Do food-filled occasions and holidays make you anxious? Nervous you will lose all that progress you have worked so hard for? Our KX trainer Ruby is here to help by putting her nutrition and dietetics knowledge to the test. She’s provided 5 tips on how you can curb the guilt and get back on track after this Easter break.
It’s almost April, and that means ONE thing…Easter is fast approaching and the sugar-fest is about to begin!
I can bet that you’re are all hanging out for a long weekend filled with some well-deserved time with friends, family and of course a perfect excuse to indulge in your favourite holiday treats (Lindt bunnies…beware).
However, you are not alone if the Easter period brings along a wave of anxiety and stress about over-indulging or “ruining” all of your hard work at pilates. I want to remind you all that it’s completely fine to over-indulge every now and then and in fact, allowing yourself those extra Easter eggs will not ruin your health, diet and fitness goals.
The best way to ensure this happens is by filling up a drink bottle the night before and placing it on your bedside table so that having to get out of bed is not even an excuse!
You lose a lot of water through breathing and sweating during sleep, so it’s incredibly important to replenish that lost fluid. Drinking water after a sugar overload will help to assist your kidneys in flushing out excess toxins as their main function is to filter the blood.
Not only will water hydrate every cell in your body, but it can also kick start your digestive system to get things “moving”.
It can be extremely tempting to think “I’ll skip breakfast to make up for the extra calories I consumed,” but this truly is not the solution. When skipping meals, often leads to late-night snacking or excessive evening hunger.
The best way to account for the extra sugar you’ve consumed is not to starve yourself, but instead prioritise making your meals full of micronutrients, lean protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and fibre…and breakfast is the perfect place to start.
Some of my favourite breakfast choices include:
This is one of the best ways to ensure that there will be healthy options available so that it will be easy to make nutritious choices after the holidays. I would recommend planning out your meals for the week ahead, particularly if you know you’ll be busy so that you can have the ingredients on hand to whip up nutrient-dense meals.
Take your meal plan/grocery list with you to the shops and stick to that list, always starting in the fresh food section first so you don’t get tempted into buying things you don’t need.
One of the best ways to get back on track is doing as much of your cooking as you can early in the week so it saves you a bunch of time later in the week.
For example, I like to cook a big batch of brown rice or quinoa, roast a bunch of vegetables and cook some chicken/tofu/fish/boiled eggs so that I can throw together a balanced meal in less than 5 minutes when in a rush.
You can cook with some extra virgin olive oil, a little salt, and your favourite herbs/spices to give it some extra flavour. I also love to chop up veggie sticks and keep them in a container so I can snack on those with hommus to keep me full between meals or even make some delicious protein balls to satisfy my sweet cravings. You can check out some healthy recipes on my page – @Spoonfuls_byruby.
Remember, a healthy lifestyle does not mean a lifetime of calorie restriction and no Easter eggs. It’s a lifestyle where you focus on fuelling our body with whole foods but also not stressing about overeating chocolate every now and then.
So sit back and enjoy your holidays – then use that extra energy to pump out an amazing KX class!
To hear more from Ruby and checkout some of her healthy recipe ideas head to her Instagram page at @Spoonfuls_byRuby.
