Happy Thanksgiving Eve my beautiful friends!

I’m saying that with as much enthusiasm as I can muster up… real talk, does anyone else feel stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious during the holidays? What is it that gets ya the most?

• THE FOOD? Do you find yourself depriving and then over-indulging perpetuating the cycle of self-sabotage, guilt, and shame, leaving you bloated, upset, defeated and exhausted?
• STIMULATION OVERLOAD? Do you find yourself exhausted and run-down from all the activities and gatherings?
• LACK OF MOVEMENT? Do you fall out of your workout routine because there’s “not enough time,” only to feel guilty later?

I’ve been there, I get it. I’m too familiar with all of those. That being said, let’s talk about how to avoid the shame-show, say no to guilt, and beat the bloat, brain fog, and blues!

What not to do:

Starve yourself all day to “make room” for your Thanksgiving meal OR the day after.

By doing this, you’re setting yourself up for crazy blood-sugar spikes/crashes (cue brain-fog, exhaustion, moodiness, and uncontrollable cravings) and opening the door to binge behavior (cue guilt, shame, self-deprecation).

What to do:

Eat a nutrient-dense, protein-packed, high fiber, and fat-fueled breakfast and/or lunch. This could be:

• A smoothie bowl packed with greens, protein powder/collagen, healthy fats, and superfoods.
• Eggs loaded with veggies and avocado.
• A big bowl of salad greens topped with lean protein, veggies, avocado, and EVOO.

As you make your Thanksgiving plate, make choices that make you feel good, not deprived, nor guilty. This is not the last supper, there is no need to binge and stuff yourself to discomfort. But it is also a holiday in which we practice a lot of food rituals and family traditions. Honor them and yourself, allow yourself to be present with your loved ones, and give gratitude to the body that carries you through life.

The day after Thanksgiving, stick to leafy greens, non-starchy veggies, lean protein, healthy fats. Lay low on the sugar, heavy carbs, and processed snacks.

Water water water! Especially if you’re consuming alcohol {1 drink = 1 glass of water}. Aim to consume half your body weight in ounces. You know the drill, do it, thank yourself later.

Try this smoothie recipe!

Fill your blender with:

• 1 cup frozen cauliflower
• ¼ cup frozen berries or ½ a banana
• A couple of handfuls of greens
• ½ a peeled cucumber
• A few sprigs of cilantro (unless it tastes like soap to you! Lol)
• 1/2 a small avocado or 2 t MCT oil
• 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder or 2 scoops of collagen peptides
• 1-2cups unsweetened almond milk
• SUPERFOODS! Chia seeds, hemp seeds, ground flax, cacao nibs, etc. (I like to blend chia seeds and use the others as toppings!)
• Add cinnamon and a pinch of pink salt

BLEND IT ALL UP AND BUEN PROVECHO! *chew your smoothies to promote digestion and give your bod a chance to process fullness.

What not to do:

• Run yourself into the ground saying yes to every event.
• Compromise your sleep.
• Believe that you have to be and do the most always.

What to do:

Learn the power of boundaries. You are allowed to kindly say no without an explanation.

Commit to 7-9 hours of sleep. Listen to your body and know when it’s time to pump the breaks on social activities. What’s worse than FOMO? A week of FOMO because you’re sick.

There are no awards for doing the most, albeit sometimes we wish there was. Remember this, if it’s not a HELL YES! It’s a NO.

Meditate! It doesn’t have to be a huge production or a fancy ritual. Find 5 minutes, a quiet space, and your breath. Focus on deep belly breathing, let thoughts come and go like thoughts do, and allow yourself to just be. Do this for one day or challenge yourself to do it for a week – and then be sure to let me know how amazing you feel!

Try this!

4-Sided Breath:

• Breathe in for a count of 4, filling your belly with air
• Slight pause to acknowledge to top of the breath
• Breathe out for a count of 4, completely emptying the belly of air
• Slight pause to acknowledge the bottom of the breath
• Complete 4-5 cycles of this before letting your breath return to its natural state – if you notice thoughts distracting you, gently guide yourself back to your breath.

What not to do:

• Skip your workout and adopt shame in its place.
• Fall into the belief that you can outrun overindulging.

What to do:

• If you hit the gym hard on a regular basis and know that getting in that Thanksgiving morning workout is what your body craves, go on and getcha gains!
• If you don’t feel like you can commit to a full workout but are already mind-f**king yourself for not moving, do a quick 20 min HIIT workout! No equipment needed, full-body/body- weight, heart rate pumping… just enough to get your mind and body in a positive space to enjoy the day.
• If you’re declaring Thanksgiving a rest then commit to it fully. Not just physically but mentally as well. Beating yourself up for not working out does not help nor change the situation, but rather jacks up your cortisol levels, which will affect everything from hunger cues, digestion, sleep, and hormonal balance. Do yourself a favor, skip the workout, and practice grace in its place.

Pick up the weights and focus on celebrating your strength vs. undoing damage. If you haven’t heard already, you can’t outrun a bad diet. Thinking you’re going to go to the gym and run for two hours to undo your Thanksgiving meal is. not. reality.

• Instead, pick up weights, focus on compound movements that recruit the most muscle bang for your buck, and cardio or explosive supersets.
• Think front squats SS with jump squats; deadlift SS kettlebell swings; seated row SS reverse lunge with a curl; bench press SS burpees.

Grab a friend to work out with you, go to your favorite class, try a new one – have fun and remember why you work out. Hint. It’s not meant to be a form of punishment.

Try this!

20 Minute no equipment needed EMOM

Set the timer for 20 minutes, performing the movements in order at the top of each minute. Once you get to the bottom of the list, start back at the top until you reach 20 minutes. The faster you perform the exercise, the longer your rest period – remember not to sacrifice form! Perform a 5-minute dynamic warm-up before beginning and be sure to cool down and stretch at the end.

• 40 air squats
• 30sec plank
• 20 push-ups
• 10 burpees
• 20 butterfly sit-ups
• 1 min stair toe taps {use a ball or any object you have}
• 1 min rest

The bottom line, enjoy the holiday with whomever you spend it with, be present, grant yourself permission to live life with grace and gratitude and think of all the things you are truly thankful for.

All my love and light, always!

Xo

Meg

PS! snap a photo of your smoothie, post-meditation zen face, and workout selfie, and be sure to tag me so I can applaud your badassery! #graceupongrace