Time is flying by and, lo and behold, Thanksgiving is around the corner. It is a great chance to celebrate and visit with family and if you only have one dinner then it is not so bad but in this day of blended families, there could be two or more dinners. Below are some suggestions for getting through Thanksgiving without losing fitness or gaining weight.

1)      If you know you are going to have a big meal on a certain day then try to lighten up the other meals of the day. If you are following weight watchers, take advantage of all the zero points foods like eggs, chicken breast, shrimp, vegetables and fruit. This way you can eat during the day so that you aren’t famished by the time the big meal rolls around. We all know that being desperately hungry only leads to overeating.

2)      Do not think of depriving yourself, just make sure if you are having something it is truly going to be worth it. Think of your favourite things (pumpkin pie, stuffing, the creamy dips) and choose 1 or 2 to have so you won’t feel deprived. Controlling the portion (easier said than done) will also help

3)      If you are the one hosting, try to lighten thinks up. Shrimp with cocktail sauce makes a nice appetizer as do veggies and dip. Sweet potatoes don’t need brown sugar and marshmallows to taste great, carrots don’t need to be glazed. Offer fruit salad as a dessert choice.

4)      On the fitness side – if you can’t get in your usual workout, do what I call the trinity (3 sets of 10 each of push ups, squats and bridging) put a 5 minute warm up and I minute of cardio (skipping, mountain climbers, boxing) in between and you have a short but complete workout.

5)      Get active outdoors – if we are lucky and get beautiful sunny fall days, go for a hike. Enjoy mother nature at her finest with all the fall colours around.

All in all, remember to honour yourself. Listen to your body, feed it nutritiously and move it, even if for small ten minute bouts, when you can.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian Peeps!