OK gang, it’s that time of the year again and you are wondering what you can do to enjoy your Thanksgiving or other Holiday feast and not feel guilty. Why would you feel guilty? Have I not already taught you how to make better food choices? Well, this year I can give you a few secret tips to help out. When I think of eating I think of fuel for my machine. Your body needs all kinds of energy and food is where we get it. Of course the more active we are, the more fuel we need for our bodies to function properly. So for every large holiday meal I love the opportunity to have many varieties of the macro nutrients my body needs to grow and be healthy.
When you arrive at the dinner table scope out the meats first – these are your proteins. These are the building blocks. Choose a portion about the size of the palm of your hand. Then you will see many different starches or carbohydrates, the delivery system. Carbs put protein into your cells. They are so necessary in maintaining lean muscle that you can’t imagine how crazy I get when someone tells me they are cutting them out of their diet. Choose a small portion of yams or mashed potatoes, especially if your meal is earlier in the day instead of a late night meal. Then comes your fiber, the green veggies. You may see green bean casserole, broccoli, spinach, collards, salads of many different varieties and squash or other mixed vegetables. Fiber fuels your eliminations system, so add as much of this as your heart desires.
Now for the big secret to eating that nobody has ever told you in the United States, even though most other countries eat this way all the time. There is a specific order to how you eat. My order of explanation of the macronutrients is the order in which you should eat. Eat your protein first, your starchy carbohydrates second to send those proteins to your cells and your fiber last to push out what your body doesn’t need. If you eat every meal like this, you will NEVER have to be on a low carb or low calorie diet EVER again.
And now the question of what to do after your meal. Do you hit the dessert tray now, or later? I’d say later. Let your meal digest. Participate in whatever family ritual you have come to accept. I hear of these barbaric sporting events like football and things of that nature that some like to watch, but I have my own ritual of going to The Crest Fitness Club.
In years past I would post on the website and other social media pages the time that I would be there and would let any friend of mine or member come in to exercise with me. This year, thanks to modern technology, we are open ALL DAY LONG on Thanksgiving for all Crest Fitness members that have keycard door access. That’s right, we are now open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Come in for your workout and cardio session then go back home, or to wherever you were celebrating this holiday, and repeat what you learned above. Make different choices in the same macro groups and top it off with a nice selection of your favorite desserts so that sugar can push all your nutrients into your nicely torn muscles. This would also give me energy to stay up late with my family and play a nice game of 31. That’s a card game we played as a tradition with my Italian side of the family.
Happy Holidays and stay healthy my friends