9 Thanksgiving Day workouts you can do before dinner
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and friends, enjoying delicious food and being thankful for all of it. There’s no time to stress over counting calories, at least not on this day. A little holiday weight gain isn’t bad as long as you keep it under control.
Turkey Day is a time where physical activity and healthy eating are placed far down on the list of priorities, but it doesn’t have to be that way. To make sure you can zip up your pants on Monday, counteract excess calories with some fun Thanksgiving workouts and activities to do all weekend long. Exercise is a great way to keep the unwanted holiday weight off and it doesn’t necessarily require a gym. There are plenty of ways to burn calories while spending time with your family and loved ones. Here are some ideas to get you moving:
There are lots of groups that schedule 5K runs around Thanksgiving. Lace up your sneakers for one of these “Turkey Trots” to support a great cause and a get a good workout! If you’re not ready to run, you can walk.
Plan a Thanksgiving Day tradition
Meet up with your family, friends and neighbors in the morning for Thanksgiving workouts or activities together. Play a game of flag football, run, hike or any other sport that gets everyone involved.
Whether you’re traveling or at home, you can give this calorie-burning workout a try: Do 25 squats, 20 push-ups, 20 lunges, 50 crunches, and a 1 minute plank hold. Repeat this circuit 3 to 4 times.
Here is another workout that requires no weights. You also can try this 20 minute HIIT workout. No weights are not required.
Host a jump rope contest
A fun way to burn calories is to challenge the family to a fitness contest. Set a timer and see who can skip the longest without messing up. Or you can simply jump rope for timed periods as a group in intervals.
This is one of my favorite jump rope interval workouts. Try it and let me know.
Go for a morning ride
Getting up early and biking will get your metabolism revved up before the day of cooking begins. It’s easy on the knees and you can cover a lot of distance easily.
Play backyard games
While the turkey is cooking, set aside an hour or so of outdoors time with your family. You can set up the backyard to be a “fun zone” with games. Some games to include potato sack races, corn hole, horseshoes or a beanbag toss.
Take a brisk walk
It sounds so simple, but taking a simple walk before and after meals is a great way to stay active on Thanksgiving. A walk after meals can help with digestion, too!
Play a video game
Not just any game, but an active video game is needed One that makes you move through dance or has specifically designed workouts like the Wii.
Walk the dogs longer
A great way to give your four-legged furry family members more activity as well as yourself is to extend their normal walking time. Depending on the dog, you may even want to turn it into a jog. Not only will they love it, the whole family will, too!
How will you get it in over Thanksgiving holiday weekend?
