Are you new to a
healthy lifestyle or trying to lose weight, and worried about the Thanksgiving
holiday coming up? You’re not alone. For many of us, the kids are home from
school, you are traveling to visit family or hosting family, and it’s easier to
abandon our healthy lifestyle. After all, Thanksgiving is based around a giant
meal, and most of us associate it with stuffing ourselves with so much
delicious food that we must unbutton our pants, and take a couch nap during the
big football game. It doesn’t have to be this way, and with a little bit of
planning and balance, Thanksgiving can be enjoyed thoroughly in moderation
without feeling deprived. Here are 8 healthy Thanksgiving tips for staying on
track.
1. Plan
Plan ahead of time.
Just like planning to cook Thanksgiving dinner, or planning what dish to bring
to someone else’s dinner, I plan what I will eat. Even if I don’t know what’s
being served, I make a commitment to fill my plate first with turkey and
vegetables before serving myself candied yams and stuffing. There is less room
on the plate for those, if it’s filled with turkey and vegetables. This will
prevent me from making impulse decisions that I will later regret. When hitting
the desserts, I make decisions about what is worth indulging in and
what isn’t.
2. Move
Workout in the
morning and get it out of the way for the day. Participate in a 5K Turkey
Trot; bring your sneakers to your family’s house and go for a run; do a
40-minute circuit of jumping jacks, push-ups, squats, planks and crunches; or
bring a Beachbody DVD or watch one of the Beachbody workouts on YouTube and
have others join in! After the meal, instead of lying down after the meal
to watch the game, encourage everyone to get outside and play a game of touch
football, or take a walk and catch up and just enjoy the fresh autumn
air. Remember, some movement is
better than no movement.
3. Don’t show up hungry
Eat a normal healthy
breakfast, or a small filling but smart snack before the get-together. Have a
yummy Shakeology Pumpkin Pie shake! This will make sure I’m not starving,
which would make me more likely to lose control at the food buffet.
4. A plateful of protein and color
Protein and color are
our friends. Thanksgiving meals have some excellent choices. Turkey white meat is lean and full of protein.
Sweet potatoes are another great choice as long as they aren’t loaded in
butter, marshmallows, or brown sugar. Any
colorful fruits and vegetables like salad, broccoli, green beans, apples,
pumpkin, and even red wine can be enjoyed without derailing a healthy
lifestyle. If you are cooking Thanksgiving or bringing a dish, there are tons
of healthy recipes out there for you to prepare yourself!
5. Have a taste
It’s a holiday, and
life is about balance, so enjoy the
foods you love, but in moderation. After you fill up your plate (and your
belly) with the best choices, take a small sampling of the candied yams, the
apple pie, the mashed potatoes and gravy. A few bites aren’t going to wreak
havoc on your fitness and nutrition plan, just don’t let it spiral into a
binge-fest.
6. Stop when you’re full
While I’m eating, I
pay close attention to my hunger and fullness. I don’t want to feel
literally sick to my stomach, stuffed with food. I enjoy my meal, and when I feel full, I stop.
7. Get right back on track
I make the next meal
after my Thanksgiving meal a healthy one, focused on protein and vegetables. I
don’t worry about too many calories. It’s more important to get right back into my good nutrition
habits. Then the next day, I get right back to eating healthy foods and a
good sweat session.
8. Be thankful
I am grateful that I
am able to workout and have healthy foods available to me. I workout and eat right, because I can, not because I have to.
I count my fitness and health reminding myself of why I am making the
healthiest choices possible every day of the year. Be grateful for your good
health!
