They’re coming! All the holiday parties, dinners, and get-togethers with all our favourite cheat meals and deserts. You literally feel like you have to dodge a minefield and once you get hit it’s all over. One cookie can turn into a weekend of sabotage. We have all been there. I’ve put together my top 3 strategies to focus on during the holidays to avoid a sugar-binging disaster.
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make going into the holidays is that they try and eat too little the day of the party. When this happens, people tend to indulge because they are already craving calories (energy) and sugar in particular.
The strategies:
- Plan ahead. Mark your events down on the calendar so you can adjust your macros and calories for the week leading into that date. This will calculate into having some extra calories to use up on the day of the party or dinner. This should help you avoid starving yourself on the day off and turning into a starving angry lion.
- Stay consistent with your workouts during the week and even through in an extra cardio session or two. This will give you a bigger “calorie bank” to use up during those holiday parties. If you can’t get back to the gym, add an additional 20 to 30 minutes of cardio after your weight training.
- It’s important to stay present at any given moment, but take advantage of this month to focus on your 2022 goals. Occasionally start writing down your goals for the new year and how you are going to reach them. For me personally, I start to put together my Marcos and diet that I’m going to start within January. I’ll have my plan of attack all set for when January hits so I’m not scrambling around for direction when it’s already the new year. With this mentality, it will help you keep the big picture in mind keeping you motivated to stay on track during tempting times.
Spending the holidays on a restricted diet is no fun. Enjoy some of your favourite foods and use the extra calories to hit the gym hard. If you do end up in a slight surplus in calories it’s a good time to focus on muscle building and getting stronger. Everything is leading up to your 2022 goals. Start making that plan to make next year your best!
Photo By: PJ
