Some tips to having a Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!
It’s that time of year again! In a few days, Americans will consume over 46 million turkeys. In addition, we’ll also gobble down the average 4,500 monstrous calories we traditionally take in on Thanksgiving Day! Of course, we’re not including these facts and figures to discourage you from indulging and enjoying yourself this Thanksgiving. But, we would like to provide a healthy reminder before, during and after the meal to remain firmly on track towards your health/fitness goals.
In this post, we’ll explore some reliable and efficient tips that will help you to have a happier, healthier Thanksgiving! These guidelines will be enormously beneficial before, during and after the holiday.
Prior to Thanksgiving:
Whether you’re hosting or traveling for Thanksgiving, here are some helpful tips for the days leading up to Turkey Day:
- Exercise: Don’t forget about your weekly/daily exercise routine. On the days leading up to Thanksgiving, be sure to get to the gym. Also, you can go outside for your daily walk (or whatever your chosen exercise may be). Often, when individuals feel stress or they’re busy, the first thing they decide to sacrifice is the gym. You should never skip the gym! In fact, you should make it an essential priority the week before Thanksgiving. This won’t just help you stay on track. In addition, it will simply make you feel good at the end of each day.
- Eat well: On the days leading up to Thanksgiving, continue to eat healthy! Eating well will help you stay on track before the big binge day and will aid in motivation to get back on track after the day has passed.
- Plan: If you’re cooking dinner, try and find some healthy substitutions for the side dishes. Some examples include: 7 Healthy Twists On Your Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes. If you’re traveling to a dinner, ask the host what the menu looks like. And if healthy options are lacking, bring a healthy dish yourself!
On the Day:
- Eat a nutritious breakfast: On the day of Thanksgiving, start the day out with a large nutritious breakfast or breakfast smoothie. Try an egg white omelet, with your favorite vegetables. A large breakfast will keep you from eating those unnecessary appetizers. Also, it will simply help you fuel your body and start your day on a good note. It’s also been proven that those who skip meals end up binging much more than those who eat a good breakfast.
- Exercise: After you finish watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the first 20 minutes of the Dog Show, go outside for a family walk. Also, you can take the dog for a walk, have a nice game of tag football or soccer. Just get moving before the big meal!
- Limit your indulgence: If there’s a specific Thanksgiving dish that you know is your ultimate weakness, try to limit yourself to just one helping. For example, if you know desserts are your downfall, then make prior plans to only have one helping, and that’s it. Or, if gravy’s your downfall, only allow yourself one scoop from the ladle.
- Enjoy the day and forget the guilt: One bad day isn’t going to sabotage your entire year. So enjoy the day and don’t focus on the calories. Be thankful!
Post-Thanksgiving Day:
- Get right back on track: Don’t spiral into a period of bad eating until New Year’s Day. Again: one bad day isn’t going to ruin everything. Therefore, make sure you start eating healthy again and have a fridge full of healthy foods. Also, avoid fad diets to lose weight!
- Get to the gym: Don’t wait more than one day to get back to the gym after Thanksgiving! The earlier you return, the easier it will be to get back into your weight loss routine. Who knows? The gym might have a Black Friday sale!
Conclusion – Farmingdale Physical Therapy West
We hope these few tips will help you have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving! Please enjoy the day, however you may celebrate it, and be safe! All the best from your friends at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West!
