Thanksgiving Workout

I will be running on the treadmill, but you can do whatever form of cardio you choose (bike, elliptical, walk, jump rope, row, stairs, or anything to just get moving). You do not have to watch me for this workout, so you can put your earphones in and get outside. 

Today’s Cardio Workout is a Tempo Run (steady pace, faster pace, steady pace).

• How do you want to feel this Thanksgiving and Holiday Season?
• How is your relationship with food? Have the Holiday’s been a struggle for you in the past? 
• Do you think of food as being good or bad? Then you feel like you are being good or bad based on what you are eating?

I want to help you improve your relationship with food and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do that.  So we can eat with thanksgiving, but still pay attention and intention to why we are eating. 

Let's not demonize food. It is not good or bad. Changing how we think about food and how we eat can then help change our behaviors in a positive way.

I want you to think more about how foods make you feel and is what and how much your eating line up with what is important to you. 

I want to help you be intentional about your food, so you feel better. 

It is a different approach that can help you enjoy your food and also feel your best. 

Simple Ways to Feel Your Best this Thanksgiving & Holiday Season:

1. Eat when hungry, but not Ravenous. I recommend starting the day with 8-16 oz of water. Do your workout. Enjoy a balanced breakfast (protein, fiber, healthy fat) like eggs with vegetables, gluten free rolled oats mixed with coconut oil and protein powder, a clean protein shake, or grapefruit and hard boiled egg. Doing this can prevent overeating later, which can lead to feeling bloated tired, and uncomfortable. 

If your eating later, I recommend a healthy balanced light lunch like a leafy green salad with grilled chicken. 

We enjoy food more and feel better when we eat when we are physically hungry and stop when we are satisfied not stuffed.

Food will taste better when we are hungry. Pay attention to physical cues to eat when hungry (below the neck, blood sugar changes).

Avoid waiting so long that it then becomes easy to overeat. If you do wait until you are super hungry remember your body does not need more food, it just needs to eat soon.

Eating when hungry, but not starving helps keep our blood sugar more stable and can prevent the temptation to eat past the point of fullness. 

2. Plate it & Sit down. Social gathering can be a time when it is easy to graze and mindlessly eating while standing up and talking then not even realizing how much we have consumed. If having appetizers, try putting them on a plate to enjoy. It is a simple way to enjoy our food more without over doing it. 

Sitting down and just eating and enjoying good conversation allows us to listen more to our internal cues, so we know when we have had enough. It also makes eating more enjoyable, so we feel more satisfied. Eliminating distractions like reading, watching TV, driving, or anything else is a simple way to eat more mindfully. Putting food on your plate instead of grabbing for food is another way to feel more satisfied and prevent recreational eating. 

3. Chew your food 30 times or so it is almost a liquid before swallowing. Chew and swallow before taking the next bite. I know it seems basic, but it is easy when rushed to shovel food in and take the next  bite before even finishing the next. Sometimes we get tired after eating because our digestive system has to do so much work breaking down our food because we did not chew it properly. We can improve our digestion and energy levels by simply chewing our food better. 

4. Get in a relaxed state before eating. Take 10 deep breaths prior to eating can improve your digestion and eliminate a lot of bloating, indigestion, and uncomfortable feeling. Being more relaxed prepares our body to properly digest our food. 

5. Alcohol - Alcohol can increase our appetite and can impair our cognitive function making it harder to make wise choices. If you choose to drink, I recommend enjoying a drink with or after a meal or protein/healthy fat snack first. Set a limit for yourself, so you can enjoy without feeling bad afterwards. 

Does wine make you feel bad? The Wine Wand filters out histamines and sulfite preservatives that often lead to unpleasant symptoms like headaches, stuffy nose, upset stomach, and feeling flush. 

Upgrading to a wine company like Dry Farm Wines or Scout and Cellar that provide organic clean crafted wine that is free of pesticides, chemical additives and sweeteners. 

6. Move. Workout in the morning is an easy way to keep your appetite in check, decrease stress, and decreases cravings. Working out can make it so much easier to consciously eat healthy. When we feel better it can be easier to naturally be more active, consciously eat healthy, and to prevent emotional eating. Walking after eating is an easy way to bring your blood sugar back to balance. 

7. Digestive Enzymes. If you know you have a food sensitive to dairy or gluten, having Pure encapsulation Gluten & Dairy Digest can help to feel okay still if you happen to have some diary or gluten. 

Designs for Health Digestzymes can help you break down your food, help prevent heartburn, bloating, constipation, gas, and ultimately improve your overall digestion. Take before your meal. 

8. Focus on relationships, conversation, playing games. Frisbee, football, tag, catch, card games, board games, family walk, virtual meet ups are all good way to connect besides eating. 

9. No guilt and shame, but information. If you find yourself mindlessly eating or drinking, eating when not hungry, or ate past the point of fullness, ask yourself why? Use it as information to identify why that behavior is happening without any guilt or shame. 

10. Water Works. Staying hydrates in a simple way to also help balance blood sugar, prevent eating because we are actually thirsty, counterbalance food higher in sodium, and improve our digestion. 

11. Sleep Solves Everything. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep the night before makes it easier to regulate our appetite and decrease cravings. 

12. Plan ahead of time how you want to feel that day and the next day. If you know you want to feel great eat in a way that makes you feel better after you eat not worse. 

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Jessica