Healthy Eating & Steps at Holidays

Thanksgiving healthy eating, teps, active, fit
Thanksgiving healthy eating, teps, active, fit
Thanksgiving Steps & Eating Photo by Element5Digital

Healthy Eating & Steps During Holidays are important during Thanksgiving.  This is a time for eating and family, so it’s important to be healthy on this holiday too!  Many people are trying to have a healthier lifestyle.  Then, Thanksgiving comes along and seems to ruin it all.  Then, before you know it, you’re making yet another New Year’s resolution to lose weight.  So how about starting your New Year’s resolution early?  And how about not focusing on weight loss?  Rather, focus on your steps and healthy eating.

Tips on Staying Fit & Healthy Eating

Be Thankful

Extra Steps & Healthy Eating is great to remember on Thanksgiving.  Also, being thankful helps us to savor the food at a good pace.  The slower you eat, the sooner you’ll feel full.  A Thanksgiving Affirmation will help you to remember how to be thankful on Thanksgiving.

Drink Water

Water helps your stomach feel full.  In addition, sometimes we feel hungry, meanwhile we are actually thirsty.  Our body will confuse thirst for hunger.  In addition, holiday time can mean eating rich foods and drinking alcohol, all of which has lots of calories.  Water helps flush out a lot of preservatives & sodium from our system.  Remember to drink lots of water every day you indulge.

4 Ways to Squeeze in More Steps Over the Holidays:

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-ways-to-squeeze-in-more-steps-over-the-holidays

“A Stumble May Prevent a Fall”

Author Gretchen Rubin cites this as one trap that can send you into a cycle of negative thinking.  In other words, if you slipped up or had a day where healthy eating wasn’t the priority, then you may be hard on yourself.  You may give yourself a harder time, ignoring all the good healthy steps and eating you have done.  So, don’t forget the good.  Don’t let a slip up erase all the good habits you have accomplished, formed, or develeoped.  A slip up is just that,  a slip up.  It doesn’t have to be a slide or downward spiral.  In fact, the slip up may make you feel physically uncomfortable, thereby reminding you to go back to your good habits.  

Ways to Add More Steps to Your Day

  1. Set a Reminder to Walk – If you can add 15 min of walking during lunch & after work, then you’d be surprised at many extra steps you add into your week.
  2. Walk & Talk – Make a phone call during your walk time.  You’d be amazed at how quickly your walking time flies by, allowing you even to add extra steps too!
  3. Walk & Listen – While walking, download a podcast, an audiobook, etc.
  4. Walk Wherever You Can – Park the car farther away when you shop, pick up kids, run errands, etc.
  5. Partner Up – Walk with a Walking Buddy.
  6. Walk During Commercials – Walk around the room, the house, etc until the commercials are over.  You will gain steps & not be a coach potato.
  7. Make Things Inconvenient – Return the shopping cart to the store.  Skip the drive-thru.  Take the stairs.
  8. Cook – Standing & moving around while cooking burns calories.  Add steps in the kitchen while waiting for that water to boil, oven timer or the microwave timer to go off.  You’ll save money by eating at home.
  9. Clean – Even everyday household chores will add steps every time.  And your home will be cleaner

 

Cooking Healthy Sides

There are many ways that sides can add a lot of calories.  All the starches, all the butter, all the extra yummy pies – all add extra calories.  Try these tasty sides that are each under 250 calories.  They’re a healthy and tasty alternative, especially if you’re going for sceonds!

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/13-thanksgiving-sides-under-250-calories/

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

About Nancy M. Silva, MD, FAAP

I'm a Board Certified Pediatrician. I've been in practice since 2000. I'm happily married with two children. I graduated Medical School from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, NY. My Pediatric Residency training was at University of South Florida, College of Medicine. I've been in private practice since 2000. As a medical student, I had the privilege to care for children at Kings County Hospital & Downstate Medical Center in urban Brooklyn. As a resident, I cared for children at Tampa General Hospital & All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. These experiences helped shape the Pediatrician I am today.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Optimized with PageSpeed Ninja