In this blog, Kathryn Morrow (Owner and Founder, KGM Nutrition) shares a compelling list of reasons why a glass of wine not only won’t hinder your weight-loss goals but can in fact accelerate your results. She supports her view by providing specific examples of ingredients in wine, how wine is good for mental and heart health. She also explains the best way to incorporate wine into a healthy and balanced weight loss plan.

We all know how important self care is, but let’s be honest…throughout the pandemic there have been times that have made us say “screw it”! Screw exercise, screw the diet, screw showering, screw it, screw it, screw it! Sound familiar? If not, maybe you need to share your wonderwoman secrets with me (cough, cough I was just kidding I always shower), but if so, maybe I can share some secrets with you!

Let’s all rewind to early March (pre COVID) when many of us were already starting to feel the guilt of not following through with our New Year’s resolutions. You know how it goes. January hits and we make all kinds of promises to ourselves. Many of us commit to eating healthier, drinking less alcohol, exercising more, losing weight, increasing our level of physical fitness etc. And you know what? January goes pretty well! We lose 10 lbs, we are hitting the gym regularly, vegetables are making a regular appearance on our plates, and we haven’t had a drink in 30 days! We feel great!

But then….February hits.

We get complacent.

First we start ordering in on the weekends, and then we slowly start veering off our plan on weekdays to include nighttime snacking. Before we know it the entire month has passed and we haven’t been to the gym once, and we are suddenly 5 pounds heavier than when we started (what happened?) and we feel like crap.

Then COVID hits. Stress, isolation, fear, anxiety…DUN, DUN DUNNNN….enter wine, beer, spirits, chocolate (whatever your vice is). Oh how I’ve missed you. And we go overboard. Here’s the thing – after a while of eating healthy and being more in control, we suddenly realize we have lost control and what do we say? You guessed it! Screw it! Cork is popped and bottoms up.

So here we are, on the teeter totter of life. Again. One minute we are in control and the next, well, back to square one…or maybe even a few feet behind the starting line (sigh) eating and drinking more than we were in the first place. Has anyone experienced this before? I know I have.

3 simple ways to practice self care

I have 3 simple ways to practice self care to help prevent this from happening and to keep you in line with your health and wellness goals.

1. Cut Back, Do Not Cut Out: Deprivation Kills Sustainability

Don’t completely deprive yourself. It sounded like a great idea at the time, and I know your intentions were strong, but if you are someone who has a glass of wine (or 3) everyday with dinner (or breakfast for that matter – since we are working from home and all), cutting it out completely might not be realistic. Same goes for food. Skip the Dishes with a side of poutine 3 days a week? Cutting back to chicken and rice really isn’t a realistic transition. Whatever change you’re trying to make, take a small step in that direction so it’s something you can sustain in the long run, and celebrate your small steps! This is a WIN! Don’t completely deprive yourself, because we have seen what will happen with deprivation – overindulgence (often even worse than the initial problem).

2. Quality Over Quantity – Red Wine has antioxidant qualities

Red wine is said to have antioxidant qualities due to a component called resveratrol. Antioxidants can act as anti cancer agents, help prevent heart disease and can even lower cholesterol. If alcohol is your vice, try a nice bottle of red wine with dinner instead of your typical sugar laden margarita or vodka on the rocks. Moderation is key – one or 2 glasses is enough. If you overdo it you will end up sacrificing your energy level the next day, which might contribute to skipping the gym.

3. Make Substitutions – How to include Wine in your Meal Plan without impacting your weight-loss goals.

Learn How to Incorporate Alcohol Without Blowing Your Meal Plan. Since you’re trying to lose weight, you can’t expect to have additional calories without affecting your meal plan in some way. What would be the point of weighing and measuring your food just to add an extra 200-500 calories in alcohol at the end of the day? Or why would you bother having salad instead of fries if you’re going to tack on a couple of beers anyway? If you’re going to include alcohol in your diet, my advice is to substitute it for some of the carbs you usually eat (think bread, pasta, grains, fruit etc.) and continue to fill your plate with lean protein, healthy fats and lots of veggies.

So there you have it. Whether your vice is wine or chocolate, now you have some simple actions to take to make sure you can safely get off the teeter totter. If only we really could rewind to January, right?…but it’s never too late to implement these strategies. You’ve got this. And if you feel yourself veering off track, just lather, rinse repeat. And there’s your reminder to shower today 😉

Image Credit: Meritt Thomas (Unsplash)