Monday May 27th marks Memorial Day, a day of homage that we pay our respects to the departed brave people of the military who have served our country through the generations to make our nation great. Part of this tradition is to express our joy and exuberance participating in parties and BBQs with friends and family. These events feature extravagant food and drinks, creating a memorable experience. Popular foods such as burgers, hot dogs, ribs, potato salad, and a spread of cakes and cookies make their way onto our plates. Raising a few bottles of beer to our friends and family, clanking bottles together as form of celebration and gratitude makes beer a popular item at Memorial Day parties. Let’s not forget about a few glasses of the Napa Valley’s elegant wine from the finest place on this side of the world making its way to a Memorial Day party. An important cultural holiday calls for a grandiose display of food and drink. However, we all know that too much food and the consumption of too many alcoholic beverages can significantly impact our healthy lifestyle habits. We want to go to a fun party, but how can we taper back on glutinously overconsuming while still enjoying ourselves?
Our personal training clients in Napa consult with us about similar issues. The constant obligation to go to social events, both social and work related, offer challenges to make healthy eating choices. Such events have rich food and copious amounts alcohol. A solution that we offer to our lifetime fitness coaching participants is to plan to ensure to include a session of exercise or physical activity the of day a social event that offers food and alcohol. A workout or participating in a significant form of physical activity that stresses the body and increases the heart rate will put the body in a fat burning and absorptive state. Lean muscle and connective tissue stressed by exercise are more likely to consume calories from food so muscles repair, becoming leaner and stronger. The increased oxygen consumption required after a bout of exercise promotes utilization of fat in the system as a fuel source. Additionally, exercise and physical activity promote positive mindsets and outlook by improving confidence and motivation. Exercising the day of social gathering is a fantastic way to set the tone with a positive mental attitude. Who doesn’t want to feel confident and happy at a party? Lastly, by including exercise on the day of a party offering questionable food decisions, the mindset of improving one’s body at the beginning of the day with a bout of exercise might positively influence beneficial food decisions when being surrounded with decadent food and alcohol.
We teach out personal training clients in Napa to refine their diets by making good decisions in portion size by using the palm of the hand as a measuring device. When unsure of how much food might be too many calories, ensure to measure a handful of protein and a handful of carbohydrates. While there a variety of tasty Memorial Day BBQ food available, a good solution might be to use your hand as measuring device for each tasty food. Maybe split a burger in half. Think about how many ribs can fit in one hand. You don’t need a ladle full of potato salad or ice cream, perhaps you can think about how much can fit into the palm of your hand. Portion these throughout your plate to limit overeating.
The bigger elephant in the room when it comes to having too much of a good thing on Memorial Day points to alcohol consumption. Beer and BBQs go hand in hand. I’m sure we are familiar with how the overindulgence of alcohol effects the body. Not only do we suffer from a splitting headache the next day, but we also promote the overconsumption of calories that can lead to excess fat storage. A popular solution to match one serving of alcohol with one serving of water. This will not only fill the stomach with liquid, limiting the ability to put too much alcohol in the system, but drinking water regularly through an event with alcohol will mitigate the diuretic effects that alcohol has on the body. Dehydration is detrimental to health which can solved by ensuring to drink water after each alcoholic beverage.
Who wouldn’t want to celebrate with food and drinks on such a monumental day? We don’t need to hold back and abstain from drinks and foods that have traditionally contributed to a magnificent time. So, go celebrate. Just don’t go off riding on a dragon. We must live strong and healthy lives to make sure we have a healthy nation not only for the next Memorial Day, but for years to come.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
