Thanksgiving Nutrition: Recovering after the pie is gone
There comes that moment around 9pm on Thanksgiving Day when many of us think, “Wow! I ate a lot of food.” So how do you recover from your day of eating without feeling like you have to turn to dieting extremes for the next week? Here are a few tips:
1. Start Thanksgiving Day with a workout
Start your day with a workout to kick up the calorie burn. After dinner, why not Incorporate a family walk or touch football game? Start a new tradition! Anything you can do to increase your metabolism on Thanksgiving day is a plus.
2. Wake up the next day with a fresh start
Okay so lets say you know you didn’t make the best choices on Thanksgiving and you just need to start fresh on Friday. The worst thing you can do the day after Thanksgiving is skip breakfast. Perhaps you overate late into the night on Thanksgiving so you don’t feel hungry at all for breakfast. Focus on high-protein options: Greek yogurt, eggs, protein shake. Stick with protein to provide yourself with slow-burning calories.
3. Start Friday with a workout
Remember that calories in vs. calorie out is based on 24hrs. So, any calorie burn on Friday is important to burn off Thanksgiving’s calories.
4. Hydrate
Drink plenty of water throughout the day on Friday to help your body metabolize and flush through all that food you just ate. Stay hydrated also just makes you feel better all around.
5. Keep the rhythm going
Once you start Friday with a good workout and a good breakfast, keep that rhythm going with a good lunch and dinner. Focus on healthy choices. How about a salad with chicken breast and fruit for lunch followed by salmon with roasted veggies and a baked sweet potato for dinner? I’m salivating already. Prefer to use Thanksgiving leftovers? Okay try turkey with veggies and a very small amount of cranberry dressing for lunch…or for dinner try turkey (or ham if that was your protein of choice) with sweet potatoes and veggies for dinner. Make a fresh salad to go with your leftovers.
Getting back on track is important after Thanksgiving because the holidays have only just begun! So enjoy the food but be ready to commit to your goals once again as the day comes to a close.