Now that October is almost coming to an end, the Halloween candy still digesting in our bellies and the calendar having flipped another page, the vast majority of us start alternatively salivating over holiday dinners and sweating over holiday fat rolls. This is the time most clients come to us with meek faces, speaking of holiday gatherings at Grandma's, or the annual trip to Barbados, oh, I feel too much sympathy.
The trainer-world comes to dread this part of the year, when everyone heads out of town to see the family, indulge in a Southern-fried turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and come back 30 pounds heavier, thereby wasting all the nagging and hard work put in to put you, the client, into that girdled shirt dress.
It is the one time a year thing the country gives themselves the right to gain a "healthy" 10 pounds, thereby warranting a suicide note come the new year. So why not bypass the mass drama and tears, and try to eat healthy?
My past Thanksgiving holiday actually consisted of vegan dishes. Sure, it might not be as filling or give us the meat sweats, but after finishing the meal, we could all stand up without the assistance of a guardrail. This is how all Thanksgivings should be-being thankful that we are able to get out of our chairs after dinner.
This candy-cane striped time of year shouldn't require you to take a mandatory lobotomy when it comes to a healthy diet. Looking at all the food laid out on the table, the desserts, the glistening meats, the savory stuffing, makes the mouth water, and the mind immediately associate the food with the Last Supper you'll ever get before the electric chair. This is the moment we forget that there will still be food tomorrow and the day after, and decide to have three months' worth of calories all in one setting. An average Thanksgiving meal can contain up to 6000 to 7000 calories, including the next day's leftovers. A calorie count that continues at the same pace every night for the next 34 days.
Each person will gain a median of 1-2 pounds during Thanksgiving Day. Some will gain less, and other go up to four pounds during that couple of days. Sure, two pounds doesn't seem like a lot. Even four pounds, when tossed into conversation, doesn't seem particularly harmful. But consider the fact that one pounds equals 3500 calories, and the fact that walking on the treadmill for half an hour eliminates just about 100 of those calories. For tips on how to avoid being a slave to the gym, read on to the next paragraph.
Moderation is required. For those who do not have this word in their vocabulary, try guilt. This is how you'll feel after eating all the food. You'll wake up feeling like a fat cow, and go to bed feeling like a failure. Sure, you might be guilted into being "good" for a few days, weeks-but then you fall, and fall hard. This is how you get those sausage rolls sitting around your stomach-losing elasticity of the skin with yo-yo dieting.
If loose skin doesn't derail you from eating, think of the shame you have facing your trainer. Extra large shirts and pants won't hide what you've been up the past week. As trainers, we notice everything, ladies and gentlemen-everything. You gain one ounce, one fat bubble, or one cellulite pebble, and we know. We are in tune with your bodies as much as you are in tune with yours. I mean, we eat vegan, for God's sake.
We've babied your body to mold, shape, and lift your faults into something passable. There's a certain pride in playing Michaelangelo. And as physical artists, we're not naïve, either. We expect something to go wrong during the next few weeks because of the holidays. We can, however, advise you to be careful with what your eyes are looking at when faced with the dining table.
Be smart. Think about what your body will look like on January 2nd, and how much you'll be able to like yourself after ingesting fruitcake and Turkey to supply enough bits of three great Ethiopian villages. Not a pretty sight. Therefore, if the ham hock sauce, and sit down to digest the stomach can not do anything when the party had begun. I am proud of yourself and happy with your decision.
It will not have to change to avoid gyms, only in the eyes of your accusation personal trainer.
This can be a bitch!
November is the season when the weather is not setpositively with our routine. The days are shorter, sunrise is later, and most of us who do wake up at the crack of dawn decide to throw in the towel. If the sun is still taking its time to wake up, why shouldn't we be able to snuggle under the covers instead of getting in a cold car to get to a cold gym to meet with a cold trainer?
Even if your trainer is an ass, he or she is there to fulfill one goal...to make you swimsuit ready all year round. While others may panic at a spontaneous nude sunbathing trip to Belize, you can gloat (quietly, of course) and sashay up and down the sandy shores with your new and improved body. Gisele has nothing on you.
TRainers share a new eating regimen that you can use during the holidays by understanding the principle of good and bad carbohydrates. The two-part, two-phase method will help you reach your ultimate goal while still taking pleasure in eating tasty foods.
KEEP TO THIS REGIME AND DO NOT FALL OFF THE WAGON. Use the regime described. Put the turkey leg down. Do not put 10 months of hard work for just a few weeks of fun, food, alcohol and whatever else we do during the holidays (unless, of course, what you do is follow Lance Armstrong's workout routine).
No comments:
Post a Comment