Tips for Getting Back on Track After Easter

Four days or five days of eating too much delicious food, sitting around, and chocolate. So much chocolate!
Isn't Easter chocolate tastier than the chocolates at Christmas? That's my family's vote anyway.
The only bad thing about Easter is that Easter Monday is also a part of Easter, and Monday is the only day when you can start fresh, and now the week is a write off, and now you have to wait until next week to get back on track.
NOT! No excuses. No giving up on your goals.

Four days of Easter is not going to ruin your goals, as long as you do a few things:    
                                             
1. Remember there is more to your health and fitness than eating a lot of nutritious foods and exercising. Your spiritual and emotional life, rest days and relationships are equally important to your overall health and are often neglected or overlooked. Appreciate what Easter means to you, the memories you created, special moments you had with loved ones, and even the extra hours of rest or sleep you got.

2. Don’t beat yourself up for eating something “bad” or "off plan" or too much. So you enjoyed some treats. That doesn't make you a bad person, or mean that you wrecked your diet and training plan. Let it go. Or if you really ate a crazy amount, take a few minutes to analyze what you could differently next time and then let it go. Chastising yourself won't do any good and could even backfire.

3. Get rid of all the leftover chocolate, candy and sweets right after the holidays.
Throw it all away! You might think that it’s a waste but like I often say, “I would rather waste it in the garbage than on my waist.” :P

4. Don’t weigh yourself.
I am not a big fan of the weight scale, but if you are, don’t get on the scale right after Easter. There is a good chance that the numbers will make you at least a little unhappy. You already know how you did with your diet without weighing yourself. Instead, get back on track with eating healthy and exercising, and then weigh yourself next Monday.

5. Don’t skip meals or severely cut calories.
Just because you overindulged over Easter, is no reason to skip meals or severely cut calories to make up for it (or exercising like crazy either). Skipping meals during the day usually leads to cravings in the evening and overeating, Instead, focus on getting into a good routine with regular, healthy meals. Make yourself a delicious protein smoothie, your favourite salad, overnight oats or hard boiled eggs for the earlier part of your day instead.

6. Take some extra time to foam roll, stretch or do some fun, relaxing exercise. Try pilates, dancing, or play with kids if you are stiff from traveling or sitting around, tired, or in a funk after the holidays. Be sure to do something for even 5-10 minutes even if you don't feel like exercising at all. Sometimes we need a little nudge to get going again after a vacation or several days break from the gym.

7. Don’t buy the sale chocolate and candy!
You know how the stores have all the left over Easter chocolate on sale after Easter? DON’T BUY ANY OF IT! It isn’t a deal at all when it will cost you guilt, extra pounds or your health.

8. Keep a food journal.
To make sure to keep yourself accountable with eating healthy and getting back on track after Easter, it’s a good idea to keep a food diary on paper (or MyFitnessPal or other food and exercise tracking app) for at least one to two weeks. When we write down what we eat, we automatically become more mindful of portions and each bite we put into our mouth. Sometimes I decide not to eat something simply because it's too much effort to write it down. And no one wants to write down that they ate two pounds of chocolate! Lol.

Whether, or not, you slipped with your diet and exercise plan during Easter, keep going. Remember it's getting closer to summer. Now is the time to get serious or train a little harder so you can fully enjoy special events such as weddings, grad, pool parties, and reunions, and the warm, active days coming up!

Happy Spring and to Warmer Weather,

Coach Edie


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