Three tips for a healthy Thanksgiving…and some bonus tips...

Happy Thanksgiving. I am hopeful that you will be spending time today with loved ones. To help you enjoy the day I’m providing a few tips that are simple to implement. As the title suggests, there a few bonus tips in there as well. Take what works and discard the rest. Enjoy! Nutrition Tip Reach for the vegetables before the rest of the feast. Why? It’s a great way to get lots of nutrients, antioxidants and alkaline minerals into your system first. When you fill up on nutrient dense foods, you have less of an appetite for anything else. Nutrition Bonus Tip This year instead of a white-breadcrumb stuffing, try a healthier one. Replace simple carbs with quinoa stuffing. Exercise Tip

The Thanksgiving Day Meal(s) is notorious for a large amount of calories consumed. In some case, upwards of 4,500 calories! I am hopeful that you don’t come anywhere near that many today. Regardless, here is a routine that you can do to burn calories. No gym required.

Thanksgiving Day Training

Instructions: Complete this routine as a circuit, three times through with minimal rest between exercises.

Jumping jacks - 25-50x
Push-ups - 5x
Squat thrust jumps (a burpee without the push-up) - 10x
Push-ups - 5x
Vertical jumps - 10x
Push-ups - 5x

Exercise Bonus Tip Try these body weight exercises that you can easily incorporate today and over the holidays.

Counter-Movement Jumps - squat down, swing your arms, and jump, then land and do it again. Set a timer for two minutes and do as many as you can. (See left)

Glute Bridge - lay on the floor, both knees bent and thrust hips towards ceiling. Do as many reps as you can until your glutes are burning (See right)

Side-plank rotations - lay on the floor starting on your right side, elbow resting underneath your shoulder, lift hips and glutes off floor in straight line. With your left arm, reach up and extend. Rotate your torso downwards and reach under your body with your left arm. Do as many as you can until you can't any more and switch to the left side. (See below right)

Fitness for Body, Mind, & Spirit Tip Be grateful…said many times and many ways. Today, I challenge you to feel gratitude. Not just say the words, but really feel it from within what you are grateful for. There are many reasons to do this. Science tells us that we are happier when we are grateful. Tony Robbins reminds us that we can’t be angry when we are grateful. So go ahead, feel gratitude today…and the next…and the next... Bonus Fitness Tip Lend a helping hand. Chances are you are enjoying a meal, a drink, a dessert, or place to stay because of the work of others. Not only say ‘thank you’ but get in and not just offer to help but truly help…with anything from the dishes, to picking up, to walking the dog. We often get used to people providing for us that we don’t consider the work they are doing for us. And if you are the person doing the work, step back, let others step in…even if they aren’t doing it perfectly…