You may be familiar with the idea of periodisation of training, where periods of high-intensity exercise are mixed with periods of rest.
It’s this down period in which the body adapts to the work, enabling you to progress during the next block towards your ultimate end goal. Continuous work of medium to high intensity leaves you lethargic, risks overtraining and can blunt your performance.
The same idea also applies to nutrition, and the Christmas holidays are an ideal time to dust off the concept.
A balanced approach
It’s logical that our food intake needs to match our output during exercise – this helps keep our net calories in balance, preventing unwanted weight gain at one end of the spectrum and fuelling our workouts at the other.
But the key to this is not to focus on the minutiae of daily calorie intake but to zoom out and play a longer game.
“Many indulge over the Christmas period – resisting treats can be a struggle,” says performance nutritionist Will Girling, who works in professional road cycling, as well as with everyday athletes.
“At the other end of the spectrum, this period can be one of anxiety during which time the fear of gaining weight overrides any sweet temptations, so I’m pleased to report that [with periodisation] there can be a balance.
“Imagine calories not purely on a daily basis of matching expenditure and intake, but rather seeing the bigger picture in terms of what you eat and burn on a weekly basis.
“On the days we consume more calories, we can precede or follow them with days of lower intake of calories to account for the excess. Our body is like the fuel tank of a car. If you fill it up you don’t need to keep putting petrol in.”
So, Christmas Day itself might be a day of zero exercise and a freewheeling attitude towards the lunch buffet. That’s absolutely fine – if subsequent days have a calorie deficit, over the course of the week you can still find yourself where you want to be without any sacrifice.
Volume of calories is one thing, but you can also manipulate the type of food you’re eating during this period, without sacrificing much in the way of enjoyment.
“Another consideration is that it’s better to opt for high-carb food than high-fat food,” says Girling. “This is due to calorie density (4kcals per gram carbohydrate compared to 9kcals per gram fat), and also the performance-improving boost you’ll enjoy [riding] the next day when you put all those stored carbohydrates to use. Fat, on the other hand, will just provide calories and not impact performance on subsequent days.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not promoting the attitude of, ‘I can eat all the carbs I like because I’m going to train’.
“Rather, my aim is to inform you of your choices, so you can relax, unwind and enjoy seasonal foods while understanding how those additional calories can be utilised.
“On low-calorie days, you should maintain a high protein intake, which will aid recovery. And if you plan to do some hard efforts, eat a bit more the day before.
“The term ‘low’ should be taken into consideration when activity levels are low. Fuel for the work required and enjoy the key festive days knowing that you can manage over-indulgence.”