Push that Cart!
Preparing a Thanksgiving meal can involve a lot of legwork, most notably buying all those groceries. Get those legs pumping by treating your shopping trip like a workout. Plan your shopping list so that you can take a brisk walk through the store while you fill up, making your cart heavier as you go. And omnivores are in luck —a typical Thanksgiving turkey can weigh upwards of 30 pounds. Talk about heavy lifting!
Carve Out Time for Your Workout
Turkey isn’t the only thing you need to carve on this holiday. If you want to keep up with your fitness routine, you’ll also need to carve out time for yourself to get in a workout. Luckily, a typical turkey can take hours to cook. Rise early to get that bird in the oven and you’ll have extra time to yourself before the family awakes and the real fun begins. Once your turkey is roasting, you’ll have about 45 minutes before your first basting. Hop on that treadmill or get outside for a brisk, fall run. This way you’ll have gotten your heavy workout in before the day gets underway.
Make Your Own Parade
Do your children love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Help them to be active participants by playing with them as they watch. March around the house like the bands, dance like the performers (dancing burns over 400 calories an hour!) and encourage the little ones to create “floats” using furniture you can all push around the house.
Fit In Football
Finally, enjoy that all-American end to the holiday with a game of football after everyone has had time to digest. And we don’t mean watching. Get in there and tackle! Running, throwing, catching and tackling can get your heart pumping and can burn off some of those calories after your big meal.
Thanksgiving is a great holiday for eating and relaxing with your friends or family. Take it to a healthier level with some of these simple workouts to make the most of this fun-filled day.