Holiday Weight Gain: Does it Stay With You?

How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

That time of year is upon us once again. The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. Many of us are putting travel plans together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we can spend the festive season with the ones we love most, including that one uncle who decides to talk about politics at the dinner table…

While this may sound gluttonous, one of my favorite parts about the holidays is the food! Right now you’re probably picturing the Thanksgiving Day turkey at the center of the table, surrounded by mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Followed by that pumpkin pie you’re going to devour soon after. However, what we often forget during this time of year is the impact all of this delicious food is having on our long term weight loss goals.

Holiday weight gain is a very real thing, with the average American gaining 1 lb between November and January. I know what you’re thinking, 1 lb of body weight doesn’t sound like a lot considering the vast quantities of food you have probably inhaled during this time. However, researchers have also found that most people don’t shed that extra weight by the next year! As a result, that single pound can turn in to 5, 10, even 15+ pounds of unwanted weight gain as the years roll by!

With this in mind, here are few tips that will help to prevent holiday weight gain from occurring:

1. Go on More Walks

While a brisk walk may not seem like much of a workout for most people, I am certain that it is better than what you are probably doing this time of year. Most of us can become content with sitting on the couch and watching TV, especially with a belly full of turkey. But this level of inactivity in combination with a sudden spike in overeating can be a recipe for disaster. Going on a short walk is not only a great excuse to get some fresh air and spend quality time with family, but It will also help aid digestion, offset some inflammation and prevent blood sugar spikes from occurring.

2. Be a Mindful Eater

If you’re anything like me, it is difficult to say no to extra helpings of food during the holidays. Despite being moments away from an impending food coma, I still believe that I have extra room for that slice of pecan pie I’ve been thinking about all day. With such a vast quantity of food available, most of which is very palatable, it’s important to be mindful of what you are eating and how much of it you really need. Prior to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, try to limit snacking and consuming large meals that will only make your daily caloric intake even higher. Knowing that a big slice of pie is waiting for you at the end of your meal, you could also consider smaller portion sizes of turkey and all the fixings. As you can see, none of these suggestions require you to remove any of the food that you love. But they do require you to be aware of your portion sizes and appetite levels.

3. Find a Nearby Gym

If your holiday plans call for you be away from your home comforts for an extended period of time, it might be a good idea to seek out a local gym. Even if this is just a planet fitness or the local YMCA, you can still get a great workout in when you have minimal equipment at your disposal. A couple of resistance training sessions will go a long way in keeping the pounds off during the holidays and prevent you from returning home undertrained.

See below for a sample workout that can be performed easily at any small commercial gym:

A1) Slow Tempo Goblet Squat - 3x10

A2) Deadbugs - 3x6/side

B1) Pushup or 1-arm Alternating DB Bench Press – 3 x 5 or 3 x 7/side

B2) Side Planks – 3 x :20/side

C1) Glute Bridge w/ Iso Hold – 3 x 12 (:02 Iso Hold)

C2) 3 Point DB Row – 3 x 8/side

Finisher: (4 Minutes)

D1) KB swings x 8

D2) Bear Crawl x 6 steps/side

Ultimately, as with many things, you should be searching for balance at this time of year. Given that most of our daily lives are consumed with traffic-filled commutes, deadlines, and plenty of stress, the holidays serve as an opportunity to switch off and enjoy quality time with our families. However, it is important to not become too lax with our eating and exercise habits. Along with remaining mindful of your food intake, making sure that you move often and set aside time for physical activity will go a long way to keeping you on track as we head into the new year! From myself and the entire SAPT team, have a happy holiday season!

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT

The Best Beef Hamburgers (in Bulk)

Whenever I make food in bulk, I always try to make sure the dish checks a several boxes:

1. The food has got to be at least as delicious as when first prepared once reheated (or just served again in the case of cold dishes).

2. It has to line up with dietary goals for myself and my family (this generally means it is not processed and made from fresh ingredients).

