5 Tips for Staying Fit During Thanksgiving Feasts

We get it. The holidays are busy, stressful and full of food and drinks. Everyone wants to get together, which is great, but it’s easy to fall off of the wagon and lose the gains you’ve worked so hard for through the year. Let’s get ahead of the new year and focus on how to keep our progress and not lose (all) of our gains during the holidays…starting with Thanksgiving.

Now, don’t be a weird-o. Don’t be the one hiding in the corner not eating during your gatherings. It’s perfectly fine to take part, but we want to offer some tips that may help you keep it on the rails over the next month and a half. Here are five of our go-to’s:

1) Keep moving, and do it early - You may not be a morning person, but maybe it’s time to try it for a bit. Most of our gatherings are from lunch into the night. The best thing to do to counter this is to get your exercise in early. If you don’t have a routine in place, this is a great time to join CrossFit Ridge City and start coming to the 5am or 6am classes. If you do have a routine, keep it up but move the time to the mornings, before work. If this seems daunting, even getting up for a walk early will get you ahead of your day. Take the dog out or listen to a podcast for 30 minutes before you get going with the day.

2) Prioritize protein - Cover at least 1/4 of your plate with clean protein (turkey, ham, steak, chicken, etc…) and bonus points if it isn’t fried. Eat the protein first and then finish off with the marshmallow covered yams and pies. If you eat the protein first you’re a lot more likely to fill and not over eat on the sweets.

3) Pick one dessert - You’re getting to hit up all of the different gatherings. Hold yourself to only 1 dessert at each stop.

4) Drink water - A TON of calories are consumed on soda, sweet tea, wine, beer and cider. Focus on drinking water and try to drink half of your body weight in ounces every day. Hold off on the high calorie drinks and focus on water and you’ll be way ahead.

5) Find a buddy - Find an accountability buddy to workout with and hold each other accountable to eating well throughout the season. A buddy really makes it all a lot easier and they can usually call your bluff on the lies you tell yourself. Accountability, and consistency, is key!

If you need more help or have questions, email us at info@crossfitridgecity.com. We can help you create a habit of moving, focus on healthy eating habits and even find a buddy!