Don’t wait until January 1st for your Health Resolutions. Stay on Track in 5 Steps

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“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.” ~ Julia Child

Before a certain age, overindulging was easier to offset… A painkiller to cure the hangover and a workout to sweat out the previous night’s indulgences. As we get older, we work hard at maintaining our weight even during a normal week and we probably put in place some habits that help us stay on track with our exercise, nutrition and sleep. Then the end of the year hits with cooler temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of the holiday season and warmer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere and the start of the silly season.

In the US, Thanksgiving is a special time of year dedicated to spending time with loved ones and showing your appreciation for friends and family through festive traditions and fabulous food. Although the spirit of thanksgiving comes with joy and happiness, it can also bring upon stress. The association with indulging in a high caloric intake does not have to throw us off of our routine and we do not have to fear the holiday meal or perceive it in a negative light.

A popular tradition for many is starting off the day with a Turkey Trot. While this is a great way to exercise and kickstart the day, this may not be an option for most people. Encouraging the family to take a walk in between meals is a great way to motivate exercise. Walking after consuming food has many benefits, too. Exercise like walking also increases insulin sensitivity and allows the body to use glucose more effectively and lowers blood sugar levels. 60 to 90 minutes after you finish a meal is when blood sugar levels tend to peak, which is why encouraging a walk then, holds so many benefits.

In addition to incorporating exercise and movement into your Thanksgiving, the food can be daunting because it is such a rich meal, but if you are struggling with weight gain because of peri/menopause it can be even more frustrating.

A friendly reminder is to not drink your calorie intake during the holidays and be mindful of where you want to consume the majority of your calories, either in the food or in the drinks. White turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, thin gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories. Focusing on greens and savory foods in higher proportion to starches and sugar, is a good way to fill up without compromising taste. The earlier in the day, the meal takes place, the more opportunity your body has to still burn more calories without everyone falling into a food coma. And finally, ensuring that you drink enough water in between other beverages and before the meal, means you stay hydrated and don’t mistake thirst for hunger.

After Thanksgiving in the US and for many people around the world, with the end of November, comes a lot of socializing and invitations to parties, lunches and dinners. It’s easy to be social and fall out of healthy routines to indulge and push any plans of hopping back on the wagon after December. But it is well known, that New Years resolutions don’t stick for very long and it’s easier to combat a bit of too much of a good time each week, than the result of 4-6 weeks of debauchery.

Here are 5 steps to stay on track:

1. Keep loose track of your calorie intake, especially active calories or steps. There is no need to be fanatical about every last one, but during this time when we spend more time grazing, eating out and going from one social event to the next, it’s good to not lose sight of food intake all together.

2. Increase your protein intake. Eating less than 100 g of protein could make you binge more on bad food. A 3 oz chicken breast has approximately 30 grams of protein, 3 oz/ 100 grams of chickpeas contain about 19 grams of protein, 1 cup of quinoa provides about 8 grams of protein.

3. Eat until you are about 80% full and follow an 80/20 approach to healthy foods versus “fun foods”.

4. Make sure that your sodium intake is adequate. Many of us are salt and electrolyte depleted. Lack of electrolytes can lead to headaches but can also make you crave sugar more. Adding an electrolyte drink to your rotation (like Nuun) is a healthy way to add them back in.

5. Don’t stop exercising. Add exercise snacks to your daily routine, if you are traveling. Travel with a resistance band, small bala bangles and a travel yoga mat so you can keep up your prehab and core work. You can walk with ankle weights to increase the effect of the walk, randomly add 10 squats several times per day and make sure you catch up with friends over a walking date instead of sitting down.

Our website and app can help you check in with your body daily to make sure you:

• know your sleep quality, caloric output and resting heart rate so you don’t crash but stay on top of your health

• incorporate movement into your day with short videos from our library that require minimal or no equipment

• observe your progress and keep a diary of good days, so you can look back and understand why you were feeling good and retrace your steps to get back on track when you don’t feel optimally.

Give it a try here if you haven’t yet. Now available on iOS and Android.