Here’s Why You Don’t Need to “Get Back on Track” After the Holidays

Some great tips from Food & Nutrition blog!

The holiday season is part of our life! It’s a time to celebrate, a time to spend with friends and family, a time to enjoy, a time to feel good about, and a time to make memories. So placing this dark cloud over it sends the wrong message. I also think the diet industry really overemphasizes holiday weight gain and this sense of the holiday season equating to a “bad track.” So I am hoping to relieve any anxiety over the holiday season in terms of food that you may have. Let the holidays integrate into your life and you can absolutely maintain your healthy lifestyle during it and I would encourage you to do so too!

Here are my tips:

1. Get enough sleep (7 to 8 hours) most days. And if you stay up later than normal hanging out with friends or talking on the porch with your dad then guess what — you are going to have some good memories from that time spent together and the next day you can get that eight hours of sleep. Your body will recover. However, it is harder to recover if day after day after day you are sleep deprived so make this a priority most of the time when you can.
2. Keep exercising! And exercise to celebrate what your body is capable of doing. Exercise to challenge yourself, to feel good, to feel energized, to feel strong, to feel confident, to feel accomplished. Don’t exercise to work off what you ate. There are major differences between these two mindsets.
3. Know that if you have an extra piece of pie then it’s OK. And if you eat more in one sitting than you typically do then that’s OK too — your body will do its thing; it will digest the food and you will get hungry again. So don’t feel guilty and don’t feel anxiety over these choices. Have the pie if you want the pie. And if you don’t, then that’s OK too.
4. If you view the holidays as a time to binge then perhaps reflect on why. My thought is being too restrictive over time will lead to binges. So to prevent this, make sure your lifestyle is balanced, meaning if you want the pie on a non-holiday than that’s OK too.
5. Know that it comes down to what you do most of the time that truly impacts health. Finding an eating pattern that you enjoy and also makes you feel healthy and energized is what is sustainable. I’ve personally found a predominantly plant-based diet makes me feel the best. And bonus — it is good for the environment and our health. So I still include these foods that make me feel good throughout the holiday season.
6. Start now. There is no better time than now to eat well and feel good. Don’t wait until the new year to work on goals you have. Start now. Start where you are. And make it consistent.

Weight Fluctuations? What Gives?

What I hear:

I gained a pound this week! What am I doing wrong?

My weight stayed the same this week! This is not working.

I only lost two pounds this week! I want to quit. 😦

I lost 5 pounds in 10 days – woohoo!

What I say:

What you should do at this point in time… RELAX!!!

You did not gain three pounds of fat overnight – it is impossible, and you did not lose three pounds of fat overnight either.

Body Weight Fluctuations of 1-5 Pounds a Day are Perfectly Normal.

1. Sodium: Think of your body like a pendulum scale. If you eat more salt than usual one day, your body will react by trying to balance the scale by retaining more water. Eat less salt than usual, and you have the opposite affect.

2. Alcohol: This diuretic causes dehydration in the body, which leads to water retention. The water retention is a result of your body wanting to make up for the difference in water levels drinking alcohol has caused.

3. Carbohydrate Intake: The body turns the majority of eaten carbs into glucose for immediate energy. Glucose that is not used for immediate energy, turns to glycogen. Glycogen is stored in the muscle tissue and liver, which is stored with water. Eating a low-carb diet often leads to weight loss as you use up your glycogen stores and the stored water is released. In the long run, fatigue can set in as your quick energy source (carbs) is depleted and not replaced.

4. Strength Training: Lifting weights or doing body weight exercises causes trauma to muscle tissue. This is how the muscle rebuilds itself and makes you stronger. But in order to rebuild the muscle fibers, your muscles retain water to help speed up the process in the cells.

5. Restroom Usage: 1-3 pounds a day of body weight change can be seen by using or not using the restroom. I’m not going to go into detail here, because I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

6. That Time of Month: Most women are probably familiar with this one already. Experts believe that water is retained when hormones fluctuate, especially about one week prior to your monthly visitor. Once your cycle is over, the water is released.

