Before we dive in, let me say this first: taking a break from your routine to travel home for Thanksgiving, eating lots of mashed potatoes, stuffing & pumpkin pie & missing the gym for a fews days DOES NOT mean you're "off track".... you're not a train & your healthy journey isn't the railroad....
You've taken a break from your norm to celebrate a holiday, enjoy good food & be present with people you love, AS YOU SHOULD! If you're having those anxious feelings of getting back to your routine after the holiday.... keep reading!
Before we get into exactly HOW, you need to know these 3 things first:
exercise IS NOT & SHOULD NOT be used as a form of punishment to make up for the added intake of food over the weekend
you DO NOT & SHOULD NOT reduce your food intake this week because you ate more than normal over the holiday
you have NOT FAILED or taken steps back on your health journey from skipping the gym for a few days, eating some extra food & not following your routines
Here are 5 tips on how to integrate back into your healthy habits & routines after Thanksgiving in a healthy, balanced & loving way:
schedule your movement & show up as you would any other normal week - this is not a time to start training 7 days / week if you weren't doing that before Thanksgiving. Using exercise as punishment will never lead to a positive relationship with movement or your body, so drop that urge to do 100 burpees & run 10 miles. Ease back into your normal exercise routine just as you were before the holiday. If you weren't following any particular exercise routine, this is a GREAT TIME to start one!!!!
eat 3 nutrient dense meals daily - fight the impluse to skip your meals to make up for calories taken in & instead, focus on fueling your body with nutrient rich food sources including high quality proteins (i.e. grilled chicken, lean ground beef), seasonal vegetables & fruits (i.e. carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, apples, pomegranate), complex carbs (i.e. quinoa, brown rice, oats), & healthy fats (i.e. salmon, olives, avocados)
hydrate often & get high quality sleep - prioritize at least 80 oz of water / day & catch up on some sleep, especially if you've been traveling & spent lots of time socializing
make peace with whatever mental drama you have over the food you ate & LET IT GO - get the f over whatever foods you ate that you feel guilty about overindulging on. Trade in that nasty judgement for loving curiousity. It's over, its done, you can't take it back & I promise you that a couple days of overeating with little movement is not going to ruin your progress - what will ruin your progress is saying "f it" & quitting
keep being grateful - did you go around the table & say what you are grateful for this year??? AWESOME! Keep freakin doing that everyday!!! Gratitude is a lifestyle, not just a cute theme of Thanksgiving. You can integrate a daily gratitude practice by simply journaling 3 things your grateful for each morning. I promise you, your days will look much brighter because of it!
YOU GOT THIS!!!
XO,
Be Well,
Giulia