There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
Thanksgiving Fitness: Smart Eating and Active Living Tips
Discover how you can enjoy Thanksgiving without derailing your fitness goals. Join me, Rob Maxwell, as I share insights into three smart and practical eating strategies that cater to various lifestyles and dietary goals. Whether you're committed to sticking to your current diet, looking to enjoy a no-holds-barred feast, or seeking a balanced approach that lets you indulge responsibly, there's something here for everyone. We'll explore how to navigate the holiday festivities without sacrificing your well-being, ensuring you can savor each moment guilt-free.
But it's not just about what you eat—staying active is equally crucial. In this episode, we uncover creative and enjoyable ways to keep moving, even during the holiday season. From transforming football games into dynamic exercise sessions to finding fun activities that keep you on your feet, staying active has never been more entertaining or rewarding. Tune in for practical tips and strategies that will not only enhance your digestive health but also contribute to a sustained, healthy lifestyle. Let’s make this Thanksgiving a celebration of good food and great health!
Welcome to. There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name. There is a method to the madness. It is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to everybody out there and we're going to talk a little bit about that today. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service and home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412.
Speaker 1:Common questions that come around Thanksgiving, or statements or jokes, is how to eat. So I'm going to give you three different theories because, look, everything is a theory, right? There's no like perfect way to do anything. Nobody's figured everything out. Everything comes down to what works for you and if you don't know, you can maybe pick and choose from what has worked for other people and then use a little bit of your own metrics to decide if that works for you. So nobody really knows, right. So these are all theories. I'll tell you my theories, I'll tell you the theories and we can see where we can go from there there, because ultimately, what we want to do, right, the goal is to have a good day and not sacrifice everything we've been doing or lead us to feel guilty. Right. So that's a win If we can get through the day saying I enjoyed the holiday by enjoying some food, by enjoying some friendships and fellowships and good times a day off from work and I didn't slide backwards. If we're talking our fitness goals or really anything else, then isn't that a win? So how can we have a win?
Speaker 1:So there are three theories, as I said. The first one is just the super rigorous theory where you don't really, let's say you're dieting, let's say you're on a weight loss program that's been pretty stringent and you've lost 30 to 40 pounds, so you're really doing well. You've been counting calories every day, you've been watching different types of foods and not eating this, not eating that. So just a stringent diet plan. The one theory is you don't deviate from that, you just say it's another day, maybe you eat some of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, at least some of them, like the turkey and the potatoes maybe, but you still don't have the pie or anything like that. But you really keep it to the bare minimum and you just restrict you overly restrict on Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter or whatever holiday we could be discussing. So that is one theory.
Speaker 1:The second theory is the polar opposite of that, and that is you know what I'm going to do, whatever I want to do. Now, that's not that rare, by the way. I mean, for people who don't exercise or have a wellness or health lifestyle, that's every day anyway, right? So you don't even have to tell them that that's not a theory, that's just how they live. But for people that exercise and are on pretty rigorous plans and watch what they eat most of the time, it's still not that unusual for them to have what they would call a cheat day. Body builders do it during training and even during the cut time of training when they're trying to reduce body fat for stage competition. They will simply have one day a week where they eat whatever they want, or one meal per week where they eat whatever they want. So it's not that unusual. So if you see a bodybuilder who follows that kind of practice or somebody else, they might make that day Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter or again whatever holiday or birthday or special day we're talking about. So it's not that unusual of a theory to have a cheat day. So that's another option and, by the way, I think that's a way better option than the overly restrictive option A, where you're just like sticking to your overly restrictive diet and you have no deviation on any special days. I don't know that that works overly well for anybody all of the time anyway, and I just think, like if you try to do that on a holiday, like just once or twice, whatever, that you might get through it, but I do think you're probably, based on my experience, setting yourself up for failure.
Speaker 1:Now, keep in mind a little caveat here. Now, keep in mind a little caveat here. This doesn't have like. I'm not talking to people who have really, really struggled with different types of eating disorders. You know they need to. You need to, if that is, you speak to your doctor and stay in continuous contact with them about situations like this. So I don't want to say, oh for you, eat whatever you want or don't eat Like that's just not because it is different. For those that don't know, any types of eating disorders is a medical disease and it'd be kind of like telling an alcoholic to take the day off and go ahead and have a beer. You know you just can't do that. So just keep that in mind. I'm talking to the general population, who do not have any issues like that and, by the way, those are a lot more common than you think. All right, so that's option B or option two. Okay, now let's go with option three. Option three, as you probably guess, is somewhere in the middle of the road. I like option three a lot.
Speaker 1:So you basically, if you've been following a pretty rigid program and you're losing weight which is great and you're doing that by counting your calories and keeping track of things, and you know, maybe you've been around, I don't know 1,400 calories a day for a while, which is pretty low calorie, but not that restrictive depending on your gender and weight. Most likely weight, I would say, is a better protocol, because usually the gender is lower in calories, simply because typically females are going to be lighter in weight. So that is not that low of a diet. It's still restrictive, but not overly restrictive. It's doable. But let's say you've been doing that and a holiday rolls around. Well, personally, I don't see anything wrong with having a little bit more than you normally do and having some of the quote forbidden foods unquote that you don't normally have. But I would say, still keep it in moderation.