3. It needs to be budget friendly. This generally means, I’m looking towards ground beef, turkey, dark chicken meat, and stews or soups for main dishes.

For many years, I was trapped in the chicken, rice, and broccoli food vortex. This is the stereotypical bodybuilding diet that is devoid of much in the way of healthy fats and flavor. Never again. Taste is king and you can get that while aligning with your other goals.

One of the most simple and delicious bulk meals I like to make - that everyone loves - are hamburgers (with or without a traditional bun). If you don’t eat red meat, then this isn’t the recipe for you. But if you do, here is the best way to make the most delicious burger.

I like to read recipes and tend to try to learn from trained chefs and brilliantly creative home cooks, alike. Recently, I learned from a chef that putting other ingredients into ground beef for a loaded-style burger is really frowned upon by the upper echelons of the culinary world. Personally, I like burgers with stuff packed in the meat! But, I kept reading because this chef claimed that all you need for the perfect burger patty is a fatty ground beef (85/15 or 80/20) and a lot of salt.

Hey, if he was correct, then all I was saving was preparation time and money.

Not only does this simple approach cut down on preparation time, but it also reduces the cost per burger significantly - given the other ingredients you are not having to buy and the encouragement to enjoy a ground beef with higher fat content.

The Perfect Burger (in Bulk)

3-lbs ground beef (the fattier the better)

Sea salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Form each patty into LOOSELY packed patties. I can’t emphasize how important it is to pack them loosely. If they are packed too tight, each burger patty ends up feeling like you are eating a dry hockey puck.

Then generously season one side of the burger with salt and pepper. Throw them seasoning side down on a skillet or grill and season the other side before letting them cook for 4-5 minutes (or however long you need to get the desired level of doneness).

Let the burgers rest for about 5-minutes and then plate them up however you like! They may be so delicious and juicy that you don’t find the need to add much of anything at all to the top.

The last step in this is equally as important as the preparation - it’s the storage of the leftover burgers. After taking whatever is being eaten for that meal, immediately place the leftovers in airtight storage containers. I really like this style because when you reheat, the moisture stays in the container and helps keeps the meat juicy and fresh tasting.

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT

Sunday Routine

How I get ready for the week ahead, in my experience, will determine the outcome. I tend to use the “Sunday routine” method to help me stay ahead of the curve. 

The Sunday Routine is simply the act of dedicating a few hours of the day to preparing for your work week. Of course, you can use whatever day of the week works best for your schedule.

If you have children and/or a spouse, then it can feel like a pretty heavy investment of time. But, it’s completely worthwhile. The return on the investment is the ability to cruise through each day in your week feeling successful, on track, and less stressed.

When time gets tight *BAM* you’ve already got plenty of food ready and waiting in the refrigerator. When your day gets hectic *SURPRISE* you already scheduled time for your evening workout, have food to eat before leaving work, and have your gym bag waiting in the trunk of your car.

My Sunday Routine always involves making sure my family is ready for the week, too. In this case, it was having some fresh cookies on hand for my kids.

How to get the Routine going:

1. Grab your calendar: get a sense of your week - are there any after work events you will be attending? What is the schedule of your kids activities? When will you fit in your trips to the gym? 

   1. Hey, while you’re in there - go ahead and schedule a time for your workouts and any other mid-week meal prep you anticipate needing to do.

      1. If the week looks really jam-packed, can you schedule time for an after dinner walk or a home workout?

   2. Does your gym require an appointment? Then go ahead and actually BOOK the appointment now. 

2. Take action! Hit the grocery store, start your laundry, clean the house… Do the actions that you can do TODAY to set yourself up for a successful week.

3. Make some food or whole meals in bulk. This doesn’t have to be fancy. And, if you’ve never done this before, be patient. The first go-round, you may not get it perfectly.

   1. Here are some of my go-to’s - they all keep well for at least a few days:

      1. Burgers (turkey or beef)

      2. Chicken (any type)

      3. Fish

      4. Beef stew

      5. Hearty soup

      6. Rice

      7. There are unlimited options here

No cookies for me, this is more what my personal prep tends to resemble!

