Your Strategy for Success on Thanksgiving
In just a day or two, families all over America will be sitting down to a meal together for a day of gratitude!
Feasting together is as old as the human race. It is a way of celebrating and enjoying time with family and friends. But if we are not careful, we can overdo the festivities and end up setting ourselves back over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Just how big is your meal?
It’s hard to believe, but the average Thanksgiving meal contains 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat. And most of us don’t limit ourselves to one indulgent meal. It’s typical to snack and celebrate all day long!
The trouble comes when we have to deal with those extra calories that we have packed into our bodies:
“ A 160 lb. person would have to run at a moderate pace for four hours, swim for five hours or walk 30 miles to burn off a 3,000-calorie Thanksgiving Day meal, ” said Dr. Cedric Bryant, ACE chief exercise physiologist. Many people start by snacking throughout the day and that combined with the meal can lead to a total caloric intake of 4,500 .”1
Tips for Turkey Day
The good news is that you don’t have to forgo your favorite holiday foods. There is room for a little indulgence at a holiday feast! The secret is to have a plan as we head into the holiday season. By staying on top of both your calorie intake and your physical activity, you can enjoy your favorite foods in moderation and emerge on the other side just as fit as you are now.
· Plan your meals.
If you know that you are going to be having
some heavy, celebratory meals in the upcoming days, limit your intake at other
meals to help keep your diet balanced out.
Don’t skip meals, but make them lighter and be sure to include plenty of
healthy, lower calorie foods. For
instance, if you are going to have a big lunch, eat a smaller breakfast and
dinner.
· Look at the big
picture.
Keep up with how you
eating during the several days surrounding Thanksgiving. It’s not a good idea to indulge at every
opportunity that presents itself. If you
splurge heavily one day, take it easy the next.
· Keep moving. The last thing you need this time of year is a slowed-down metabolism. Staying active is a great way to give your body a fighting chance to negotiate the extra calories you will be consuming.
To get the biggest bang for your exercise-buck, do regular strength training
moves. Even after your strength training
session has ended, your metabolism and calorie-burn remains high when you do
strength training!
Here are some simple strengthening exercises you can do no matter where you
are—whether in your office at work or at the in-laws:
1. Push-ups If you aren’t used to doing push-ups, start with your hands on a raised surface such as a desk. As you gain strength, you can gradually move to doing them fully on the floor.
2. Lunges For extra credit, hold dumbbells or other heavy objects in your hands while lunging.
3. Squats
To do a proper squat, lower yourself just as
though you are about to sit into a chair, then raise back up.
4. Step-ups Find the nearest step and with alternating legs, step onto the step with one leg then lower yourself back down. Again, holding heavy objects in each hand will increase the effect.
There is no need to pack on the pounds this Thanksgiving. Figure out your strategy now, and then when the festivities start, just work the plan!
1 http://www.acefitness.org/pressroom/392/hard-to-believe-average-thanksgiving-meal-equals-3
Let us know what you think follow us on:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/hitfitnesswarehouse
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hitfitnesswarehouse
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hitfitness954