Speaker 1:I think food logging is one of the best things we can do and it's really the solution to almost everything diet-related. So let's say, you do that but you log it. Well, now you know how much you ate and how much more you can get away with. And really weight loss does come down to math. It really is simple math and when you can measure it you can manage it. So that works really well. So I think solution C or three is best, personally, for most people.
Speaker 1:Tell yourself you're going to, you know cheat a little, but just not that much. Like don't go crazy. I don't see the point If you're on a health and fitness program, like and you don't have to be a gym person to fall under that category, you don't have to be a runner, a triathlete. Really it's just you're concerned about your health, like there are plenty of people that I've known through the years that aren't like chronic exercisers. Well, I shouldn't say that they definitely walked and that's exercise, but like their level of exercise was walking, and then they ate, right. So they fall into that category of keeping themselves in shape. I would say I wish they'd add a little strength training, because that's so good for everybody. But you know they're still fall under that category of staying in shape.
Speaker 1:You know, to me it doesn't make a lot of sense to just turn the whole day into a feeding orgy, so to say, right, a binge. It just is it really necessary? You know, are our eyes a little bit bigger than our stomach and we end up eating too much and we feel sick. I mean, can you do a lot of metabolic damage to yourself or even weight gain damage in one day? I mean, I hate to tell the people who are going to do that, no, but the reality is no, like it's what you do every day that counts is no, like it's it's what you do every day that counts. I mean, even if you totally went off the, the, the, the grid there and just went crazy with eating, I mean, no, you're not going to gain 50 pounds, you're not going to gain 10 pounds, you're not going to gain five pounds.
Speaker 1:Maybe water weight and bloated and all that, yes, sodium, but you're not going to gain five pounds of fat unless you like consume 25,000 calories, which I'm not tempting you or or challenging you. Don't try to do that but you are going to feel like crap. You're going to feel bloated. It's not good for your stomach, it's not good for your sleep and it's probably not good for your conscience, because you may feel a little guilty. And if you have issues getting back on the wagon the next day, like, let's say, like bodybuilders are really good for having a cheat day, but the very next day no issues getting right back on it, you know, is that because they're so disciplined or they've done it forever? I don't know. But they don't struggle and I can speak from experience because I've done that before.
Speaker 1:You actually kind of look forward to it because you're like you know I ate a little too much yesterday. I'm kind of just happy to clean it up today and feel a little cleaner everywhere, you know. So you know, but you have to know yourself right. I mean, that's the famous saying right. Know yourself To thy own self. Be true. You have to know what works best for you.
Speaker 1:So I don't see where a binge would be great. Not all day and not all week. You get leftovers great, by the way. Just a little piece of advice you're not supposed to keep leftovers for more than three days or the food is not really safe to eat anymore. So the next day maybe have a little leftovers but then donate it. You know, find somebody I mean I've done this before where literally, maybe it looks a little weird or you know whatever, and maybe they don't eat it.
Speaker 1:But you know, when I've seen people on corners of the street, you know, the day after Thanksgiving everybody's out shopping on Black Friday, which I think is a horrible holiday, by the way, but anyway I'll leave. You know I won't be judgmental here. I think is a horrible holiday, by the way, but anyway I'll leave. You know I won't be judgmental here. But I'll see people, you know, begging, so to say, and you know I'll give them a bag full of leftovers. You know I've given them like three quarters of a pie because I only ate one slice and nobody else liked pecan pie. So I mean that's something to do with the leftovers, right? That can go to absolute good use. You know, again, maybe they're not going to consume it if I'm standing there and well, I can't say how. You know, I don't know, maybe I would, but maybe I'd be like I don't know this person, whatever. But you can at least try, right? I mean, that's something healthy to do with the leftovers.
Speaker 1:And then the final point would be stay active. I like to start my Thanksgiving days with a turkey trot. I love to go out and do, typically the John Boyle one that's over in the land, the Thanksgiving Day one. It's been put on for 40 years. I've done the 10-miler, I've done the 5K, I've done both over the years, I don't know, probably more than any local race around. John recently passed this year and he was a legend in the running community and he'll be absolutely missed and I'll be there because, in honor to John, I want to pay the money to do that and support whatever is left over for him and his family.
Speaker 1:So staying active is great. It's a great way to get exercise. Whatever you like to do, it doesn't have to be running. Of course, it could be anything. Make sure you get your steps in. Just really stay moving. It's better for your digestive tract. You know, if you're a big football watcher and I am turn it into games. You know A team scores a touchdown. Do some squats, do some push-ups, you know, make some fun out of it, but absolutely stay active, all right. So hope these tips help, and my final tip of the day will be if you need a new garage door, please check out Overhead Door of Daytona Beach. They have the best product, they have the best service and it's owned by Jeff and Zach Honk of Ormond Beach, florida. They're fantastic. Give them a shout at overheaddoordaytonacom.