Bloated, sluggish and headachy? Maybe even struggling with heart burn and nausea?
I suspect the culprit is holiday overindulgence in high fat, high sugar and many processed foods.
You are not alone.
This week we have heard from many of my clients that they are ready to get their nutrition back on track after the traditional holiday binge eating. Here are the top tips from your local Red Deer personal trainerto anyone looking to get back on track or even for those who are just getting started with clean eating.
Step 1 Hit the hydration like it’s your job. Drink loads of water, green tea, and herbal tea. Aim for 2-3 litres of non sugar fluids. This will serve to flush excess sodium from your system, stave off hunger, and will rehydrate you if you happened to over indulge in the rum spiked egg nog (or other alcoholic bevvies) Water has no calories, fat, carbohydrates or sugar. Drinking sufficient water also has digestive benefits. It boosts your metabolism and helps the body properly break down food. This helps keep your digestive system working well and prevents constipation.
Step 2 Start off eating a nutritious breakfast and every 2.5-3 hours after. I know, I know, the day after laying into a cheese ball, or enjoying one too many glasses of wine, you may not have much of an appetite. DO NOT SKIP MEALS. Even if you are suffering the after effects of overindulgence, it is vital to get back on track. Make sure you are taking in 3 meals and 1-2 snacks every day. Also make sure you are choosing veggies, fruit, lean proteins and complex high fibre foods (such as oats, brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes) to make your meals. You might be tempted to fast or take in very few calories to compensate for your binge. Don’t even think about it!! Do not deprive! It almost always has one effect, it leads to another binge!
Step 3 Get in extra cardio sessions. Plan for a couple extra cardio sessions those first few weeks of getting back on track. Get in for a boot camp session, do some intervals on the bike or treadmill, book another session with your Red Deer personal trainer or grab a friend and take in a zumba class. This will help restore your energy, and you’ll sweat off that heavy feeling, plus burn some extra calories. After a great cardio session you will feel even better then you did while you were letting loose on that box of Ferrero Roche’s.
There it is, our top 3 tips on recovering from a binge. Remember, life is about balance.
We are entitled to enjoying some treats now and then but to keep your health and fitness goals on track, you need to get back in the saddle! If you are indulging regularly, it is not really indulging anymore, it is just poor decision making and a lack of commitment to success. If you are making sound nutritional decisions on a regular basis, you will be able to afford the occasional hiccup.
Happy New Year, let’s make the most of 2015 with some new health and fitness goals!!
The overall goal is to seek balance. This is something all our Red Deer personal trainers preach and preach hard. A healthy lifestyle will not be derailed by a single poor eating decision. Also, eating healthfully for a few meals, does not equal a healthy lifestyle. Being healthy isn’t about perfection, it’s the combination of your positive choices overtime that lead to a healthy lifestyle.