Thanksgiving Fitness Tips

Thanksgiving Fitness Tips

You can enjoy Thanksgiving without going overboard, here’s how!  With the bad weather of fall, many people are exercising less because they cant get outside and they eat more because of the holidays.  This bad combination of events leaves many 10-20 pounds heavier in springtime.  It doesn’t have to be that way and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to stop the trend.   For full details, please read holiday weight control but here are the basics:

1. Fifteen minutes before the big meal, drink two 16 ounce glasses of water.  This will help make you feel full with less food.
2. Plan on getting two plates of food.  On your first plate, pile on the vegetables. take a modest portion of lean meat,  and just take a small, satisfying portion of everything else.
3. After finishing your first plate, talk and and enjoy the company of friends and family for at least fifteen minutes before going back for seconds, and then drink another 16 ounce glass of water.   This delay allows your stomach time to tell your brain that it’s been satisfied.  By delaying you will find that you will end up eating far less and being just as satisfied.
4. Start a new family tradition. After the meal, take a long walk! This serves two purposes. First it burns off that big meal you just had but more importantly, it makes you feel less guilty. Call it even, one big meal and one big walk. The next day you can go back to your healthy eating. This avoids the common effect the holidays have on people, the old  ”I’ve already blown it, I might as well wait till spring to start a diet” attitude.

Tips to help you enjoy Thanksgiving without over doing it.