Skip to main content

Trainer Tips for a Guiltless Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. While Thanksgiving is a day about giving thanks, it also tends to be a holiday all about indulging.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and say, don't touch that pie and skip the rolls or avoid the fried turkey, but I am going to share a few tips to get you through the holiday without the post-feast guilt.


Tips for a Guiltless Thanksgiving 


Break fast. Don't skip breakfast or even your typical mid-morning snack trying to bank some calories. That'll only leave you hungry and more likely to mindlessly fill your plate.

Tackle a race. Participate in a Turkey Trot fun run/walk. It doesn't have to be a speedy 5K, it can be a family, fun event.

Be active. Go for a walk at some point during the day with family or friends. It's a great way to visit and catch up.

Skip "any day" foods. If your Aunt Sue makes some amazingly scrumptious dish this one and only time of the year, enjoy it. But mashed potatoes? You can get those any time.

Healthify a recipe. Health doesn't have to be a four-letter (ok, longer than 4 letters) word when it comes to food. You can have food that is healthy AND tasty. Try smashed cauliflower in lieu of mashed potatoes. Even better, get creative and try some non-traditional recipes like savory smashed sweet potatoes or smashed roasted winter squash.

Portion control. Plain and simple, pay attention to your portion sizes and don't go back for seconds.

Eat slowly. Savor your food. Enjoy the conversations. Don't inhale the food mindlessly.

Choose dessert wisely. Choose the absolute one and only dessert you can't live without, but keep the portion small. You're already full from your meal right? Even better, reach for the healthier desserts and skip those that you know are high-calorie sugar bombs (yes pecan pie, talkin' about you).

Hydrate. Don't forget to drink water, especially if you are enjoying adult beverages.

Of course, the biggest tip for Thanksgiving is to be grateful and enjoy the time with your family and friends.

What are some of your healthy tips for the holidays?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Workout Wednesday - Body Blaster Tabata

Happy Hump Day! I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on yesterday's post: Be Kinder to Your Body. Calories are Not the Enemy . It sounds like it resonated with many of you. Today I wanted to share a new workout with you. I've been working on interval workouts for some of my clients. I try to give them the most bang for their buck (time). I know that in an ideal world, we would all have time to do longer workouts. There would never be scheduling conflicts, sick husbands or kids, or sick us. In reality, workouts need to be effective and efficient. And they don't have to be lengthy to be effective and efficient either. There's no need to spend hours in a gym to get in a good workout. Interval workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or tabata, or even interval running are great ways to get in a fantastic workout in a short amount of time and have many benefits. You can read more about Tabata workouts  here . The benefits of this type of work

Piriformis Update & Grilled Veggie Salad

New Piriformis Exercises Today wasn't too terrible for a Monday. Of course, I did leave a little early. That always helps huh ;-) I had another round of physical therapy today. My PT has been really researching piriformis syndrome and found an interesting article that discusses the use of McKenzie Exercises - typically used for back pain. I have started adding in low back extensions (one of the exercises) but now have a whole new list of exercises to add into my workout rotations. But, if it helps, I'll do it. I also asked her about dry needling (thanks Sarena ), which is sort of similar to acupuncture, but is more about trigger point and intramuscular stimulation. And I'm glad I asked because the timing is uncanny. One of the doctor's in the clinic happens to be going to get certified this weekend. They both believe that I am a prime candidate for the procedure. So we'll see how that goes. Kind of scared because I hate hate hate needles. Have any of you tr