Hello – Coach Wendie here to share Visibly Fit™ mind, body, and spirit tips with you this week. And this week we’re discussing those Thanksgiving calories.
MIND: With the Thanksgiving holiday in just a few days, many are thinking about the meal that will be served. From the turkey to the stuffing to the traditional family pie – the average person will consume 4,500-5,000 calories and well over 300 grams of fat. WOW – that’s like two days worth of caloric intake wrapped into one. Keep in mind, this high calorie day isn’t just from the main meal. It’s from the all-day snacking that takes place around the football games and family activities. A few ways to keep those extra calories at bay would be to serve fresh vegetables as your snack of choice. Also, substitute unsweetened almond or rice milk for recipes that call for milk – this will shave 70-90 calories. You can use date paste or unsweetened applesauce in place of sugar for your baked goods. Try using almond, brown rice, or barley flours in your recipes to shave off 75-85 calories.
BODY: 20 minutes after the “big meal,” make sure to bundle up and get outside to take a walk. All too often the tryptophan in the turkey is to blame for feeling sleepy, but really it’s the abuse of food over-consumption. Walking will get the body in motion to help aid in digestion, improve blood sugar levels, and burn off a few of those extra calories.
SPIRIT: Most importantly…on this THANKS – GIVING day – give thanks for the reality that you can give. Giving a meal to your loved ones, a meal to those in need, giving your unconditional love to family and friends, and giving a blessing to the one that blesses your most…your Heavenly Father!
In 1 Chronicles 29: 13-14, Kind David’s prayer says, “Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
So, let us praise God and give thanks for the ability to give what He has given us.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Photo: Flickr
