What To Do When You Feel Like You Overdid It
Don’t Panic. Take a breath and read on.
The things we tell ourselves about our eating, working out, bodies, mindset, etc. are often harsher than reality. There's NO reason to feel any sort of guilt about a holiday, whether you celebrated with one meal or stretched it into an entire long weekend. Literally doesn't matter. Move on.
Our brains are wired to focus on the negative more than the positive.
Consciously make a list of the positive aspects of the weekend: time off work, time with family, not traveling this year, finally getting to travel this year, a delicious meal, not overindulging in alcohol, getting outside for a walk.
We often overlook all the ways we're doing well, so if you're feeling down on yourself, take a minute to re-assess.
When we're traveling, off our routine, or celebrating with adult beverages, water intake tends to drop. If you're feeling sluggish, tired, or just "off" today, fill up that reusable bottle and start sipping.
Friendly reminder that the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise each week.
But also note that the guidelines do NOT say 150 minutes of high-intensity exercise to "cancel out" your holiday meals, because that's not how it works.
Just start moving, whether that's BODYATTACK with me tonight or a nice walk outside. Movement will boost your energy, get your blood flowing, aid digestion and sleep, and help you start to feel like yourself again.
It is TOTALLY FINE to eat your Thanksgiving leftovers for a few more days if you're lucky enough to have had so much good food!
But if you don't have leftovers, or if you're feeling puffy or bloated or your digestion is not thrilled with the prospect of more Thanksgiving food, get to the grocery store and restock your fridge with some basics.
Protein is super important for most cellular functions. Turkey's a great source, but you can also go with chicken, pork, beef, fish, or eggs, or vegetarian sources like tofu, tempeh, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or protein powders.
Vegetables are the next stop. To switch it up from creamy potatoes or filling casseroles, keep it simple. Stir fry, steam in a bag, and roasted are my veggie go-tos. Like vegetables, fruits are also great sources of fiber, water, and vitamins, and many of them don't require any prep at all!
Give yourself a few days to get back to "normal," whatever that is for you.
Not physically feeling your best right after a holiday weekend or a vacation is not cause for alarm. Nutrition, hydration, stress, movement, and our outside environment all impact how our body functions. Changing any of those factors can throw things out of whack, so just hit steps 1-5 and give yourself a few days to readjust.
The next 6 weeks are prime time for marketing expensive and often untested and unproven diets, supplements, and workout programming.
Companies WANT YOU TO FEEL BAD ABOUT YOURSELF because then they can sell you something "guaranteed" to make you feel better.
Anyone preying on your insecurities or telling you there's something "wrong" with you doesn't deserve your hard-earned dollars.
Short-term solutions will be everywhere on your tv and social media feeds, but if you want to improve your health and fitness outcomes long-term, steer clear and stick to your basics.
