Are you someone who gets anxious thinking about Holiday weekends?
Don’t know how you will stay on track?
I use to stress over this big time! Constantly overthinking how I will keep my progress during a Holiday so instead of doing anything, I would just sit at home doing nothing… which isn’t a fun way of life… especially when the suns out!
Being a mom now, I want to create amazing memories with my baby so avoiding Holiday plans isn’t an option anymore.
The past 3 years, I have forced myself to get out and better navigate through the Holiday weekends.
Here’s what to do…
First thing will always be mindset.
Yes, it is a Holiday.. you should enjoy yourself but stay mindful. Are you really going to feel good after a bottle of wine and a huge plate of nachos? Probably not. Thinking twice before diving into food will usually help you stay mindful. I’m all about eating the junk food and enjoying wine but do it in moderation so you don’t feel like crap later on. When that happens, it will usually bleeds into the next day… eating more junk and drinking more wine because your hormone levels are all out of wack from of doing it the day before.
Second, bring something you enjoy that is on the healthier side and start with that. Junk food isn’t as appealing when you are full. We all know how that goes… go to the grocery on an empty stomach and you end up with all the junk food in the world but when you go and you’re satisfied then you usually stick to your grocery list. Same thing happens when you go to a restaurant or a party.
You could also look at the Holiday as your refeed day. Refeed is eating more calories than you usually do to help with hormone levels, fatigue, feeling satisfied and even helping with a weight loss plateau. So don’t beat yourself up over eating more than you usually do. Your body needs it. So bring a low sugar beverage and some healthy snack options that you love so eating mindfully is easier for you.
Get active.
This goes for those who are on vacation too. You can pack bands, walk around or do a quick body weight workout. Set aside 5-10 minutes to stay in the habit of staying active. Do it first thing in the morning so you don’t have an excuse. Obviously, you’ll burn some calories and speed up your metabolism but it will also help you make better choices later in the day.
Now you’re probably wondering… what about getting back on track after the Holiday?
I always recommend not keeping the leftovers, buy healthy food in advance, have yummy recipes planned for the week ahead, block out time for your workouts and add in a little bit of intermittent fasting!
Intermittent fasting helps bring your hormones back into balance while allowing your body to detox. A good window to start with is 10am to 7pm. So first meal would be at 10am, you want to break your fast with a protein and healthy fat because your insulin will be very sensitive after fasting and you don’t want to spike it too high with carbs. When insulin is too high, it is easier to store more fat which obviously we don’t want. Second and third meal, you can add your carbs back in!
Be sure to stay on top of your water and minerals while doing intermittent fasting to make it easier for you. Loading up on minerals the day before will help. Sometimes, people think they are hungry when they are fasting but they are actually just depleted of minerals. You can also add in apple cider vinegar, turmeric and max detox the night before to get into a deeper fast and burn stored fat. If you don’t have those supplements, you can purchase them here.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at anytime by hitting the chat box on the lower right hand corner of your screen. I hope you have a fun, safe Holiday weekend.
Xo
Tana Ashlee
