A well thought out nutrient dense diet is imperative if you want to go long and hard for a long time without injury, illness or burn-out  All the various vitamins, minerals, plant and food based antioxidants, amino acids from protein, fatty acids, resistant starches from specific carbohydrate foods, prebiotics and compounds with long names that research keeps identifying in natural foods are important for our health and for the cells, organs, brain, muscles, tendons and ligaments, tissues and even our gut microbiome to function optionally. Food is not only fuel but also provides the structural and supportive ingredients to allow the body to operate, recover, and repair from daily life and training. Don’t forget salts and water; these are very important also.
This diet that we call balanced looks like a diet based on mostly plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds; with some wholegrains such as oats and rice for example, along with a moderate amount of protein from animal, fish, eggs, and dairy foods. We need all of these foods for various reasons and in varying proportions depending on the work that we ask our bodies to do and our unique and individual constitutions.
​What you decide now about what is going to happen over Christmas is exactly what you will get. You don’t have to eat more junk, you don’t have to eat all the chocolates, you don’t have to become a couch potato, you don’t have to gain weight, and you don’t have to drink in excess. Decide now what is going to happen and base your decisions on this.
2. Be prepared for the harsh truth of energy partitioning.
​This is not fat, this is not increased inches, this is just a stored-up reserve for your next training session. I repeat over a few days this is NOT REAL WEIGHT BUT mostly stored glycogen and water weight. Done a few times over the festive season this is perfectly ok and an expected outcome. BUT; taking a prolonged break from training and over-doing the beers, pizza and left-over Christmas cake and pies will eventually mean that your body starts to deposit more fat in stores. Then you are in trouble. I don’t recommend that you weigh yourself if you are only easing up and letting loose for a few days. This is harmless and will be easily lost in a few hard back-to-it training sessions.
The good news is that excess protein when eaten in the short term tends to not impact weight significantly, excess carbohydrates tend to store as muscle glycogen and water, and excess fat, well sorry for you that stores as fat.
3. Consider intermittent low carb days.
5. NEVER starve and stuff yourself; or stuff and starve yourself… it doesn’t work, it isn’t healthy, and it leads to disordered eating patterns.
Avoid all or nothing mentality, and limit punishing yourself afterwards with restriction or over-exercise because this can lead to disordered eating and is negative to our self-esteem and is not considered a healthy relationship to either food or exercise.
Eating in a state of unawareness will lead to over-indulgence and reduces our connection to the natural cues to feeling full it also makes it more likely that we suffer indigestion. Make it a goal to eat at the table or with company. Avoid eating on the run, in front of the TV or while scrolling through your phone. If you have a lot of commitments to travel, shopping and chores don’t let yourself get ravenous and instead bring healthy snacks with you such as dried fruit and nuts, health bars, fresh fruit, beef jerky, etc. Take a time out to eat them.
7. Emotional eating catches many of us at Christmas.
I am incredibly sensitive to others, now that I am aware of this I do simple things to keep myself grounded. For example, at a party I will go and hide in the loo for ten minutes and breathe deeply and relax my body to let go of tension, or when entertaining at home I will create a quiet space by getting busy doing something, if surrounded by insane happy hyped nieces and nephews I will remove myself for a breather, or if around family members for longer than I am able for I will simply excuse myself out for a run. If I am at a night out I tend to drive so that when I go from party hero to zero I have a fast get-out. These are just some tactics that work for me and have ended my feeling frazzled and emotionally burnt out. Its amazing to me that many of my friends think that I am extroverted and love a party and to talk; but the reality is that I am more introvert than extrovert; I just hide it well. So, if this is you, find some strategies that work for you and avoid throwing yourself into too much without an escape route. Break the Christmas shopping into smaller outings, give people your all but leave when its right for you, see people individually for simple one on one time rather than meeting everyone all at the same time or mix sport and social events so that you can burn off the stress adrenaline. Make your personality traits work for you!
Don’t take on more than you can handle. Its ok to say no, it doesn’t make you any less.
Stop spending too much money – the people that matter only seek love and connection. Laughter and fun adds to this.
8. Smart choices can limit unintentional calories.
Certain foods and beverages can add extra calories to a meal taking a reasonable meal that we can and should enjoy into one that may covertly pile on the pounds. A few to watch out for: alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages containing a lot of sugar or cream (e.g. cocktails or cream liquors, fancy coffee and hot chocolate), dressings and relish, gravies and sauces, cream or butter based sauces, larger portions, multiple courses, finger food at parties that are deep fried and mostly pastry, eating too many slices of bread and butter with the meal. It doesn’t take too many brains to figure what is going to tip the balance; try to make a smart choice.
Chocolates, cake, and biscuits in the office canteen add up and you wont even remember eating them in front of a computer screen.
Don’t go crazy on carbohydrate foods but do enjoy some if you wish; sugar rich foods don’t satiate very well so are easily over-consumed.
​Portion sizes are important. You don’t have to eat the whole cake – enjoy some and then quit, have one glass of wine and not five, decide on a starter OR a dessert or two starters and a dessert or enjoy a large main with all the trimmings and no dessert; got it?
9. Use Christmas as an opportunity to explore new healthy recipes.
10. Keep up your daily activity levels even if it is not structured training.
Mostly, just enjoy Christmas. Life is too short, do what makes you happy.