Surviving the Holidays

I just wrapped up some gifts while listening to Christmas music. I had to put the final touches on my gifts before heading to Odessa this week. I will be driving there to visit and spend a few days with my sister and her children.

They are at the perfect age where everything is so magical.

I have been looking forward to visiting with my sister and the kids for months in their new home. My initial instinct when planning the trip was to research gyms and try and figure out how I'll get my workouts in while I am there. I have since taken a step back and changed my perspective. I have three days to spend with my family that I do not get to see often. The true act of pursuing balance would be to value as much time as I can with them. My personal goals will not suffer from a 3 day absence from the gym. I do plan to pack some healthy snacks such as nuts, rice cakes, quest bars and the ingredients to my mug cake (because I look forward to them everyday). I am sure I will eat a few meals out and have a Christmas cookie or two when making them with my nieces and nephews. Surviving the holidays is all about moderation. I have "dieted" (contest prep) through the last two Christmas holidays. This year I plan to allow some more moderation into my life. In order to stay committed and honest, I will be taking pictures of my food choices while traveling so that I may share them with you upon my return. My sister is also an avid fitness fiend so I would not be surprised if we find ourselves in the gym a time or two while I am there. BUT, if the option presents itself to snuggle and cuddle with my family while drinking hot cocoa in front of the fire, I will not be stressed about a missed workout.

If this week you find yourself with ample gym time and are looking for ideas, refer to my previous posts with a training routine for the week. You could also focus on a functional goal this week such as improving your flexibility by stretching nightly. Another idea is to focus on one healthy habit you could make and focus all your attention on that habit. Maybe you need to be better about drinking water? Maybe you skip breakfast and will aim to eat a healthy breakfast everyday this week. You can begin now, making small changes towards a better you and creating new habits that will carry you through to the new year.

- FitWhitt

Make It Fun

I was doomed to have an enormous sweet tooth. I also have always been an emotional eater. (Eek, I said it! It's true).  I love to eat when I am happy and I love to eat when I am sad. To be completely honest, there was a point in my life that when someone saw any form of cupcake memorabilia they thought of me. Mostly because I have a strong passion for cake. I'm not ashamed that I love to indulge in moist, tasty cake from time to time. I love food. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of people pursing an active and healthy lifestyle don't feel the same way. Sometimes we find ourselves falling in love with fitness because we fell a little too deep into something else (cake). We are passionate people. We love the things we love. It is for this reason that I have learned how to make "dieting" fun and enjoyable. If any lifestyle change you make isn't enjoyable or fun than it will never last. It's important to understand you are not perfect, food is created and engineered to taste delicious and you don't have to eat boiled chicken breast for life to be healthy.

I had a patient recently who was morbidly obese. They were so obese that very simple acts such as rising from a laying position to sitting position was a task. They had multiple chronic health problems and their child was also in the same condition. I always try to empower my patients so if the opportunity arises to discuss making healthy changes, I take it! Somehow the conversation turned to using nutrition as a way to improve one's health. I say 'somehow' in a sarcastic tone due to the fact I most likely guided the conversation this direction. My patient and their child stated that they had dieted once. They ate nothing but broiled chicken breast with no seasoning and potatoes everyday. They laughingly said it worked but they simply got tired of eating the same thing every day and so they understandably gave up.

Making wise and healthy choices that improve your quality of life does not have to have to have the feeling of a death sentence. When designing my meal plan for the week, I think about what sounds good. What would I look forward to eating? Here is a hard lesson I have learned: If you enjoy your food, you will not feel like you are missing out, which in turn will prevent you from eating away from your goals or going "overboard" because you feel you missed out in the past.

Here are some suggestions and ways to make eating healthy and to your goals enjoyable.

Oatmeal is very versatile. When you think of eating a boring bowl of oats for breakfast, you need to step out of the box. Blend them with egg whites and make pancakes, muffins, etc. Make a healthy granola to put on some yogurt. Add protein powder to them and make a delicious creamy bowl of goodness. You can even buy flavored oats. I order mine from My Oatmeal. They have flavors such as apple pie, white cake, snickerdoodle, key lime pie and glazed donut.

Eggs are in my opinion the most perfect food. You can make crust less quiches, egg sandwiches, egg bakes, protein cake etc. You can even buy them flavored from MuscleEgg and make all kinds of delicious recipes. They have chocolate, vanilla, mint brownie and pumpkin spice.

 

 

Nut butter is my favorite food. I have tried a lot of great tasting, protein enriched nut butters. Some of my favorites are P28, Nut-N-More and Cracked. In flavors like banana raisin, white chocolate, chocolate, brownie batter, cafe' mocha, chocolate chip cookie and cinnamon roll, any sweet tooth can be quenched.

 

I challenge you this week to take a classic recipe you love, and adjust its nutrient content to meet your goals and macros. Have some fun with your meal planning.

 

Let me know what you come up with.

 

You can email me your ideas at fitwhitt@gmail.com

 

- FitWhitt