Holiday eating
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George Papadakos - Triathlon Training & Fitness
Queue Andy Williams...
"It's the most wonderful time of the year,
With cocktails not stopping,
Hors d'oeuvre we keep popping,
And lots of good cheer,
Its the most wonderful time of the year"
Created by yours truly, with a little help from Andy Williams, sums up how the holiday season can be.
I love the Christmas season, a great time to reflect on what you're thankful for, spread the magic of the season to those you know and even to those you don't.
With that being said it is also a very stressful time of the year as well. Trying to find that perfect gift, battling through malls and the worry of those in-laws coming home for the holidays (i.e. cousin Eddy, think Christmas vacation). But then there's the host of Christmas parties and functions where food is in abundance and almost certainly being pushed in your face everywhere you turn.
But with some planning we can come out of the holiday season where we started, or at least close enough that once we put the holidays behind us we don't have to go to food rehab.
Obviously with the holidays, for some and not all, means the occasional, if not more cocktails. Having an idea of the amount of calories in each drink you consume may help to decrease your servings and/or frequency.
Unless you are drinking an ultra light beer which has around 64 calories, most beers have 100-260 calories per beer. Cocktails like the Long Island Ice tea have around 600-780 calories per drink which is the equivalent of a meal, and is laden with sugar.
Sticking to a moderate consumption routine and mixing in a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage will not only help keep you hydrated, but also slow the amount of alcohol you consume. I like red wine as it has been proven to offer health benefits like preventing heart disease and certain cancers, and has a calorie content around 100-120 per glass.
Great food and Christmas go hand in hand, and I spend a good part of November thinking about turkey, lamb and all the trimmings. Some tips to keep you from over indulging this festive dining season is to not fast the day of a big meal.
By eating regularly and routinely throughout the day you won't have to undo those top buttons after Christmas dinner or change into a pair of sweat pants to deal with the pressure building at the waistline.
Adding healthy snacks like veggies and fruit between meals or having a salad as an appetizer will help you fill up faster and will limit what we put on our plates. If you're one of the lucky ones that can eat plate after plate and not suffer, go ahead and wear those track pants to the table in pride.
The toughest part of the holidays to get through are the sweets. Cookies, baked goods, confections and just plain old boxes of chocolate hang around everywhere you go. Many of my awesome customers bring in these holiday offerings… and who am I to say no. Just remember that every time you eat something sugary, your body will crave it that much more. Just try cutting sugar out of your diet and see how cranky you get.
If you really want to counter balance those extra calories that the holidays throw at you, don't skip the exercise. Keeping to your fitness regimen will help burn off some of the stress whether it be physical, mental or sugar.
Being mindful of what we are consuming over the holidays we can say no to those New Years resolutions and return back to our normal routines knowing that we got the best of the holidays, and the holidays didn't get the best of us.
Until I meet you at the start line, train safe, have fun and Happy Holidays!!