Thanksgiving Tips!

Happy Pre-Turkey Day!

I don't know about you, but I'm not a "holidays" type of gal. I just feel like you have all the other days in the year to celebrate your life and the people around you..why choose to go so hard on only a couple days a year? But, regardless of my views, this is the time of year when people dream and breathe and eagerly wait to devour turkey, potatoes, pie, stuffing, cornbread..and every other tempting piece of food on the planet! :-P

 Here are my tips for maintaining your weight around the Thanksgiving/Winter holiday time. 

1. Get a workout in THURSDAY MORNING. Trust me, you won't regret it. It works well because first of all, you won't want to work out later in the day - let's be honest. Secondly, you're raising your metabolism so that at least a portion of the food you eat will be going to fuel your muscles and your body, not just going into fat cells.

2. Make half of your plate vegetables. Note: Green bean casserole does NOT count as a vegetable.  Not sure if there are going to be vegetables at your place of gathering? Let me ask you this -- if you weren't sure if there was going to be wine, would you bring your own bottle?? That's what I thought. You can pack a little bag of baby carrots, too.

3. Eat the vegetables first. And slowly. And with lots of water.

4. Round of the kiddies or relatives who you can stand (haha, joke!) and go for a brisk walk or play tag or do something somewhat physical outside. This is what is called the "post-pig-out-zone" where you just want to nap. Don't! You'll have so much more fun and you'll actually get to spend time with your family and friends if you do something fun and interactive now that your bodies and minds are fueled to the brim.

5. Take time the next day to reflect on the progress you've made this past year and then set goals for the upcoming year. Don't wait until the first of the year -- now is the time to get a move on. Think of it as a secret head start against everyone else. Think about it: the day after Thanksgiving, everyone is going to be shopping, not at the gym. Make it a great workout to kickstart your new routine!

I have complete faith and confidence that you all can reach your goals in a safe, effective, and realistic manner. I'm here to help, so feel free to reach out at any point if you'd like - stepupfns@gmail.com