Your Endurance Lifestyle. Redesigned.

Holiday Dinner picture courtesy of GinSnob {Flickr}

So you were a training machine, focused on benchmarking and progress and discipline…and then someone you know and love dropped a 24-lb turkey, stuffing, multiple pies, and a 6-hour drive into the middle of your week. All in the name of connecting with family, getting together with the people who know you (and love you despite that fact), and celebrating life.

Don’t these people know you are training!?!?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. Regardless of your religious or personal persuasion, this is the “holiday” time of year. And in most cultures, celebration = food, and lots of it. But all is not lost! If you are fortunate enough to have this problem, there are lots of ways we can get back on track and quickly regain your focus. Here are a few ways you can make good on your commitments:

1. Enjoy A Day. No really, you should. Something like Thanksgiving or Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) only comes once a year. The average person only gets to celebrate 65 of these in a lifetime. Minus the ones where you were to tiny to understand what was going on, too cool to participate, to hammered to remember and you are left with less than 50!

At the end of the day, these are the people who support you in your passion for a healthy, active lifestyle. They put up with your nagging about health, your recovery shakes, and your spandex wardrobe. The very least you can do it leave your mental and physical baggage at home — for a day — and just enjoy it.

2. Mitigate The Damage. If you are going to enjoy the day in it’s fullest sense, that probably means you eating to your fullest sense (along with some lounging, possibly drinking, and more). You can alleviate some of the stress associated with diverging from your schedule by:

• Doing a big workout build up prior to your trip, so you _have to_ relax and recover with family.
• Getting in an early morning workout prior to all the festivities in a desperate attempt to jump start the metabolism.
• Staying hydrated all day. Your body needs water to process all this food!
• Encouraging others to get out with you for a nice walk after eating, even for 20′. Anything but sitting down.
• Managing your portions by containing yourself to one plate. Fill it to the brim, but that’s it and then dessert. Holiday plates are usually bigger than your everyday plate, and if you really like that food you’ll find a way to pile it up.

3. Get Back To Routine. If you have developed a personal, bulletproof routine for your endurance lifestyle, then do your best to get right back to it the following day. You might still be on vacation and not at 100%, but even mentally re-orienting yourself towards your desired state (vs your current one) will go a long way to help you avoid having, say, pumpkin pie for breakfast. Not that I have any urge to do that…ever!!!

Please share your holiday strategies in the comments section!

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