13 Nov Your Pre-Thanksgiving Detox Plan Step
Between leftover Halloween candy, work party potlucks and grandma’s pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner, you could end up eating a drastic surplus of calories over the course of the holiday season. However, that’s no reason to not enjoy yourself during this time of year. After all, no one wants to spend their holidays counting calories! Instead, why not use the week leading up to your ceremonial feast to boost your wellness routine. That way, you can have more freedom to relax, enjoy the company of your friends and family and feast on a few of your favorite fall treats – no regrets! Here are suggestions for how to detox — so you can have a happy holiday!
Your Pre-Thanksgiving Detox Plan Step
1: Trade Out Your Morning Latte
“Making small adjustments to your eating plan to cut calories from the days leading up to your feast can “save up” for Thanksgiving, says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson Jim White, RDN, ACSM-HFS.” Cutting 300-500 calories each day for a week can put a huge dent in your celebratory meal while cutting calories safely. That may seem hard to do, but consider this: lattes from Starbucks ( grande latte and pumpkin spice)
average anywhere from 200-400 calories, so cutting those calories could be as simple as replacing those lattes with either black coffee and Stevia or a green tea.
Step 2: Prepare Meals at Home
Putting your culinary skills to the test (Check out some meal prep ideas – Here!)) for the week is another way to cut calories while cleaning up your diet. Because you’re able to control the quality and quantity of your food when prepared at home, you’re setting yourself up for dietary success. It’s nearly impossible to account for everything that goes into a restaurant prepared meal (ex. Types and amount of oils used, hidden carbs and sugars), but you have total control when you prepare them yourself. Not to mention, you’ll save some money from not eating out to use towards Black Friday sales. #winning
Step 3: Cut Back on Processed Foods
Get rid of the chips, cookies and leftover Halloween candy! Processed foods are slow to digest and can wreak havoc on your digestive tract (Read more about effects of sugar – Here). Cutting back will give your system a break from trying to get nutrients from unnatural foods and potentially help reduce your fat and sugar intake (which can lead to pre-Thanksgiving weight gain). Set your body up for success by making room, and providing it with the proper fuel (i.e. whole foods) to run optimally BEFORE your Thanksgiving meal. That way, the larger caloric intake can be metabolized more efficiently.
Step 4: Get Green
Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats in the meals leading up to Thanksgiving will not only provide nutrients, but they will also keep you satiated and help fight cravings (Read more about detoxifying foods – Here). Enjoying a meal of protein and veggies (Like this recipe!) on Thanksgiving Day morning will empower you to make more mindful food choices for the rest of the day. Going into your Thanksgiving meal starving is just like grocery shopping on an empty stomach; it’s a recipe for overeating, especially things that you might regret later on.
Step 5: Sweat it Out
What better way to release toxins from your body than to sweat them out while burning calories?! The holidays are no reason to slack on your workouts. Thanksgiving Eve is infamous for being one of the biggest party nights of the year, but getting a 30-minute high-intensity interval training workout the night before your feast will be much more rewarding. Be sure to throw in a few, solid workout sessions the week leading up to Thanksgiving to get your mind and body ready for the festivities, too. Yoga, especially in a heated studio, has incredible detoxifying benefits (Read more – Here!) and will put you on the fast track to feeling better after your indulgences.
Step 6: Hydrate
Be sure to drink plenty of water in order to rid yourself of the toxins lost during exercise and re-hydrate. Not only that, but did you know water aids in weight loss? Because water directly contributes to the proper functioning of our cells and muscles, the efficiency of our organs and metabolism depends on it. Our kidneys are an example. When we’re hydrated our kidneys can successfully metabolize stored fat into useable energy. Not only that, water naturally suppresses and regulates hunger. (Read more – Here!)
How do you keep on track with your wellness goals during the holidays?
-Health & Wellness Coach
Michelle C.
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Image: https://gymterest.com/detox-diets-and-how-you-can-detox-at-home/