Here we are at the final stretch of the year. You worked extremely hard. Therefore, I have your contest prep holiday survival guide ready so you can tackle Thanksgiving and Christmas family and social eating gatherings, and be a step ahead of your competition.
Chances are you will be attending some functions that will be serving some great tasting food. However, they won’t be so great in the calorie department. Typically, holiday events serve a ridiculous amount of high-sugar and high-fat foods, and they are readily available at just an arms’ reach away. How dangerous is that? You will probably eat some of these foods too, but that’s okay if you go about it the RIGHT way, and I will share some of those holiday survival tips with you.
Simple Holiday Survival Tips That Work!
Even fitness model Jennifer Nicole Lee states at bodybuilding.com how easy it is to overeat and consume too many calories during the festive season; “the hectic holiday season spanning from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is also the high-calorie season. The added stress and calories from shopping, celebrations, parties and events can leave you feeling bloated and zapped of energy. Too often these days, ’tis the season to gain weight.”
So, these holiday survival tips will help prepare you for crunch time when you will be involved in get-togethers, shopping, parties, and all the other road blocks that present themselves those last several weeks of the year. After all, you don’t want to throw it all away now if you have a figure competition coming up in 3-5 months.
Set a Specific Goal (From Thanksgiving to New Years)
Most people declare a New Year’s Resolution that the first of the year. That’s generally a set-up for failure because they start off the goal 100% full-force on day one and burnout two and a half weeks later. They feel deprived which leads to a binge and they just end up gaining weight before February.
If you want to be in the top 1% that actually keeps their goals, start BEFORE January 1st, start the day after Thanksgiving. This will have you in shape before the rest of the world tries to get in shape.
Drink Up (On The Rocks?)
This is important for holiday survival. When attending family events and social functions, drink a LOT of water during the day and before you leave for the party. This will help flush sodium out your body, making you feel leaner and it will keep you full so you don’t munch on snacks that you didn’t intend on eating.
While you are at the gathering be sure to continue to drink water. This will make you stand out from the rest, and you will feel better about yourself when you do.
Fill Up (Go On A Full Tank)
Eat your regular scheduled meals and be sure one of those meals is before the gathering. This will ensure you have a full tank and prevent you from eating foods you didn’t want to eat.
You might go ahead and have this a refeed day if that helps. The extra carbs can keep you full longer. Fresh fruit and potatoes are a great way to get in good healthy carbs. I also highly suggest some fibrous veggies during the day and before you leave to go to the party. The fibrous veggies will ensure you have a full feeling and ward off any sugary cravings you might get.
Planned Treats (Careful Planning)
If you do want to eat at an event or two during the holiday season it’s perfectly fine. To best manage your contest prep holiday survival be, sure to plan and schedule such events. You want to be in control of the food you put in your body. You don’t want the food controlling you.
Planned treats can include a cheat day or just cheating on one or two food items at a party. How you plan this is up to you, but be sure that you are in control of it and plan it the way you want.
Stay In Control (It’s About You)
Family, friends, or co-workers may try and tempt you to eat something you decided not to, such as a high-sugar, high-fat food. If you planned to eat it that’s fine, but don’t let anyone try and tempt you to eat something you don’t want or didn’t plan to eat.
If you get tempted, just think about the things you want to accomplish and the steps you will take to accomplish them. Does the sugary Christmas cookie build muscle or burn fat? Think of eating the cookie and see yourself gaining 10 pounds of fat. That will surely stop you from eating it, or any other unapproved food.
It’s really just a matter of keeping your focus. The social gatherings were started as just that, a social interaction. These days they have become feeding frenzies where people stuff themselves until they are sick. You can be the highlight of the party if you can round up some others to go for a walk or workout with you the next day.
Stick to Your Workouts (Work Around Your Workouts)
Even though you will be with family and friends, going shopping and attending events, try to stick to your workouts as much as possible. If you skip one or two that’s okay. I mean, it’s “that time of the year” and things are crazy. Even if you have to cut a workout short, it’s still better to do that than to miss one.
Another idea is if your workout is in jeopardy due to Christmas shopping, have the person you will be shopping with go to the gym with you after the gift buying. This will give him or her a chance to see what you do, and you might even inspire him or her to join the gym and even workout with you.
Dessert Emergency (What To Do If You Begin To Lose Focus)
OMG, DESSERTS! Don’t stress… It happens to the best when temptation takes over. The food looks good, you can smell all the wonderful scents and to make it worse, people are eating right in your face and telling you to have some.
It’s okay… You can have a little slip-up with the proper management tools. Here’s a quick rundown of how to handle temptation and have a little bite of something so you can be a part of society.
Quick Dessert Tips To Stay In Control:
- Have a bite or two of dessert so you can simply taste it. That’s all you really wanted anyway. This only works with 1 or 2 desserts.
- Ice cream? Have one scoop instead of the full serving being handed out.
- Choose frozen yogurt in instead of eating ice cream.
- Christmas cake… Indulge in a small piece with the least amount of icing on it.
- Have a cupcake rather than a slice of cake.
- Choose to eat fresh fruit being offered rather than high-sugar snacks.
So What’s Next for Your Contest Prep Holiday Survival?
Now you have my best contest prep holiday survival tips. Now, join over 73,000 others who are taking action and getting in shape. Get my FREE Contest Prep Crash Course and start changing your body starting today.
