Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I’m not talking about the menu, although that is important. I’m talking about the Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot works up an appetite, clears you head mentally to handle chaos of cooking, and gives you time to hang out and talk with friends and family you may not have not seen in a while. But what exactly is a Turkey Trot? It is some form of exercise to gear up to the big lunch/dinner. Your trot may be a run, a jog, a walk, or for some, a crawl. Whatever your Turkey Trot is, make sure to do it!Invite friends and family out with you to get everyone moving together. On average, the Calorie Control Counsel (yes, that is a thing) estimates the average American consumes 4,500 calories during the holiday gathering. This includes dinner, snacking, and dessert. Remember that the average healthy active person only needs 2,000 calories per day-less than twice what you consume on Thanksgiving. While it is ok to indulge, a Turkey Trot can make up for a small portion of the amount of calories eaten later in the day. Find a great place for your Turkey Trot using this trail locator.
Make sure to enjoy the turkey day food, but keep the portion sizes small. You do not want all your work from the Turkey Trot to be a waste. Do not feel like smaller portion sizes will deprive your taste buds of good food. There are always leftovers to enjoy again the next day. That can also help cut down on the amount of calories during your holiday meal. Lastly, watch out for the fat! Most dishes have lots of butter, oil, and cream in them. If you are preparing a dish for Thanksgiving, know that you can normally cut down on the amount of butter and oil by 1/3 without negatively impacting the recipe.
Make sure to take the time to reflect on what you are Thankful for. Maybe this is something you can do on your Turkey Trot. We all have at least one (many of us have more) positive thing in our life to celebrate. Peace, love, and turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!