Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years. Office parties. You name it, there’s a demand on your time during the holiday season. We all have a number of places to be and a number of people to spend time with that we most likely haven’t seen in some time. This, undoubtedly, calls for a celebration and that means food and drink. There’s nothing wrong with that; food and drink have been a way to celebrate any social gatherings for hundreds of years. These times with family and friends are what the holidays are really all about. However, we must be careful as to what it can do to our health.
My previous blogs have mentioned just the kind of power food and drink can have on the body. The holidays basically take our limited times of indulging and ramps it up to be on another level – where there is a Christmas party, office gathering, or event just about every day we could attend and get into those indulgences. This just requires a little game planning before and after your celebrations. The important thing to remember is that when we eat, no matter what it is, our insulin levels go up. They also tend to rise a lot faster, as well as higher, when we eat carbohydrates that are very high in sugar. This is, unfortunately, the majority of what our holiday gatherings tend to offer. Thanksgiving probably saw plenty of us rushing back for another slice of pie. Christmas Day or any holiday party will have its share of Christmas cookies that we all have a hard time saying no to. So, again, what does this mean for you?
It just means you have to plan ahead. If you know you’re going to be at a party or if it’s the day of the holiday, just be sure to eat a small meal before and after the event. It’s important to ensure that the small meals are balanced as well. This means that you should be eating a small serving of protein (something that was going to be an animal) and possibly just some vegetables. This will help keep your insulin levels low. if you’re eating after a party where you’ve had a load of carbs, be sure to have protein afterward that will provide some protein balance to all the carbs you just consumed. This is paramount for the times in the day when you aren’t at your event. The better job you do of keeping your blood sugar at a normal level; the better you’ll do at getting through the holidays without any kind of significant weight gain.
As far as losing the weight you may not already want on you, you’ll have to come see us for help there! Email me at jobie@crossfitvirilis.com.