How To Do Thanksgiving Minus The Stress
In our opinion, Thanksgiving should be full of delicious food, without a side of regret.
But that might be a lot easier said than done. For a lot of people, the holidays comes with pressure: To “be good,” to "hold off", or to "make up for it" the next day.
Sound familiar? Then this was written for you!
All those stressful food thoughts running in the background can pull you away from what the day is really about: connecting with people you love, appreciating what you’re grateful for, and enjoying really good food.
So if every Thanksgiving feels like another test of your will power, maybe this is the year to try something new. Instead of “mental mathing” your way through dinner, what if we focused instead on supporting our bodies needs, decreasing unnecessary stress, and maximizing our enjoyment of the holiday. Try it out:
Don't skip breakfast! We know how important it is to start our day with a nutritious meal... So why is it so easy to skip breakfast on Thanksgiving? Whether you are cooking all day, turkey trotting (hint hint), watching football, or just spending some well deserved down time with loved ones, remind yourself that you deserve to start your day with a good meal, no matter how much stuffing you plan to eat later. In fact, eating breakfast before your Thanksgiving meal will promote good digestion, stable energy, and can help you avoid overeating later in the day.
Take a walk. Ugh, I know. So cliche. But we can't lie - the benefits of walking after a big meal are real. If you are feeling stuffed, try getting outside for a slow, gentle walk around the neighborhood to improve digestion, regulate blood sugar, reduce bloating and discomfort, and improve your mood. We promise, you will feel so much better after!
Plan to do one thing that isn't food related. Holidays like Thanksgiving are all about the food, and thats not necessarily a bad thing. But it's easy to get so focused on the meal (especially if you are cooking for others) and forget that there are other things to love about this holiday. So in addition to getting excited about mashed potatoes, why not get excited about playing board games with your family? Watching football or a Christmas movie? Maybe doing something active, like a turkey trot in the morning? Another shameless plug! Sorry, we can't help it!
Pretend you have short term memory loss. This means that when you wake up on Friday, start with a clean slate. Instead of wasting time dwelling on what you did or didn't eat the day before, remember your long term fitness goals, and focus on how you are going to tackle them that day.
Now, did you notice that not one thing from the list above has anything to do with what, or how much to, or not to eat at your Thanksgiving meal?
Exactly.
Because what business do we have in telling you to "load up on the white meat" or "stick to one slice of pie."
The answer is: absolutely none. Because again, Thanksgiving is about enjoying delicious food. And like, being grateful and stuff.
So if you’ve read this far and you’re still feeling a little stressed about how the day is going to go, take a breath. You don’t need rules to enjoy the holiday. You just need a little bit of mindfulness, intention, and permission to show up as a human being.