Every year around this time I admit to getting up a little on my runner’s high horse and thinking, “Gosh dang, you people, shut up about all those ‘Avoid Holiday Weight Gain’ articles the answer is simple: RUN!”
I’m not shy and fully own up to being a neurotic runner who does run every day, the holidays are no exception. And you want to know a little secret? One of the BEST perks of being a runner = eating like a runner = looking like a runner and not a sumo wrestler.
There is a little thing called balance, moderation, and then license to grub hard. That last one also applies to special circumstances (ie: holidays) where you eat foods and amounts (ie: foods in trough-sized plates) you wouldn’t normally…but that also circles back to the law of averages and your nutrition for the entire year.
Eating steak pizza isn’t going to be enough iron, in addition to diet you should be supplementing.
So, Runners, I believe if we are then the kinds of runners who brave the weather, who don’t miss a day just because the gyms are closed (uhh, it’s called outside…hehe) or what the calendar says, let us all sit atop our little high horses and cringe at all those stupid article. Because the truth is we’ve solved the holiday weight gain conundrum…
Run. 😛
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My article on dining out for runners also touches on the topic of nutrition, balance, and license to indulge: How Runners Can Stuff Their Faces at Restaurants and Still Perform at Their Best
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1) Do you do the eye-roll and head-laugh every time you read one of those ‘avoid holiday weight gain’ type articles or stories? Do you also realize that it’s usually rehashing the same obvious tips over and over again? 😛
2) Do you adjust your running or dietary habits around the holidays? How do you keep balance?
3) What is your favorite type of holiday indulgence?
Run, workout, strength train, yoga throughout the year. Pssttt…I’m not one to count the calories or think twice about partaking in festive goodies. Righto, Chinese New Year is a little over a month away…another round! ;p
Psssttt psssttt I started Christmas morning with a 14.3km run with a friend and had a cheesy smile plastered to my face all day. It felt so good.
nothing better than being able to own the road on xmas…u see who the ‘real’ runners are. 🙂
Love the simple solution!!!
true fact! 🙂
I agree! The issue with holiday weight gain is thinking the only exercise you need is marathon eating binges. I don’t really change much about my eating habits during the holiday season.
we’re on the same page!
I love it! I can’t wait to be able to get back out there and burn off this holiday food. I do think it is silly how crazy people get about diets and weight gain. Everyone just wants a simple pill, but the fact is, that pill doesn’t exist.
wait, and u mean my little ab zapper won’t give me a six pack while i sit and drink beer and eat cookies?? 😉
I don’t really do anything different during the holidays except eat more –surprise, surprise. When I do read any articles about holiday weight gain, ya, it’s definitely all common sense and the same info over and over. I’m just hoping I can break away from the new major food group I’ve added to my diet–aka sugar. I do indulge, but I’m still running. It’s all good, as long as I can get back to eating healthy again!
perfect outlook, and once u get back into ur routine the extra sugar by way of holiday overload won’t really matter. 🙂
Amen! I’ll raise my over-indulgent calorie filled beverage to that!
Yes, at Christmas I eat a little more and enjoy more of those yummy foods but like you said – its a law of averages. Did I gain any weight over the last week? Don’t know, don’t care – it is one week of more indulgent eating in my fairly active and healthy life and I am sure by mid January any evidence of enjoying christmas will be long gone because I RUN. I love running and I love how it allows me to really enjoy my food… in the long term it takes care of everything!
Great post as always. If only we could get the world to take this simple approach to the obesity problem!
Now where did I put those mince pies …. 😉
hahaha…u crack me up! and so true, i’ll be toasting u with fistfuls of cookies and extra pop-tarts!! 🙂 wait, did u just swipe some of my pumpkin pies too?? 😉 jk
I am so with you here :-D. Holidays are all about getting full of great food. And then running like a crazy lady…except that I do that anyway. Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas break. Wait. Do you get a break?!
hahaha…running like crazy ladies are always on the agenda!! 😉
I try to be the type to run through the holidays- but all the festivities make it hard and I end up instead eating lots of Christmas cookies! oops! 😉 Maybe next year?
no, no, the point of the post was that xmas cookies are always fine by runners! 🙂
Your first question about rehashing the same ideas/tips is basically what runners world does on a monthly basis. half the magazine is advertisements, the other half is some variation of “drop 30 seconds in your next 5k!” blahhhh.
The problem I have with most “diets” is they only involve changing your eating habits, but not exercise habits. People are so lazy, you can’t just change the way you eat, you have to physically MOVE your body.
Not looking forward to January when the gym will be packed for a month, but eventually everyone will give up and it’ll be empty again by the middle of february.
hahaha..sooo true, oh that Runner’s World, when will they just switch to Jogger’s World already?! 😉
and yea, i’m like u…don’t get me started on the whole mainstream diets thing….OR the annoying newbies that flood into gyms and hog all the machines. don’t worry, by feb u’ll be owning that gym again. 🙂
I usually gain weight anyways (though I run just to sweat and feel good). I tend to lose that weight once the weather gets nicer
weight fluctuates a bit for everyone, and if u’re consistent with running/fitness it’ll all balance out. 🙂
I needed this post before I took too many days off running. 🙁 Bahhh!! I will get back on it! I don’t know why I stop running either – I ALWAYS feel my best when I run. My mind is clear, life is jolly! haha!
HAPPY NEW YEAR coming up. You’re one of my favourite bloggers and such a GREAT read – all.the.time.
don’t be too hard on urself, but it’s important to also remember that you DO like how u feel with running in ur life too. 🙂 so here’s to the New Year AND getting some more miles in there. 🙂
gosh you nailed my holiday on the head!…my family still can’t believe how much food I need 🙂 and they loved the fact that I was willing to be the ‘delicious-food-sampler’!
I was continually pestered about ‘how to: eat & stay fit’ and all I said was “just run”!
This holiday was especially fun because I was recovering from a marathon & building (80-mpw) for a marathon…hungry doesn’t even come close to describing the current state my body is in 🙂
It also looks like I eat a ton because I feel awful when I eat a lot of sugary/buttery foods, so the volume of healthy was high. 🙂
I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and that you’re enjoying your weekend!
xoxo!
hahaha….seriously, there are few things more satisfying that being a ‘skinny’ runner eating like a sumo and watching peoples’ jaws drop. 😉 power to u AWESOME studette and happy holidays to u too!! 🙂
I exercise daily (not always running though) and truly can’t imagine doing without it. My Christmas day would be so much worse if I hadn’t got a run in first thing – not just from a food perspective but just in how I feel!
haha…we are the same in that regard! deprived of my endorphins i’m a beast! 😉
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