We all love a good donut. And for those of us on a weight loss or transformation journey, the decision to indulge can be guilt-inspiring and a real struggle. So how about take the guilt away, enjoy the donut AND make it work FOR you?
Here are three tips:
1. Save it post workout: this is the best option, because an intense workout allows your body to store sugar into the muscles, rather than fat cells, to help you recover faster, gain more energy, build metabolically active lean tissue AND burn fat. Sound enticing? Here’s the catch: you need to open your window properly. That means lean protein and fast digesting carbs pre-workout (whey protein isolate and a banana/toast/rice cake are a great choice), then perform an INTENSE exercise session (20 minutes is ideal) and finish with the same pre-workout concoction you enjoyed to fuel up. For three hours, your body is a muscle building machine, so enjoy responsibly. Try this body weight interval workout, or hop on a treadmill/elliptical or the pavement and go as fast as you can for 30 seconds followed by 30 second recovery for 20 minutes. A strength training session would be supreme.
2. Abstain. I know, I know, the point was to tell you how to indulge without the negative effects. Oh wait, abstinence lets you do just that! I’m not saying avoid all treats, just the ones that are bad for you. You deserve to do good things for yourself, and donuts aren’t really in that category. What if you re-programmed your mind to find yogurt and fruit indulgent, or a piece of dark chocolate (because more IS better for you), or red wine, etc? Yes, clients living a metabolically precise lifestyle enjoy tons of goodies (the MP Cookbook has an entire dessert section!). Living healthy doesn’t really mean abstain from all goodness – just the ones that don’t make you better.
3. Add black coffee: okay, so this one won’t help you stave off the negative effects of that donut, but it will at least make your pancreas work a little less. Black coffee has been shown to slow digestion, along with other benefits, which in the case of a donut means your blood sugar won’t spike as quickly and perhaps your body will store less of it as fat. Have some protein with your treat and you can make it a little less sinful…. Just don’t make it a habit.
There’s nothing wrong with a donut every now and then. But, the truth is that everything we put into our bodies has the power to make us better or worse. If we’re honest, it’s not the occasional donut that’s keeping us from reaching our dreams – it’s the daily habits that we don’t even realize are sabotaging our success. And usually, that donut isn’t so “occasional.”
A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult or limiting. It’s all about knowing what to eat, and when, to maximize results. Hope these bits of information make that easier for you to achieve!
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Metabloglically Challenged 