Nutrition Tips for the Holiday Season

With Thanksgiving approaching quickly, I wanted to dedicate a short article to providing a couple of nutrition tips to keep you on track.

Holidays are one of the guaranteed times of the year where people seem to struggle sustaining their nutritional goals.

With all the family gatherings and extreme amounts of food, it’s easy to see why. Many end up skipping workouts and eating a lot more than normal.

This can lead to a regression in results. It’s one of the unfortunate consequences.

But don’t worry, today I want to share two great strategies with you. These strategies will ensure that you can enjoy those little indulgences, while not breaking the bank on your progress.

Let’s get to it!

1. Exercise before you eat

Most tend to have their big meals in the afternoon or evening on holidays. This makes the morning a perfect time to get in one last training session leading up to the “big” meal.

Whenever you exercise, your carbohydrate energy stores are reduced or can even be depleted. This is great news for you, because it means once you eat that high carbohydrate meal a lot of those carbs are going to be stored in your muscles and liver to be used for energy later on down the road.

One of the reasons why obesity and diabetes have become so prevalent in our society is that people over consume carbohydrates. I have talked about this in a previous article before regarding hormones and food.

If you are constantly eating a diet of refined and processed carbohydrates, your stores are going to be full. As you eat more carbs, they need a new place to be stored. They eventually end up being stored as body fat.

As this occurs overtime, it can easily lead to increases in overall body fat and other health concerns.

That’s not to say that one meal is going to make you obese. Rather, it shows how your progress can be hindered. Getting in one last workout can be a great way to combat this problem.

2. Limit carbohydrate intake leading up to the “big” meal

This is a great option as well, though you may find it a little harder to accomplish. In the few days leading up to Thanksgiving, make sure to consume more protein, fat, and lower carbohydrate foods like meats, eggs, nuts, and vegetables.

Carbohydrates are not responsible for making people fat. It’s that they are extremely easy to overeat.

And what will happen at big holiday meals? Most will tend to overeat carbohydrate rich foods while limiting protein and fat. That’s just how it is.

So, this strategy works very similar to the one mentioned above. By limiting carbohydrate intake, you create more available storage. This makes that holiday meal a perfect time to take in all those delicious carbs 🙂

There you have it! These two methods can be very effective in ensuring you do not see increases in weight or body fat over the holidays.

Plus, it’s the holidays! Everyone wants to enjoy time with their family without having to worry about what to eat. These provide a way to do just that.

The strategies above allow you to indulge in your favorite foods, all while maintaining that progress you have worked so hard for. Don’t let this be the time when you regress. Implement these methods and you will be all set for the holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you are looking for a personal trainer in Savannah, contact me to set up a consultation.

And if you found any of this information helpful, or know of someone it could help please share with others!

Photo Credit: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/11/26/thanksgiving-meal-trends/3676747/