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Coach’s Ten-Point Guide to a Bloat-Free Thanksgiving Holiday!
List of posts in Articles by Steve Maxwell
- Is It Time to Re-think Cardio?
- "Mobility Training May Be the Most Important Factor in … Health" by Steve Maxwell
- “12 Reasons to Fire Your Personal Trainer” by Steve Maxwell
- “10 Ways to De-Sissify Your Kid (and maybe yourself in the process)” by Steve Maxwell
- “The Greatest Exercise Machine of All” by Steve Maxwell
- Coach’s Ten-Point Guide to a Bloat-Free Thanksgiving Holiday!
- My Take on Diet
First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
I was going to actually re-post some old entries (1,2) about how to survive the holidays, but ole’ Coach Maxwell beat me to the punch with a very entertaining and enlightening post at his blog about how to avoid the usual bloated feeling you have after “Turkey Day”.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think … oh, and if you want to see how he stays so ripped, go to his blog, scroll down to the bottom of the post and check out his pre- and post-Thanksgiving day routine! I’ll try to incorporate some of the moves in my training session today, but I’m still not able to do deck squats and burpees the Maxwell way … not yet anyway 
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Coach’s Ten-Point Guide to a Bloat-Free Thanksgiving Holiday!
by Steve Maxwell
www.maxwellsc.com
The dreaded (or blessed, depending on your point of view) holidays descend upon us! This is a stressful time for some of my readers, especially those of you motivated by feelings of social obligation (and its lifelong companion, guilt) than by feelings of genuine joy, much less, “thanksgiving”.
It’s become cliche the way people corrupt themselves during these social festivities. In truth, I’d say people would be better off forsaking the fuss and bother and going their own ways, but that’s not going to happen for most of you, so let’s satisfy ourselves with damage control.
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First, let’s look at the holidays and ask what it is about these few weeks that can utterly undermine an entire year’s accrued fitness results.
Sadly, it’s not unusual for a citizen of the US to gain 10 pounds over the winter holidays, after abandoning their fitness routines. The reasons why?
- The days are shorter and there is less light
- People tend to resist working out in the dark and are driven indoors and into more sedentary activity
- Lack of light can contribute to depression, in some people more than others. When people are depressed, they often do less and eat more
- Cold weather further curtails many activities with the same consequences
- It’s pro-football season and many guys sit around for hours during the weekends watching their favorite teams vie for the playoffs (Coach raises hand)
- In fact, overall TV viewing generally increases, which is especially heinous when coupled with frequent runs to the refrigerator for snacks
Despair not! I’ve put together an effective ten-point program.
1. Get in a brisk walk everyday of at least 30 minutes
If you can go longer, so much the better. Pair it with deep breathing exercises to really stimulate the system. An easy start is inhaling on a count of four and exhaling on a count of eight.
2. Eat at regular intervals–no matter what those intervals may be
Don’t fall into the trap of a starve/stuff “diet”. While it’s good to familiarize yourself with genuine hunger, go too far and you could make the error of sharpening your appetite to the point of bingeing.
3. A great way to ease into a winter meal is to first enjoy a small bowl of soup
Starting off with a warm, nutritious soup can provide a sense of satisfaction early into the meal so the body isn’t grasping for something more.
4. The Coach’s favorite: a pre-emptive strike on calories!
This means a hard, pre-meal, calorie-depleting workout. A vigorous workout positions you for optimal nutrient partitioning, meaning your chances of gaining fat from any calorically-dense foods you eat is greatly decreased. Think of it as earning the meal.
5. For the most part, desert the holiday dessert overload–unless you enjoy the role of couch guy lying there, belt undone and his pants unzipped!
I don’t mean to be an old poop, if there’s a ritual dessert you love and crave year-round, better to enjoy a reasonable portion in season, rather than going the smug and austere route, but budget yourself and go in rationally. While it’s not the time of year to eat solely from the radish and celery plate, still take it easy!
I myself have always hankered for pecan pie, also pumpkin. During my householder years, I’d usually enjoy a slice of each for the morning after’s breakfast rather than adding it on top of the previous evening’s mountain of turkey and gravy.
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November 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Hey Muata,
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I’ll have to say, I’m very proud of how I ate during Thanksgiving, giving the fact that I had to eat at two different places. I stocked up on the veggies: greens, mixed veggies, salad, went light on the candy yams and mashed potatoes, passed on the dressing and ham, and ate no pies. I can say that’s the first TG that I was mindful of my intake, and it just goes to show how far I’ve came. And I looked on the scale yesterday, and I actually lost 3 pounds last week, and down to 227! I still ate great, but I didn’t stuff myself, and I just limited myself to two meals that day. You should check out my blog, http://www.tomybigdawgs.com
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Muata Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 10:16 am
Excellent job JW, and I will do just that!
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November 30th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Thanks for the post and tips.I trust you had a fine one too.
I took a small detour , but I am back on the road.
A Cowboy from Texas
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Muata Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 10:17 am
I sure did being a sloth on the couch celebrating Junior’s first turkey day. We all had a ball …
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