If you’re like me, then you’re definitely already thinking about mom’s turkey or grandma’s perfect pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving’s all about having tons of delicious meals, traditions, and family recipes. According to ABC news the average American will eat between 3,000 and 4,500 calories on thanksgiving (shocker right).
But before we begin feasting, let’s commit to burning off some of those extra calories by breaking a sweat. Whether it’s a long run the day before or a full-body workout the day of, anything counts!
Tips to trim the fat of your thanksgiving feast
- Skip the mid-day snacking: Why fill yourself up with snacks and crackers when you have a home-cooked meal waiting for you
- Choose white turkey meat over dark meat: White turkey meat has fewer calories than dark meat
- Reduce portions of gravy and cranberry sauce: gravy + cranberry sauce adds up quickly. Why not wait for dessert?
- Avoid eating creamed spinach or casseroles: heavy creamed foods always have a high-calorie count
Getting ready for the holiday
Even if you pursue a healthy lifestyle, it doesn’t mean you have to fear the feast of thanksgiving! Here are a couple of tips to help you enjoy your day
Eat a healthy breakfast
Planning on skipping breakfast to save all your calorie intake for thanksgiving dinner? Bad idea. Going all day with your stomach screaming “HURRY GIVE ME ALLL THE FOOD” only sets you up for overeating when dinner comes around. Start your day the right way with a healthy breakfast of whole grains, protein, and fruit.
Always stay hydrated
Turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, casseroles: all are heavy on sodium which can bloat you and make you feel unenergetic. Avoid this by preparing yourself for this once-a-year salt attack by keeping yourself hydrated all throughout the day
Get a good workout in
Kick in that daily workout but make it Thanksgiving Day edition! Or even if you’re in for a little spook we have the perfect quick and easy workout for you
Don’t guilt yourself
At the end of the day, one meal doesn’t outdo your regular lifestyle of healthy eating and exercising. So why not enjoy the most delicious home-cooked foods without shaming yourself. Sit back and feast your meal away!
Post-grub walk
Thanksgiving Day is all about spending time with family and loved ones so why not go on a post-dinner walk around your neighborhood. Not only with will you feel better, but you’ll also spend that quality time with friends and family that at times you don’t seem to get.
The Ultimate Turkey Day Workout
The moment you’ve been waiting for. Not only will this Thanksgiving Day Workout leave you completely guilt-free, but it’ll also leave you feeling stronger and better.
Now let’s enjoy this Turkey Day workout!-
Tuck Jumps: Stand with your feet should width apart. Dropdown a little into a quarter squat and then explode up into the air. Make sure to keep your back straight and tuck your knees up towards your chest as much as possible before landing.
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Upright Rows: Grab a barbell or dumbbells and hang it in front of you at the length of your arms. Standing up straight, adjust your grip so that your hands are in line with your thighs.
Lift the barbell (or dumbbell) straight up toward the chin. Your arms should not go any higher than parallel with shoulders. Return the barbell (or dumbbell) back to the starting position and repeat.
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Reverse Lunges: Stand upright, with your hands at your hips. Then take a large step backward with your left foot. Lower your hips and have your right thigh (aka front leg) become parallel to the floor with your right knee positioned directly towards your ankle.
Make sure your left knee is bent at a 90-degree angle towards the floor. Return to the standing position and alternate legs.
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Knee Kicks: Stand in a split stance with one foot a little behind your body and put your hands in front of your face in a fighting position. Then drive your back knee up and in front of your body while bringing in the opposite elbow towards that knee. Touch elbow to knee, return to starting position, and repeat.
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Exercise Ball Crunches: (PS: if you don’t have an exercise ball, you can do this on a mat) First, sit on the ball and walk your feet out until you are lying on your back with your thighs parallel to the floor and your knees at a right angle. Once you’re in a balanced position, put your hands over your head and then pull up, engaging your core muscles. Keeping your core muscles engaged, bring your shoulders up towards the ceiling and then lower back to the starting position.
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Yay! Burpees: Start in a squat position with your knees bent, back straight and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Lower your hands to the floor and with the weight on your hands, kick your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes in a pushup position. Then do one pushup and do a frog kick by jumping your feet back to their starting position. Stand and reach your arms over your head, then jump quickly into the air so you land back to where you started.
And that just about wraps up your Turkey Day Workout! Nevertheless, let’s keep burning up the calories with this Thanksgiving Day Workout with a workout schedule.
Let’s wrap this all up in a nutshell. Thanksgiving isn’t just a day, but a season. And for some of us, it’s our favorite season. From family traditions to corn mazes and sunflower fields, oh and let’s not get started with the annual Macy’s parade, we all love the smell of Autumn.
Make this Thanksgiving count and start your day off with the Ultimate Turkey Day workout. There’s no better feeling than a post-workout feeling!
Fill your dinner up with all your guilty pleasures like Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mac and Cheese, and the perfect Herb Stuffing, and feel completely shameless since you kicked in that Ultimate Turkey Day workout before your feast!
At the end of the day, holidays are what we live for. We’d understand if you didn’t get a chance to kick in that workout before the holiday. We’re here to help. Which is why we’ve already thought ahead, here’s our blog on how to recover from a weekend away from the gym:
Happy Holidays!