Having the discipline to get all your meals ready and gym bag packed ahead of time is important. The more you can create a grab ‘n go situation for yourself (and even your family), the better! So, pack your meals the night before and get your clothes ready ahead of time, too.

On the occasions when I arrogantly ignore my weekly prep, foolishly thinking I’m ready, when I’m not, or that I’ll “make it through.” I always end up regretting it! Food I thought I had on hand, quickly diminishes within a day or two and low-and-behold, I have virtually no clothes to wear. Seriously, it gets bad.

Take some time today or on whatever day you like and set yourself up for success with the Sunday Routine.

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT

Feeding the Family: Battlefield in the Kitchen 2019 Edition

We did a couple posts back in 2014 called The Battlefield is in the Kitchen: Part 1 and The Battlefield is in the Kitchen: Part 2. I thought it would be nice to throwback to those and expand on them with more of a family focus.

If you’ve been visiting the blog lately, you’ll have noticed a new series I’ve been doing called Feeding the Family. Compared to 5-years ago when the first Battlefield posts went up and my kids were 2 and 4, their needs were not very aligned to the way I chose to eat. That was the applesauce and halved grapes stage. 

But, we’ve now entered a different stage of their lives and our lives as a family and as I reread the Battlefield tips, through my mom lens, I felt like they really were not very helpful for applying to my family! I’m willing to bet that if you have a family with children, you would agree.

Here is the updated 2019 version:

Plan Ahead: the original recommendation was to plan on cooking in bulk 1 or 2 days per week. While adults intent on maximizing their time in the kitchen may be just fine with eating the same 2 or 3 meals for a whole week, kids are not!

Okay, so if you’ve seen many of the mommy-style food blogs, you’ll see elaborate meals prepared for children, that are (in my experience) not realistic. We’re approaching this battlefield-style, so we’re not going to have time to “plan ahead” and make turkey-cucumber pinwheels with homemade mayonnaise and black bean brownie animal cutouts. We’re going to get real. Real practical.

Planning ahead for family meals if you are working during the day and/or are a single parent is a super challenge. But here are some of the things I have found that work:

• If you prepare food in bulk, do so judiciously. Pick things that keep well for several days. For example, a properly seasoned hamburger will stay delicious for a couple days. Just reheat it, and stick it on a fresh bun with some salad. The whole family will enjoy this.

• Have staples on hand that hit your targeted family nutrition goals.

• Draft a few meals to make during the week and shop for them ahead of time. I say “draft” because...

• Be willing to be flexible and you’ll live to fight another day! My best plans for meals during the week - even with ingredients on hand - are often no match for our schedule! Sometimes, you’re going to need to pull that pizza out of the freezer.

Purge Your Pantry: again the original recommendation may be a bit too extreme for families. As much as I personally would never miss Oreos or potato chips in my pantry, the other 75% of my family definitely would! 

I’ve tried to find a reasonable middle-ground here. I do adhere to the principle of “If it is in your house eventually you or someone you love will eventually eat it.” 

Under that guideline I don’t want too much junk in the house. So, we generally keep only one dessert in the house at any given time. It might be ice cream OR cookies OR pie. But never all of those at one time. We also rarely ever have more than one type of chip. In terms of staples we keep plenty of (that the kids love) here’s what I always have on hand in the pantry or refrigerator:

• High protein pasta: Barilla makes a delicious high protein pasta. My kids aren’t quite ready for meat sauce, so this gets them the protein and carbs they need. Again, pairing it with a salad makes for a quick, easy, and realistically healthy meal.

• No sugar added Applesauce

• Soup - I do not consider this healthy, but rather a somewhat neutral food. The main advantage is the kids love soup and it’s crazy fast.

