It’s December. The western worlds annual festival of eating ourselves sick. A cold weather season encourages us to wrap up in a blanket and ball up on the sofa as oppose to slogging out a few miles on the road. We prefer to drink spirits to get that warm feeling in our gut instead of visiting the gym to get that sensational burn in our muscles. We say it doesn’t matter. After all, January is a new beginning.
Have you ever stopped to consider how January really goes? On New Years Eve you dedicate yourself to a new years resolution. You may wish to run a marathon, lose a few pound or improve your general health.
January the 1st is now here and the left over’s are present in a generous amount. This could be alcohol, starchy foods or chocolate. You say to yourself “okay I can’t be wasteful!” You still feel the sugar craving from the hectic holiday fiestas and struggle to use the simple 2 letter word “no!” That’s January the 1st out the window. Now on to the next day.
January the 2nd has shown his ugly face and you feel like crap. You’re skin is oily and maybe a bit spotty, you’re stomach feels softer than ever and you can’t shift your arse out of bed. Maybe you will pick up the phone today and commit to that gym membership you mentioned about to your friends and family. You press in the digits and the membership assistant answers the phone. You arrange an appointment for 2 days time.
It’s now the 4th. Over the past 2 days you probably attempted to eat a little bit better but you’re exactly winning prizes in being clean and lean. You meet up with the membership assistant, take a tour of a leisure club and go about your gym induction.
When the 5th comes you decide that it’s time to really make a change. Oats and egg whites for breakfast, take a tuna salad to work and go to the gym after your 9pm to 5pm hours (if you’re that lucky). You then walk into the gym with your headphones blasting your favourite upbeat tunes. Oh no. The gym is rammed. You are not the only one who made the new years resolution to get in shape.
So your diet didn’t get off to a flying start, your first time at the gym was horrendous and now your motivation may very well plummet.
Half of January may have passed and only now you’re nailing out 3 solid sessions a week with a clean meal plan. You feel unhappy with the results as you hoped to have achieved more by that date.
Train now or let January eat you alive!
I’m not saying that you should eat like a pro body builder and train like an Olympian. You’re only human and you will have the mighty temptation to drink booze, eat chocolate and laze in the warm living room on a cold winters day but taking on some nutritious solid food and getting the gym work done may very well give you the running start you need to succeed.
To help you on your quest for surviving this wicked month of indulgence you must make an easy to follow plan to keep in the training mind frame. I make three adjustments. First of all I make sure that I am stocked up on D3 which mimics the sunlight effect that improves calcium regulation and muscular performance. I eat like I always do. The same fruit and vegetable quantities, high protein and whole grain carbohydrates. I just eat extra! It’s not always recommended but I find that by eating the bad food on top of my healthy meals has this effect of increasing my energy and lowering my sugar intake. You can’t eat as much junk if you stuff your face with a juicy chicken breast and vegetables. I also try to stay hydrated. This is taking into consideration that alcohol is a diuretic. When you’re not out on the pop just take on water.
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