Upper East Side

Coach Patrick answers your questions on how to stay healthy this holiday season.

“I am heading home for a month. As I am a graduate student I can take these long vacations. There are not CrossFit gyms nearby, just regular 24-Hour Fitness, etc. How do I stay fit? I just started EVF and I have made lots of progress the last month.”

Continue using full-body exercises like we do in CrossFit and EVF 360 to stay functionally fit! Use the new environment and different equipment to your advantage. Cable machines, cardio equipment and a range of dumbbells are a fun way to mix up your training.

If you travel to a gym that still has a squat rack and barbells, be sure to get your work in with some back and front squats, as well as some deadlifts and cleans.

“I am, unfortunately, not going to make it to the gym. Any good equipment-free workouts you recommend? Or ones I can enlist the whole family into?!”

Absolutely. Getting the family involved is a great way for everyone to experience fitness and hopefully they start to understand why you’ve been spending so much time at gym lately!

Use your creativity and any equipment around the house, but at the end of the day all you really need is just some floor space to knock out burpees.

Some great at home exercises include: air squats or goblet squats (find something heavy and not too fragile to hold onto), sit-ups or v-ups, planks, lunges in all directions, push-ups or walk-outs … The possibilities are endless!

Remember to vary the rep ranges, time domains, and rest periods (if any) to keep your body guessing!

Try this out:

“How do I avoid overeating like I do during most holiday meals?”

Be conscious of your portions. I always tell my clients to divide their plate into three sections during the holidays: the first section needs to be some kind of lean PROTEIN (things like chicken, turkey or fish — it can be poultry or red meat but the latter is preferred), then fill the second section with lots of colorful veggies (can’t go wrong with veggies). Lastly, because it’s the holidays, fill the last section with that dish you’ve been dying to get your hands on but keep it to a third of your plate.

“My family always has a large, buffet style, holiday meal. How do I know which dishes are actually not that great for me and should maybe avoid?”

Don’t let those deceptively not-so-healthy dishes fool you. Steer clear of vegetables that contain lots of breading, cheese, butter, cream and sugar. It’s OK to have some, but make sure your portions are reasonable. A small serving should be enough to satisfy your craving.

Usually those types of dishes are served with a ladle or spoon to scoop them onto your plate. Those scoops tend to be large and not easily measurable, so be conscious of how much you are scooping your food onto your plate. Maybe that helps you save some macros for dessert!

My last words of advice for this holiday season: Have fun, spend time with family and friends, and do your best when it comes to the above tips but don’t beat yourself up about it. Enjoy your time off and do you best to keep up with exercise at a local gym. Remember, there’s always something you can do. This time of year is great for using your fitness by going on a jog or running a local 5K, hitting the slopes for some skiing or late-night tubing, and of course heading to the park for a good ol’ fashion snowball fight!

If you have any specific questions or for more information about our programs at EVF, please feel free to email patrick@evfperformance.com. Set up a EVF Nutrition consultation and start your journey to a better body and a better you.

Happy Holidays from EVF Performance!