"To be prepared is half the victory."
I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, so the Steelers are in my soul. As a kid, my tube socks were gold and black. I fully expect the Steelers to make NFL history with six trophies. But I have heart for Arizona too. The head coach, Ken Whisenhunt was the long-time offensive coach for the Steelers, and he's done an amazing job in this two short years with the Cardinals.
So today is a big day for me. I'm spending it with Steeler Nation in Hoboken, which means eating bar food. And before that I'm meeting my friend Bill for Chinese food to celebrate the lunar new year. This is not a recipe for healthy eating. What am I going to do?
I worked it into my Mindful Battle Plan, so I was prepared to give some pre-thought about what to order. I plan to thoroughly enjoy myself without any guilt.
What to do? - Time to Celebrate!
You don't need to be militant about eating healthy during your celebration. But if you want to, and that's what makes you happy, then go ahead. This is for those that want to indulge a little, have a good time, and not feel guilty the next day. You work hard most of the time so you can slack off a little occasionally. It's OK - just be moderate and mindful about it. It's about getting your batting average up, not about being perfect. Here are some tips for your big blow-out day.- Exercise. I knew that I would be eating out twice today, so I made sure I exercised in the morning.
- Eat healthy while you can. Make your other meals as fresh and healthy as possible to compensate for what's coming up. Fill up before heading out - you will eat less of the "bad temptations."
- Choose the healthiest options when you are out. I know I'm going out for Chinese food, so I will order brown rice if it's an option and take an extra close look at the steamed foods or the soups. There are healthier, tasty things on the menu - look at how they are prepared. Steamed is best - and always avoid fried!
- Eat mindfully and moderately. Decide your portions ahead of time, and make sure you enjoy what you are having! If you are at a wedding, have some of the wedding cake if you want, but take a little slice or only have half of the regular piece, and enjoy the taste of it. If you're excited about having buffalo wings at the game, you don't need to eat a big plate. Decide ahead of time what your magic number is, and make it work. Maybe you decide you only want six wings. Have 2-3 to start with to whet your appetite, and then have one more during each quarter or after each touchdown. Don't forget that the dip is part of the portion. Do you need to slather ranch all over that wing? Cut down on it! I love fried zucchini (bad!), so I'll probably have two of them.
- Take some Mindful Mix with you. That way you have something else to munch on.
- Don't finish everything and feel like you need to get your money's worth! (I still struggle with this one). Don't load your plate up it it's a buffet. You are not saving money by stuffing yourself silly with unhealthy food. That is being penny-wise and pound-foolish. And if the portions are given to you, I am giving you permission to leave food on the plate if it's unhealthy. If it's healthy and you want to re-savor it later, take it home.
Follow these rules, and you won't beat yourself up tomorrow for falling off the cart. Just pick up your regular schedule tomorrow. Have fun today - it's game time! May the best team win.
What I ate today: 12 oz. green juice, 1 clementine, 1 banana, 1 grapefruit, 1 handful Mindful Mix, 1 c. Thai noodles, 6 oz grilled salmon+vegetables in sauce, 1/4 c. white rice, 1 c. pasta, 1 mozarella stick, 1 large cup herb tea, 45 oz. water
Exercise: Ran 7 miles
