Fit for Life: There’s Got to be a Morning After….

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Ok, so yesterday happened. You had a great holiday with family, friends and assorted loved ones and much joy was had by all. It was a beautiful day.

Aaannndddd…. you ate like crap.

If you are like most of my clients (and yes, like me, too) you ate too much, you ate “bad” things ,and probably drank more than normal, too. Now, you woke up this morning looking a bit more like Santa than you did just a day ago. Thank you - food hangover!

Damage Control.

So now what? Time to go into damage control mode. But here’s the good news: It’s way easier than you think. Take a breath and follow these simple tips to get back on track without going crazy.

1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
You need to keep this in mind: One bad meal (or one bad day of eating) will not make you fat just like one good day of eating will not make you lean. It is what we do long term that makes the difference. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward.

2. Don’t Weigh Yourself
Don’t go near a scale. At least not today. A couple of things happened when you pig out. One is you just retain water form the increased overall consumption and salt intake. And another is you fill up your glycogen stores (the sugar stored in muscle). Now that in and of itself is just fine, but with every gram of glycogen stored 2-3 grams of water is stored. Again, that is not bad thing but that will increase the number on the scale. So avoid the freak-out and avoid the scale.

3. Stick with P & P
“P&P” is just an easy way to remember protein and produce. To put it simply, carbs can problematic for a lot of people. They can make you gain fat and can keep you from losing fat (this has to do with their influence on insulin). So to get your nutrition in check stick with protein and produce. The protein helps increase metabolism, and helps muscle repair. Fresh vegetables can give your body all the nutrients it needs plus has a ton of fiber to keep you full. There are some other important nutritional aspects to consider, but if you get these 2 things rolling you are moving in the right direction.

4. Hydrate
Here’s a secret: Increased water intake does not increase fat loss. *BUT* even the slightest bit of dehydration stops fat loss in its tracks. Add to that the fact your body only functions optimally when it is fully properly hydrated. Aim for around a gallon per day. And yes, you’ll be in the bathroom a lot.

5. Get Moving
Get off your butt. Now. Anything is better than nothing, even just going for a walk. But if you want to get the most efficient fat torching workouts stick with short duration interval based training. In only 30 minutes your can boost your metabolism for over 48hrs, melting fat even while at rest.

6. You Can’t Fix it All Today
Remember, you can’t fix all your problems in a day, or even in a week. Dedicated yourself to yourself. This is the only body you have, and your future self will thank you for the time & effort you invest in yourself now. It will not happen overnight but it will happen when you commit to change your life. It is never too late, and trust me: You are worth it.

See, it’s really not that tough. Also, I am here for you. So if you need any help and guidance, if you have questions or just need some someone to amp up your motivation just get in touch, and I’ll help you out. Now – get ready – New Year’s Eve is right around the corner!

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!"

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

Prev Next

MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

Prev Next

MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

Prev Next

JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

Prev Next

Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

Prev Next

YogaStudio

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

Made for iPhone only

Prev Next

SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

Prev Next

Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android