, enjoy the journey
Happy Holidays!