• Dried fruits (no sugar added, which is sadly limiting, but if you get the stuff with sugar you may as well just buy candy)

• Nuts 

• Nut butters

• Canned plain tomato sauce (no sugar added) & canned diced tomatoes - it’s shocking how often tomato can be used as a base for many meals

• Tortilla chips

• Shredded cheese and tortillas (quesadillas)

• Bread, yes, bread.

***With a proper stock of the basics, you can throw something quick together when the Plan Ahead technique occasionally falls apart!

Eat Real Food - this is a great principle, but I think being flexible and setting your mind on the 80/20 rule is best. Avoid overly processed foods 80% of the time. This will leave room for the desserts and chips I mentioned we have in our house!

Eat in Moderation - this is what parents need to live by! Eat to 80% full. For the kids, allow their natural appetites to guide them. When they are smashing food, let them! It means they are probably growing or about to. If they’re not hunger, don’t push the issue, get a few bites in and let them move on.

Make Small Changes - Yes! I wrote a post recently on this. Here’s the main key: you do not need to announce small changes! Just do them! I always cringe when I hear one or both adults in the family has decided everyone will now be eating Paleo. Please don’t, just don’t. 

• First of all, kids don’t need to eat that strictly.

• Second of all, neither do you!!! Start slowing with reasonable, sustainable changes. Hey, read my 80% rule - seriously, this is life changing. 

While you’re navigating this and trying to imagine a world where Twinkies don’t live in your pantry, please remember highly processed and prepackaged foods are literally engineered to be highly addictive. It’s worth it to break the cycle.

How the Food Industry Helps Engineer Our Cravings

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT

Hidden Problem of Early Sport Specialization

Early sport specialization is not only about children getting injured too young because of only playing one sport (and, therefore, not reaching their potential as athletes - this is the club sport model), it is also about - and dare I say this is the more important, yet less discussed part - how the early sport specialization model removes the opportunity to teach children how to take care of themselves from a physical movement and strength perspective, by focusing solely on sporting success and mastery. 

In our fanatical quest to produce the top athletes, we effectively are a country producing adults who do not know how to eat healthfully or keep their bodies strong. We set them adrift in adulthood to fend for themselves. Many only knowing to search out an adult league [soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc.]. High school sports were, for many, the last time they were “in good shape.” It is understandable how this would be what is naturally sought out.

Recently, I caught the end of a conversation between Ryan Wood, one of SAPT’s coaches, and one of our interns, Iman. They were talking about the problems with early specialization in sports and how that affects the general population over the long term. 

What is early sport specialization? The more traditional definition: when a child younger than age 15 plays one sport year-round. My expanded definition: when children are taught from a young age via PE that physical health is found in competitive team and individual sports.

During this conversation, Ryan brought up a great point that I had never thought of before: All of the conversations surrounding early sport specialization generally consist of explaining why these athletes that are specializing in one sport at a young age are getting injured and how detrimental this is for developing athletes to their full potential. True.

But what Ryan pointed out was that this is a very short-sighted concern. You see, Ryan teaches physical education (PE) and is very focused on long-term human development. So he really gives a lot of thought to what we, as a society, are doing in PE and more specifically about what PE should be doing for us. 

In my opinion, the concept of physical education is just the same as learning math skills or learning science skills. We should be learning how to take care of our physical bodies in a step-by-step process and then taking these skills with us into adulthood and using them over a lifetime. 

Learning how to take care of our physical bodies (Physical Education) at a young age and progressing appropriately through high school could help us - again, as a society - dramatically reduce injuries and illnesses associated with inactivity and poor food choices. And, honestly, just produce happier adults.

As best I can recall, I’m not using anything that I learned from my 12-years of physical education. I remember learning to play dodgeball, kickball, ultimate frisbee, archery, dancing, volleyball, and basketball, but that was about it. 

Teaching while modeling how to care for yourself physically should be the foundation of Physical Education programs.

For the most part, PE was the time to goof around while looking forward to my volleyball practice after school. Getting to shoot a compound bow for a couple weeks was pretty cool, but a life skill? Not quite.

