Turkey Day Action Plan

Thanksgiving is a day of feasting with friends and family! It also kicks off the fun, yet stressful holiday season with a bang.

In speaking with clients, holiday weight gain seems be on the forefront of their mind, but as I said in a recent post, holiday weight gain is less of an issue than most expect and it isn't the only aspect of our health that we should be focusing on. Getting caught up on the number on the scale can prevent people from looking at the behaviors that may be keeping them from reaching their peak health, not necessarily just their "weight goal".

Looking at the actions that lead us to feel sluggish, stressed, susceptible to cravings, hungry or overfull can help us zone in on what simple changes we need to make in order to be at our best.

Thanksgiving is a great day to put a healthy living action plan in motion! Think about the actions or behaviors that you will engage yourself in on a typical Thanksgiving day.

• Think back to last year. What did your day consist of? Where could you have made subtle changes to make the day healthier?
• Now think about tomorrow and develop your "action plan". Think about the roadblocks that you faced last year that may come up again (i.e. no time for exercise because you were up late the night before or picking while cooking or getting caught up in the meal and overeating). How can you avoid or make changes to your behaviors this year to make it a healthier day?
• Pick one or two goals from the categories below that you will aim to achieve:

1. How I eat: Example: "Today I will make sure to fill half my plate with veggies" or "Today I will choose white meat vs. dark meat". Simple changes are still successes!
2. How much I eat: Example: "Today I will pick one dessert and enjoy each bite" or "Today I will cut my portions in half".
3. How I move: Example: "Today I will take a walk after dinner instead of sitting to watch the football game" or "Today I will wake up 30 minutes early to do morning yoga and start my day off right".
4. How I live: Example: "Today I will be sure to take deep breathes when I feel stressed" or "Today I will end my day with a 10 minute meditation".

7-Day Goal: Your T-Day action plan seems like the most appropriate goal this week!!

Have a great Thanksgiving! ~K