We are only 5 days away from Thanksgiving and I'm sure most of you are thinking about all the delicious foods you have each year, am I right? I know I have thought a few times about it. I am a girl of traditions…I LOVE family traditions, the smells of Thanksgiving, the activities throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. It brings me back to when I was a kid and I just love the warm memories!
This year, however, will bring a new set of traditions. I do not host Thanksgiving at my house, but I am planning on coming with a few dishes the "clean" things up a bit. I recently read, according to the Calorie Control Council, that the average American may consume more than 4,500 calories and over 200 grams of fat from snacking and eating their traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the goodies to go with it! WHHHAAAATTT??? Are you kidding me? I about fell off my chair when I read that. I am bound and determined that I will not be one of those statistics this year!! Will YOU?
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| Typical American Thanksgiving |
1) Workout
Yes, Thanksgiving is a holiday, but that doesn't mean you are given a "calorie-free" grace pass all day. Keep yourself active. Get yourself and family up and plan a morning workout, jog, football game, or hike. Get ACTIVE! It will help jumpstart your day and metabolism! Find a local "Turkey Trot" 5K and sign up to run/jog/walk this together as a family! This a great way to get your entire family active first thing Thanksgiving morning. We have done this for the last 4-5 years and have such a blast…everyone loves it and gets involved! I know this year, I'm going to stick to my T25 workout…It's only 25 minutes, and I know I can carve that time out before the day starts, plus we plan to do activity as a family! So, find sometime to get out and exercise!
DON'T FORGET TO WORKOUT HARD ON FRIDAY BEFORE YOU GO BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!!
2) Eat regular meals throughout the day - don't "save" your calories
I know this may be reverse thinking for some of you. I know I used to think this way, that if I only eat a little bit throughout the day, then I can save all my calories for a huge dinner (or "lenner" as we like to call it, because we usually eat about 3 or 4 pm). However, that's just going to be worse for you in the long run. Your body needs sustained energy throughout the day to keep your metabolism working properly. Plus, if you are starving by dinner time then you will most likely consume MORE calories than you had originally planned.
Instead - wake up and have a healthy breakfast. I'm going to have my normal breakfast of Shakeology and continue to have my snacks that I have planned throughout the day. I will be eating every 3 hours on Thanksgiving. Some of my snacks I love are, apple with 1 TBSP of natural peanut butter or 14 almonds, broccoli or any veggie with 2 TBSP of hummus. So plan accordingly so you are not starving throughout the day and gorge come dinner time!
-- Thanksgiving Dinner--
Pick and choose your Thanksgiving meal…don't eat it all. Portion out and plan out what you will have. You don't need to try EVERYTHING. Make your calories count if you are going to get something "good". Don't waste it on something that's not worth it. Stick to your portion sizes. Use your had for guidance. AND…Don't go back for SECONDS!! When you choose a dessert, keep it ONE dessert and not a sampling of all of them, and have a small portion instead of a "super-sized".
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| Proper Serving Size |
3) Drink lots of water
In order to have healthy digestion, you need adequate amounts of water. This helps your body to carry out toxins, burn fat, and lubricate your organs and joints. This MUST be a priority for you this Thanksgiving. In addition to what's listed above, drinking water will help you feel fuller more quickly and help cut your cravings. Make sure you drink a big glass of water every couple hours and for sure before you dive into your meal!
4) Bring a healthy dish!
After all, it is Thanksgiving, let's not forget to give thanks to the hostess by helping out with the Thanksgiving meal! If you are going somewhere for dinner make it a point to bring a healthy "clean" side dish. This way you will be certain that you have something to eat! You don't need to feel like you have to eat everything, just because it's there. Check out my recipes for some great ideas. I'm planning on bringing a Confetti Quinoa Salad and a Sweet Potato Casserole.
5) Positive self-talk
Go into your Thanksgiving day promising yourself that you are going to be successful! Don't give yourself any other option. You have the will power within you to make it a successful day. Remember the feeling of last year where you were sitting on the couch after dinner with your pants unbuttoned (or better yet, with an elastic waistband) and you promised yourself you would NEVER do that again? Well, here's your chance to make good on your promise! YOU CAN DO THIS! I know you can!
Most importantly, remember to ENJOY your HEALTHY Thanksgiving day, be thankful for all you have and the friends and family you are blessed to be with. Rest and relax, take an afternoon nap or just enjoy some good old Thanksgiving day football!
Lastly, in case your plan didn't go as…well…planned, and you did overdo it a little bit more than you wish, you still have time to get things back in order before New Years!!
I am doing a 30-day clean eating and Shakeology accountability group to help keep you on track to ROCK it before the New Year! I'll teach you additional tips to help you stay focused.
Having support, especially during the Holiday season, makes all the difference in your success!
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| Don't forget your water! |
4) Bring a healthy dish!
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| Confetti Quinoa Salad |
After all, it is Thanksgiving, let's not forget to give thanks to the hostess by helping out with the Thanksgiving meal! If you are going somewhere for dinner make it a point to bring a healthy "clean" side dish. This way you will be certain that you have something to eat! You don't need to feel like you have to eat everything, just because it's there. Check out my recipes for some great ideas. I'm planning on bringing a Confetti Quinoa Salad and a Sweet Potato Casserole.
 |
| Sweet Potato Casserole |
Go into your Thanksgiving day promising yourself that you are going to be successful! Don't give yourself any other option. You have the will power within you to make it a successful day. Remember the feeling of last year where you were sitting on the couch after dinner with your pants unbuttoned (or better yet, with an elastic waistband) and you promised yourself you would NEVER do that again? Well, here's your chance to make good on your promise! YOU CAN DO THIS! I know you can!
Most importantly, remember to ENJOY your HEALTHY Thanksgiving day, be thankful for all you have and the friends and family you are blessed to be with. Rest and relax, take an afternoon nap or just enjoy some good old Thanksgiving day football!
Lastly, in case your plan didn't go as…well…planned, and you did overdo it a little bit more than you wish, you still have time to get things back in order before New Years!!
I am doing a 30-day clean eating and Shakeology accountability group to help keep you on track to ROCK it before the New Year! I'll teach you additional tips to help you stay focused.
Having support, especially during the Holiday season, makes all the difference in your success!