7. Stress and sleep: High cortisol levels affect water balance in your body by regulating anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). ADH tells your kidneys how much water to hold back and pump back into your body.

PRO tip: Don’t stress about the number on the scale. It does not define you (up or down). Subtle changes are normal and should not affect you emotionally (for help with body image click here).  As you can see from the above, daily weights are mainly fluid shifts within your body. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t think of it as a quick process (quick means fluid). Think of it as a long term goal where you slowly see progress over many months. You will see ups and downs along the way. This is totally normal as it’s not a linear process. Stay the course because your consistency is what maters most.

#WhatIEat3

First up: 5 mile run

Breakfast

Cold oatmeal with almond milk, hemp seed, chia seed, blueberries, sprinkle of cinnamon

I switch up my oatmeal to this cold version when the weather gets warmer. It’s really refreshing!

Sprouted sourdough toast with almond butter and ½ banana

3 egg whites

Latte with pea milk. Have you tried this new non dairy milk?!  It’s pretty thick so I use 1/2 as much as I usually would. A good source of calcium and protein!

Snack

Blueberries and raspberries

Lara Apple Pie Mini Bar

Lunch

Chicken bowl with leftover fajita chicken, rice, and a corn tortilla. This was leftover chicken fajitas from the night before. One of those easy one pan meals you bake in the oven! Similar to this one.

Raw veggies – peppers, carrots and pea pods

Snack

Smoothie with almond milk, frozen cherries and blueberries, and spinach.

Dinner after soccer practice

Hamburger with potato rounds and a salad. These potato rounds have been a hit lately in our house. Simply slice the potatoes, place on a non-stick pan, spray with olive oil, dash of salt and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until desired doneness. I flip them about half way through.

Snack

Frozen peanut butter and banana bites

Have a great weekend!

How do you fill your cup?

Life gets crazy sometimes and your routines get thrown for a loop. For a few months I tried to fit my previously uber consistent morning workout (read “me time”) into the day full of everyone else’s needs and wants. I will say I “got it done” for the most part, but didn’t find it as enjoyable as my morning wake up call.

I’m happy to say I’m back in the routine and looking forward to grinding it out early with my fellow early bird friends. That doesn’t mean getting up early has been easy, but once I get ME in first and I have the whole day for everyone and everything else, it makes me very happy! And that’s what it’s all about.

Coping with Stress

Managing stress is a big part of healthy living. Stress can be defined as something different to everyone. It may involve family, time, money, health, pets, work or just making ends meet throughout the day. Often we get stressed out over responsibilities, obligations or pressures we place on ourselves on a daily basis.

In times of stress, your body goes into “flight or fight” mode. When this happens your body releases the stress hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. Hunger levels are decreased when adrenaline is present as your blood flows away from the internal organs to your larger muscles to help you defend yourself.

However, cortisol is left once the effects of adrenaline wear off. Cortisol increases blood sugar to help you fight off the stressor. Too much cortisol (think chronic stress) can increase your blood pressure, slow digestion, impair hormone function and decrease immune function. Ever notice you get sick after a stressful week?

Another way your body can be stressed is by eating a restrictive diet. Not eating enough is stressful for your body and results in the same mechanisms as the “fight of flight” mode.

Once the stressful event is over and our stress levels fall, our glucose levels remain high and that glucose gets stored as fat. Most notably visceral fat (abdominal fat).

How to Cope:

Don’t let the little things stress you out. Remember to breathe. Think positive and stay clear of negative thoughts. Don’t get caught up in a cycle of beating yourself up.

Here are some other tips to beat stress:

• Make smart food choices
• Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
• Get enough sleep
• Regular exercise
• Meditate or practice deep breathing
• Make time for your hobbies
• Keep a diary of your feelings to help recognize the factors that trigger your stress
• Talk to a friend
• Spend time in nature
• Unplug from electronics
• Listen to a comedy routine or think of something that makes you laugh

best 25+ stress funny ideas on pinterest | work humor, working mom on Stress Reliever Quotes Funny – Broxtern Wallpaper and Pictures Collection