Thanksgiving is just around the corner, leading to an entire season of big holiday meals with family and friends. While we joke that the holidays are for relaxation and weight gain, you don’t have to give up exercise or holiday treats this season. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, it is possible to both maintain your running routine and fully enjoy big holiday meals and sweet holiday treats. You just need to know the strategy behind turning sugar into energy and big meals into muscle.
At Merritt Clubs, we know how important holiday season exercise can be, both in maintaining your routine and burning the calories of all those delicious snacks and feasts – starting with Thanksgiving. We’re here with your holiday guide to Thanksgiving running and beyond.
Holiday Running: When to Eat What
First, remember the essential science behind fueling your energy and muscle build. The math still works whether you’re eating yogurt and sandwiches or cookies and slabs of turkey.
Carbs Before, Protein After
The basic formula for turning food into fuel and muscle is simple: Carbs before running, protein after running. You need carbs (including sugar) to fuel the energy you burn on your run. Those carbs are healthy as long as they are immediately put to use without the chance to store as fat. When you get back from a run, your muscles have used up essential energy (amino acids/protein) and developed micro-tears that will heal into stronger muscle tissue. In other words, you need protein and micronutrients for recovery.
Refuel with Cookies and Treats
Instead of your usual cereal bar or energy gels, fuel up with your favorite cookies and holiday treats. They are little packets of carbs and sugar that can get you started and keep you going. Pack a couple of cookies to refuel during longer runs and enjoy treats as part of your recovery snack.
Graze Lightly with Satisfaction
If you love to snack on holiday treats throughout the day, snack lightly with deep satisfaction. Savor every bite and save your major calorie splurges for your all-time favorites. By enjoying yourself without going overboard
Drink Water All Day, Drink ‘Nog Before Bed
Remember to stay hydrated by drinking water all day. This will boost your digestive efficiency to transform your holiday treats and delicious dinner turkey into energy and new muscle.
Running Before the Big Holiday Meal
On Thanksgiving and each following bit meal with family, the best time to run is earlier in the day. This ensures your body is primed and ready to dedicate your slabs of turkey and piles of delicious carbs for beneficial purposes building muscle and boosting your metabolism instead of the usual holiday feast results.
Go for Your Morning Run
Many people prefer to simply maintain their morning run on holiday feast days. This gets your body ready for some serious eating in the healthiest possible way and has the benefit of keeping your morning routine like clockwork.
Running on Thanksgiving Morning is called a “Turkey Trot” and communities often hold these as a fun race for early risers each Thanksgiving.
Run Before the Big Meal
If you don’t go for a morning run, plan to run about an hour or two before the big family dinner with turkey or ham and tons of carb-loaded sides. Choose your running time based on your personal best time for a recovery meal after a run. Prime your hunger so you are delightfully ravenous for dinner and ready to turn turkey into muscle.
Keep Your Gym Schedule
If you go running or hit the gym with a regular routine, try to keep your routine. Even if you travel for the holidays, it may be possible to find a branch of your gym where you have a membership, get a day pass, or choose an outdoor routine to keep your body conditioned to work out at your usual times.
What to Eat At the Dinner Table
What are the best foods for building muscle at the holiday dinner table? Prioritize foods with more protein and micronutrients and remember your optimal plate distribution.
Dark Meat Is Full of Nutrients
White meat or dark meat? White meat is ever so slightly leaner, but dark meat is full of valuable extra nutrients like iron, zinc, and B6 vitamins. Just don’t eat the skin to avoid doubling the fat conentent
Load Up on Vegetable Sides
Remember your plate portions. Make sure half your plate is vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. The rest can be meat and delicious holiday carbs like potatoes and mac’n’cheese.
Favor Sweet Potatoes Over White Potatoes
When choosing your potatoes, sweet potatoes (not full of sugar) are much better for you than normal white or gold potatoes. They have protein and vitamin A. A baked sweet potato with butter is absolutely delicious, even without brown sugar and marshmallows.
Your After-Dinner Perambulation
Many people go for a walk to help settle a big meal. This is a great idea even if you’re not ready to take off running again while happily bloated on turkey, stuffing, and a second slice of pie. A walk in the brisk late-autumn air can help you burn a few calories and tell your body to turn more of those calories into muscle instead of storing them for a long winter.
You can also plan an evening run once you’ve done most of your major digesting before settling into a deep and satisfied sleep.
Holiday Running at Merritt Clubs
If you’re spending the holidays near a Merritt club, we welcome anyone looking to burn a few extra calories or keep up with their regular workout routine. From tracks to treadmills to running clubs, runners will find what they need for holiday fitness. For more great tips on how to incorporate exercise into a fun and healthy holiday season, contact us today. Happy Thanksgiving!
