ThanksGiving Fitness

    It's that time of year again where we celebrate the holidays with awesome food, family and bringing joy to those around us. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Thanksgiving but I do believe in celebrating life with the ones you love. Now generally this particular part of the Holidays is about giving thanks and we all have things to be thankful for; however I don't think we need one day to be grateful for something when it should be a choice to be grateful everyday from your own personal ways. Granted people shop their ass off after Thanksgiving and only in America where people trample each other for crazy sales after one day of being thankful. Traditionally from my own choice I train a little more intensely around this time and make the time to test out hard exercises and push a little more on the basics. I'm a big eater as some of you know and this Thanksgiving will have a non-traditional feast that will have me eating like a madman after some crazy training.

 
    Many people have a certain tradition where at Thanksgiving many family members gather around a table, say thanks and grace and chow down but being non-traditional is ok too. I'm traditional in certain areas but having a huge turkey for one dinner is not one of them. This year it'll be just me and my mom and we're going to feast on what we call Thanksgiving Tacos filled with healthy doses of chicken, veggies, sour cream, avocado and tasty tortillas. We don't make these that often, lucky to have at least once every couple months because it can get really messy but when they roll around I'm there man. But the main reason is because I'll eat as many as 10-12 in one sitting. My tradition for when these get made is too fast for 24 hours or more and train hard for the meal ahead. Being non-traditional is weird to some people but to me it's not about being like everybody else or do the same things others do, it's about being unique and doing something that only matters to you. I also hope those that are homeless have something to eat on this day and get to share a meal with their fellow man.

 
    Granted when the holidays come around, so do the pounds however; I do believe that it's all good to indulge every once in a while and just have a blast. Eat whole foods and cut up your meat so it can digest faster. Have fun but be smart. If you plan on doing workouts around this time, don't put in a ton of hours during the day, do a few intense workouts that have you burning calories even while you're eating. One of the best workouts to do is to do Sprints; do up to no more than 10 good bursts for up to 30 seconds or less. If you're at the gym, move some heavy weight around, this jacks up the metabolism and your growth hormones naturally. If you're a bodyweight enthusiast no problem do compound movements that hit multiple muscles such as Push-ups, Squats, Pull-ups, Animal Movements, Jumping whatever gets you breathing hard fast. Drink enough water for your body's needs and get plenty of rest because a big feast can be a workout in itself and can knock you out the moment you're done. When you can crank your metabolism you can still eat your favorite foods and still be burning off fat. I'm not into counting calories but I do my best to eat as healthy as possible but not feel guilty to eat what I like. I'm a big dude and I can eat like crazy when the time is right but I also always make time to train to help keep everything flowing and those short intense workouts help me stay in great shape for when I need to feast.

 
    Not only the holidays are roaming but it's near towards the end of the year. Instead of making resolutions just around New Year's, why not make them earlier ahead of time. Set little goals for yourself and get ahead of the pack because way too many make a resolution at the last second than give up just as soon as it starts. Take your training to another level this holiday season, put in some extra minutes to finish off your normal routine, do a couple intense workouts that hit you everywhere but this doesn't mean destroy your form, be safe and train with an intent and not just so you can look good later and hurt like a bitch too. Even by the smallest fraction of your progress, jump it up a notch and remember to breathe deeply so you can take the oxygen needed. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone, I'm grateful for all of you and I'm blessed to be apart of a new home, have great things to use for training and living in a peaceful neighborhood. Have a blast my friends, be awesome.