I would have been far better served by being taught some strategies to help me stop spraining my ankle regularly and learning to become more mechanically sound in throwing a ball to lessen the painful tendonitis I developed in my elbow. Both of these issues prevented me from competing to my fullest, but in the long-run [read: even today] are both recurring issues that harken back to when I was 14 or so.

Everything in PE was and is at an introductory level. The skills being taught do not effectively build on each other. Think about it this way: how do we learn to read and write? It starts with simple things like learning the alphabet, learning sounds, and learning words. Over time, we gain varying levels of mastery of the language(s) we’ve focused on learning. The skills build on each other. 

We can generally say that physical education is not currently working the same way as other subjects are taught - and it should be! Children are learning a rotation of specialized sports skills. Not the knowledge they need to take care of their physical bodies.

Please check out Part 2 of this blog: How America’s PE approach normalized the inefficient and dangerous youth sports development model at the club level.

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT

Performance Nutrition: Collagen Supplementation

Okay, so I am not claiming to be a collagen expert, but there is some interesting information I want to share as I think it can help many, many people.

Over the last couple of years, collagen protein has emerged as the next darling of supplements in the multi-billion dollar fitness industry. It is touted as a way to speed up recovery from injury - and almost any injury at that! 

But is it just another carefully packaged, expensive product with little to show in the way of research supporting its use? Or does it work as advertised? 

Let’s find out more. 

What is collagen exactly?

“Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and helps give structure to our hair, skin, nails, bones, ligaments and tendons in our body. Thanks to collagen, we’re better able to move, bend and stretch. Collagen is also behind helping hair shine, skin glow and nails stay strong.” - Vital Proteins website

What does collagen supplementation do?

The product makers claim that making an effort to consume collagen protein can help do everything from restore the bounce in your skin to shine in your hair and even help bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles repair after injury.

Wow, that all sounds awesome! Count me in! Well, wait… let’s explore the last part of those claims a bit by focusing on injury. 

Does collagen supplementation really help?

If you check out these two studies (here and here) it is pretty clear there is evidence that supports its use in acute injury.

That’s really great news. But what you pair the collagen with, plus when you take it, prove equally important.

Here is a bit of structure on how to use during the pre-workout timeframe:

Step 1: First and foremost, in the realm of recovery from injury, gelatin works just as well as collagen. So, if you are on a budget, making some old fashioned Jello may be just as good, if not better. Secondly, and most importantly, pair the collagen/gelatin with Vitamin C. The dietician I work with recommends 50mg.

Step 2: Consume about one hour before exercise. The idea here is that the collagen will get synthesized into the various structures of the body at an increased rate when taken before exercise and especially when paired with Vitamin C.

Step 3: Have a training session, practice, or rehab session that is loading/stressing the recovering area.

Step 4: New information is surfacing about multiple “doses” per day being especially effective. So, you could consider having a second serving later in the day (not necessarily paired with exercise).

Step 5: Give it some time. How much? I’m not sure, but probably 2-weeks at minimum to see if you notice improvement.

I’ve been using this protocol with some of the athletes I work with and we’ve had very encouraging results. So, I’d say it’s worth a try.

Taking this a bit further, I think there is reason to consider using collagen/gelatin in a pre-workout timeframe for anyone training who wants the best possible adaptation to the training/practice load. Meaning: even non-injured athletes could expect good results.

Part of the benefit to running, jumping, and resistance training is how dense and robust it makes the body’s tendons, ligaments, and bones. All those same benefits can seemingly be amplified by this little tweak to your pre-workout nutrition. Thus, potentially cutting your risk of injury.

Personally, I have a heck of a lot of trouble with my tendons, in particular. So, I’m going to give this protocol a month and see where we end up!

Since you’re here: We have a small favor to ask! At SAPT, we are committed to sharing quality information that is both entertaining and compelling to help build better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage us authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics.

Thank you! SAPT