Your Healthiest Thanksgiving EVER!

Hi guys!  How was your weekend?  Hope you had a good one!  Are you getting excited for Thanksgiving?  It’s one of my favorite holidays but we all know that Thanksgiving can wreck havoc on our healthy eating plans.  Not to worry, I’ve put together a few tips to make this your Healthiest Thanksgiving EVER!  Feel free to choose one or more of the tips below and know that even small healthy decisions will help you in the long run!

Before the Bird

1.)    Workout in the morning.  Even if it is a short HIIT workout, just make sure you get up and get moving for a little bit.  This will help rev your metabolism and get you in the right mindset of making healthy choices.  A great idea is to sign up for a turkey trot with your family!

2.)    Eat breakfast.  Eat a healthy breakfast the morning of Thanksgiving.  This will prevent you from being ravenous and going crazy as soon as the first appetizer is offered.  It also helps you make smarter decisions.

3.)    Stay busy cooking.  All that standing, chopping, reaching and bending is actually its own mini workout.  If you aren’t cooking, offer to assist the hostess, even if it is just walking around and passing out apps. Bonus points if you do some squats, lunges, calf raises or other toning moves in between cooking tasks.

4.)    Limit the apps.  Try one of each or stick with healthier options.  You don’t want to be too full for the main meal anyway!

During the Bird

5.)    Choose white meat.  It’s a leaner meat with less fat than the darker meats.

6.)    Pick cranberry sauce over gravy.  Cranberry sauce is so sweet and decadent, especially when it has a zing from some citrus or spice from some cinnamon.  Smother this over your turkey and pass on the gravy.

7.)    Load up on veggies.  Serve yourself veggies first and make them take up most of the plate!  Then add a bit of turkey in at the end.

8.)    Limit yourself to one serving.  You don’t need anymore and you want to save some leftovers!

9.)    Strike up a conversation.  You’ll be less likely to wolf everything down and it will force you to eat more slowly.  This will allow your body time to realize it’s full before you overeat.

10.)   Eat dessert.  Bet you didn’t think I’d say that!  This isn’t a time to completely deprive yourself.  Eat dessert in moderation.  Pick your favorite and enjoy it or take a very small piece of everything.  Eat a few bites and don’t finish it unless you are still hungry or you absolutely can’t resist (like me!).

After the Bird

11.)  Clear the dishes and help cleanup.  More calorie burning potential!

12.)   Don’t watch football.  Ok you can watch football but try to stay active.  My family likes to play Wii, which helps keep us moving.  You guys know I’m loving Just Dance 2014 so I’ll probably be playing that after my bird.  But go for a walk before it gets dark or play touch football with your family.  Break out a Twister board.  Just don’t sit and fall asleep!

13.)  Pack up the leftovers.  Don’t be shy giving away your leftovers.  Stock up on some cheap Tupperware beforehand and hand it out to guests as they leave.  It will help you avoid temptation!

14.)  Look for healthy leftover options.  Don’t repeat your meal day after day until the leftovers are gone.  Scour the web for some healthy leftover options.  Here are a few of my ideas:

Well, that’s it folks!  I hope you have a healthy, happy and safe Thanksgiving!!  

Readers, what are your tips for a healthy Thanksgiving?