Calories in

 This is the time of year that some people dread.

Though it doesn't really look like it yet

The holiday season brings all sorts of delicious temptations: eggnog, cookies, fruitcake, big dinners with all the fixings, with nuts and chocolates and candy seemingly all around us.

Sometimes it's enough to make you want to run away!

You'll also encounter any number of strategies to manage all of these "extra calories" - charts showing you how much you need to run to burn off various foods, or lower-calorie substitutions to choose instead of rich foods.

Like mushrooms

Now listen to me carefully here: if you are someone who is training hard - running every day, or lifting or cycling or otherwise sweating and striving to meet your goals - I want you to throw all of that "don't indulge over the holidays" nonsense right out the window. Unless you're taking time off from training, your focus should always be on eating enough instead of too much.

"Only eat what you can forage" is terrible advice for most of the people who would read this blog

If you don't provide your body with adequate calories to rebuild from the breakdown that occurs during training - because let's face it, you are absolutely doing damage when you train with purpose, because that's how you get stronger - then you open the door for illness, overtraining, and injury.

I don't make the rules - them's the brakes

As for weight gain, my experience over the past year has showed me that focusing on eating enough has led to me averaging a lower overall weight since spring than I have in recent memory - at least half a decade - and improving my recovery time after hard workouts. You need to give your body the materials it needs to repair damaged muscle tissue so it can rebuild it stronger than it was before.

Eating lots of plants for nutrients is good, but makes it very hard to get enough calories to properly fuel yourself

If you feel like you're too busy to eat enough each day, there are strategies you can employ to help with that. Many people have success with meal prepping: making large batches of dishes that can be stored for a quick meal later on. You can also cook in a way that multi-tasks: chop a bunch of veggies and throw them on a baking sheet with some sausages or chicken legs, then go for a run or workout while it's in the oven. 

Pull it out and let it rest while you change/shower/whatever, then dig in!
Lining the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper makes cleanup easier

If nothing else works, just buy yourself a big box of your favourite cereal. If you're still hungry before bed, have a bowl. Or a cookie. Or some eggnog. What you're eating is less important - as long as you're getting some vegetables in there daily - than that you're eating. Of course there are protein shakes and nutritional supplement bars and all that sort of stuff too: if it's appealing and accessible for you, go ahead! I keep things pretty simple, though - you don't need anything engineered, you just need food.

I do have a habit of routing my lunch runs from the office past a café that has allergen-free baked goods, though, and running the last half mile with a cookie or muffin in hand

Of course if you're trying to get leaner, it becomes a more delicate equation...but nothing will ruin your body composition goals like becoming injured due to inadequate food intake, and being unable to train to reach your goals. If you're reducing calories without reducing training, do so with caution, and try a very small deficit (with a big dash of patience) to avoid causing health issues.

Weight loss should never be approached as a sprint

If you genuinely enjoy the healthy substitutes for highly caloric foods or beverages, then absolutely consume them instead - especially if it's a matter of food allergies, about which I know entirely too much! However don't let some article (or person) shame you out of an indulgence that gives you joy: eat the cookie, or drink the hot chocolate, and know that you never need to feel guilt for fueling your body or savouring something delicious.

At the end of the day, we're not professional athletes with millions of dollars riding on our performance

So be kind to yourself, and have some fun with the life you have right now - I guarantee it will be better if you allow your body the food it needs to help you shine!