Did you also know that the average American male would need to spend 10 hours and 33 minutes on the treadmill to burn the 4,500 calories consumed at the average Thanksgiving meal? (SOURCE)

It doesn’t have to be this way. By approaching Thanksgiving with a plan, you can enjoy healthy holiday eating, both physically and emotionally. With that in mind, here are five quick and easy tips for managing holiday eating.

Five tips on healthy holiday eating.

1. Portion control: Allow yourself your favorite foods without guilt but take small portions of each to enjoy them. In general, the following guide helps determine portion control. 
   • Your palm determines your protein portions.
   • Your fist determines your vegetable portions.
   • Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
   • Your thumb determines your fat portions.

   Small helpings mean you can successfully enjoy everything on the table without feeling the guilt and physical discomfort of overindulging.

2. Take ten before reaching for more. It takes some time for your stomach to communicate the feeling of fullness to your brain. After eating your first helping, take a break. Take a lap around the room. Have some water and make small talk. Then check your appetite.
3. Careful party positioning: Don’t set up camp by the food. A strategic location will help to prevent absent-minded munching. In addition, moving around (or even taking a quick walk) will help stave off feeling sluggish and over-full. 
4. Eat some healthy snacks pre-party to avoid going in starving: Nuts, nut butter, avocado, fruit, and eggs are excellent choices, using the portion sizes above. 
5. And finally, feel free to load up on fruits and veggies: If you are hungry between meals, they are an excellent low-calorie filler between main courses.

Take the next step.

If the thought of staying healthy over the holidays is overwhelming to you, consider that along with our premium swim lessons, One with the Water also offers Barbell Strength Training using the science-backed Starting Strength method to train your whole body. Call today for more information.

Food is not the enemy, and holiday gatherings shouldn’t be a source of anxiety when faced with so many choices. With a little bit of planning, you can be confidant in your ability to navigate the Thanksgiving meal while being kind to your body.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Healthy Holiday Eating with a Plan appeared first on One with the Water.

Let’s get real. Food is fuel. Healthy diet matters. In fact, a healthy diet is just as important as exercise when hitting the gym and making goals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Your body can’t make good out of garbage.  You are built by the resources you choose to put in your body.  Right down to your cellular level, you are built what you supply. Make the right choice!

Maintaining a Healthy Diet

First, let’s talk about serving size. Quantity matters too! The best Rule of “Thumb and Palms” is to is to consume single-ingredient foods to maintain a healthy diet. Start with your hands – Forget counting calories or weighing your food. The easiest way to figure out portion sizes is with your hands. Here’s a quick overview:

• Your palm determines your protein portions.
• Your fist determines your vegetable portions.
• Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
• Your thumb determines your fat portions.

But wait? Hand size is relative … does there really need to be a different approach men (vs. women) should take when choosing these foods? And the answer is yes. Typically, women should have a baseline diet of their hand size –  not the size of a man’s hand. In most cases, it’s less than half the portion of that of a man.

Second: You need to maintain continuous energy throughout the day. The best way to do that is to listen to your body and start to understand what it’s craving. And then eat something healthy within the boundary of a “single-ingredient food.”

And third, rather than specific food, here’s what properties and nutrients that we should be looking for when planning our meals/snacks for focus/productivity. Let’s start with protein.

• Whey Protein: A whey protein supplement can make it easier to meet your daily protein requirements. You may choose to replace one of your meals with a whey protein shake and some fruit. Any whey isolate or concentrate is fine, just make sure each scoop is about 25g of protein and only 3 – 6 grams of carbs. Amount: One 25-50g shake per day.
• Fish Oil: Fish oil supplementation has been shown to reduce inflammation and is associated with decreased risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more. Amount: 1-2g of EPA/DHA / day (Check the label for the amount of EPA/DHA. That’s what counts.)
• Vitamin D3: Vitamin D supplementation is associated with increased cognition, immune health and bone density. Amount: 2000 – 4000 IU / day (take with food)

And fourth, healthy snacks. It’s so cliche but it’s true – garbage in, garbage out. Your body works with the resources it’s being given. Make sure you are setting your body up for success. Here are some healthy snacks by category to get you started. 

Are you ready to make a change? And not just concerning what goes in your body?  Did you know that One with the Water provides private or semi-private barbell workouts using the Starting Strength training program? We’re not in the business of building bulk, only to make you a stronger person, inside and out. Barbell workouts will build your confidence and strength like no other exercise in the world.

Contact Coach Rippetoe here for more information. Get started today!

Kenneth Rippetoe

Kenneth is a Life-time member of the American Swimming Coaches Association and holds certifications as a Level 4 Disability Coach & Level 3 USA Swimming as well as US Masters Coach. Coaching since 1985, Kenneth specializes in Swimming, Strength and Conditioning coaching.

The post Four Tips for a Healthy Diet appeared first on One with the Water.