Crisp November chill giving you rosy red checks, autumn leaves gently crackling under your feet as you walk to the door... immediately greeted with the rich scent of sweet apple pie, mashed potatoes, and the twenty-pound turkey getting prepared for your Thanksgiving feast. The sound of children giggling while playing hide n’ seek, and seeing the great pride on your grandparents faces as they watch the whole family gather around the table.
Take a moment and think how beautiful and comforting it is being surround by people that love you. For me this means more than you can imagine! I have always felt a little like a lost child and now I have a family and love… I wouldn’t give it up for the world! (Awe. Happy tears in my eyes as I write this) that is what Thanksgiving is about… being thankful for your family, friends, and health. Look at what you DO have not at what you don’t have.
Thanksgiving is NOT about gorging yourself with food, yes take the day and enjoy your FAVORITE dishes (pass on the ones you do not care for) and be done. It’s ONE meal… not the whole day, weekend or week! If you have leftovers of something you know you will indulge in… give it away or to the compost or trash pile… would you rather have it in your body storing fat or in the ground disintegrating?
Right now make the decision that you are not going to sabotage yourself this year during the holidays! It’s not that hard to say “No thank you” when someone asks if you’d like another piece of pie… say “no thank you” and change the subject if they persist. You do not have to explain yourself to anyone. There’s no difference saying “no thank you” to the junk than it is saying “no thank you” when brussel sprouts get passed around the table (ha PLEASE say yes to those!)
Let’s Practice shall we??
"You have yet to try my pie, here have some!"
"No thank you."
"Oh, it's a holiday! C'mon, you can't diet on Thanksgiving!"
"No thank you.”
"What, you're not going to eat your grandmother's homemade pie? You loved it as a child!”
"No thank you.”
"Oh Geez, can't you have any fun anymore?"
"No thank you." (Me thinking..."What?, the only fun you can think of is food… there are several other activities I prefer much more fun than food.”)
"I'll just put a piece on your plate. There, now you'll have to eat it!"
(Placing the pie back on the serving platter) "No thank you"
Speak up for yourself, be calm yet firm. After all you are the one in control of YOU!
(If all else fails pretend you have a tummy ache…. Good to go!)
Make this Thanksgiving about how wonderful life is! No matter where you have been or what you have done you deserve to be healthy and know family, friends and God love you.
So I leave you with this little blurb I picked up from a site about what the true meaning of Thanksgiving is:
“The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God – even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.”
So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.
~Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving
Have a healthy, fit and fabulous Thanksgiving!!
PS I know I will be getting up in the morning to teach a killer boot camp class then do a challenge workout with my husband in the morning… he’s going to kill me I’m sure! Remember when you do resistance training and/or a high intensity workout before you eat a big dinner your body will burn more fat throughout the day! =)
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