Thanksgiving is here! I love this holiday because it combines all of my favorite things into one: Food, family, friends, and Dallas Cowboys Football! What’s not to love? There are most likely some family traditions that you look forward to on this day. Some of these traditions might include indulging in delicious foods such as pie, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, etc. The Calorie Control Council says the average Thanksgiving meal including drinks and desserts is typically around 4,500 calories. You know what I think about that? Enjoy it! This is a time meant to be enjoyed with the people we love. However, in order to celebrate this day to its fullest, we have to feel good, right? Nobody wants to eat so much that they are in pain the rest of the evening or falling asleep and not able to spend time with their family. I also don’t want you stressing over the extra calories and wondering if you’ll be able to buy your usual size at all the Black Friday Sales the next day!
Life is all about balance and being able to enjoy special occasions like Thanksgiving with the people we love without guilt, stress, or feeling bad after. Here are my ten tips for FEELING your best this Thanksgiving leading up to, on, and after the holiday. I’ll even tell you how to make those extra calories work to your advantage (it’s true!). Try out my tips below to live your best and most energetic life this Thanksgiving!
- EAT CLEAN LEADING UP TO THANKSGIVING– Go into Thanksgiving feeling your best! Eat a lot of greens and whole foods this week. If you are someone who is somewhat anxious about the extra calories, knowing you’ve been eating healthy most of the week will help to ease your mind and allow you to not stress so much about the extra calories
- EAT A LIGHT AND HEALTHY BREAKFAST AND LUNCH – Put some good things in your body prior to the big meal. Eating throughout the day will get your metabolism going. Skipping meals will only make you hungrier which will lead you to eating more of the rich foods later in the day Since the average Thanksgiving meal has about 560 grams of carbohydrates, try sticking to lean protein and greens prior to the big feast.
- EXERCISE– I have made it a tradition to get a Thanksgiving Day Workout in every year. I usually exercise with my family (depending on who’s in town). We take a class together at the gym most years. Exercising before the big meal helps to jumpstart your metabolism and will help you feel more energized throughout the day. Make it a family tradition and take a class together, play football outdoors, or run a 5K. Do something fun that the entire family can enjoy and make it a part of your Thanksgiving festivities!
- FUEL YOUR MUSCLE GAINS– Any type of workout is a win! However, if there is a specific muscle group you are looking to grow and strengthen (booty gains anyone?) use this Thanksgiving meal to your advantage! To grow muscle, you need to eat more calories than you burn. Chances are, you will NOT be burning all 4,500 calories on this day, and that’s okay! Go hard, lift heavy, and enjoy the protein and carbohydrates after your workout and build those muscles!
- SLEEP– Lack of sleep has been shown to increase your appetite. Ever notice on the days you are dragging that you feel you need extra food or coffee for energy? Get seven to eight hours of sleep leading up to Thanksgiving, the day of, and after to make sure your body is running optimally and able to handle all of that food!
- HYDRATE- Drinking water helps boost your metabolism. It will also help you feel better after the big meal. Anyone every feel extremely bloated after a big Thanksgiving Day feast? This is because for every gram of carbohydrate we store in our body, we retain two to three grams of water. If we’re eating over 500 grams of carbohydrates in one sitting, we are going to hold on to a lot of water! The solution? To drink extra water! It sounds crazy, but increasing your water intake the day of and the day after will help to flush out the excess water causing the bloat. I always aim for a gallon every day, but I’ll probably drink one and a quarter or one and a half gallons on Thanksgiving and the day after to help with bloating.
- EAT BALANCED DURING THE MEAL- Our bodies prefer to ingest small amounts of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) at a time. Ingesting ONLY carbohydrates throws our body out of whack and causes our blood sugar to spike. Consuming carbohydrates with proteins and/ or fats will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and will help with digestion. Basically, make sure you throw some turkey in with your stuffing and sweet potatoes!
- DRINK AN HERBAL TEA– After the meal if you are feeling full, try a mint or ginger tea. This will help to aid the digestion and will help you to feel better.
- KEEP THE PARTY GOING AND YOUR DIGESTION BY DRINKING A DIGESTIVE– Okay, so this is not as healthy as the tea, but it totally works! I am a huge fan of Amaros. Amaros are a type of digestive that are usually made up of several different herbs. I never thought that drinking alcohol would help me feel better when I was full and in pain from eating too much, but it does! My favorites are Averna and Ferent Branca. Averna is a little sweeter and higher in calories. Fernet Branca is a little bit more bitter, but lower on the sugar content. I drink these on the rocks, but they can also be enjoyed neat. Trust me on this one!
- DON’T LET ONE DAY TURN INTO 5 DAYS- The sooner you get back on track with your normal diet, the better you’ll feel! It can be hard to not snack on the leftover pies and tasty side dishes. I get it! However, the sooner you get back into your normal eating routine, the more energy you’ll have and the better you’ll feel!
Remember, life is meant to be celebrated! In order for us to celebrate it to its fullest, we need to feel good and have the energy to do so. Sending you all of my love and wishing you and your families a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
XOXO,
Kathleen Jane Fit
The Fit Sommelier
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