Tackling The Food Onslaught During Christmas In Malta
With Christmas round the corner, we know that means mince pies, cakes, cookies, mulled wine and all the good things. Unfortunately, our bodies pay the price.
Still there is a silver lining. Many of us would be thrilled to learn that going a little crazy on a single meal, regardless of the quantity, does not have that big an impact our health. The body has a remarkable ability to withstand a single, isolated insult – so long as it is, in fact, isolated.
Funny thing about isolated food frenzies? That they are notorious door openers to a series of similar events which render the word ‘isolated’ painfully redundant.
Too many of us see eating from a ‘why-the-hell-not’ attitude. And to be fair, we all love a little bit of goring.
But, you’d be surprised to learn that one is more likely to overeat after devouring a large meal. This sucks, particularly if you are trying to eat healthy on the regular.
And let’s face it, we all know that once the flood gates are open, we might as well overindulge ourselves up until that obscure point where guilt starts to outweigh our happiness. Well past the point where damage has already been done.
Enter advanced planning.
1. Be a gracious host
You may have taken it upon yourself to prepare the feast in the first place. But do you really want to find yourself having to pit your willpower against the post-meal leftovers? Bring your guests over. Enjoy yourselves as much as you want to…
But ask them to bring a couple of plastic containers with them, too. Distribute all that caloric goodness evenly, among your friends, and save yourself the trouble of stuffing your refrigerator… and the obvious problems that follow.
Rather than relying on tomorrow’s self-discipline, rely on today’s foresight.
2. Why not fit in a workout before?
“Merry Christmas,” said nobody ever before running an uphill sprint on 25th December at 10:00. But if he were, hypothetically, then that would make him a wise man.
Performing an explosive workout prior to your feast doesn’t just help mitigate the damage. It could help increase your gains too! Remember there’s a two-hour window post-workout where the muscles become more sensitive to glucose (sugar), in healthy persons at least.
3. Break the fast in a kingly way
Fasting is a neat hack if one wishes to reduce body weight, particularly by burning body fat. So ask yourselves this: how important are your morning cornflakes when you’re due for an afternoon of all you can eat turkey, potatoes and pie?
To many, it’s a no-brainer.
By skipping one or two meals here and there, you can average out the calories consumed from that ‘insult’. You’d actually be surprised how much this could actually help reduce any feeling of guilt for overeating if this is something that affects you.
These simple measures could work wonders if your intent is to get the best bang for your buck – without causing too much damage – during the festive season.
Making December a ‘Cheat Month’ on the basis of having one final hurrah before submitting to your New Year’s Resolution might sound O.K. – but going from one extreme to another might be easier said than done.
Tag someone who needs some guidance!