7 ways to improve your Thanksgiving

Apple paring game

All too often games are all about the candy, which can be fun, but one bar of chocolate can contain between 200-350 calories. A fun, healthy and budget game you can play this Thanksgiving is the apple paring game. Take a knife (or a vegetable peeler if playing with children) and an apple. The aim of the game is to see which one of your guests can peel the longest piece of apple skin. You can make this more difficult by playing to see who can get the longest and widest peel. Once the game has been played you can eat the skins and put the peeled apples into a tasty apple pie. Swap some of the sugar used in your apple pie with honey and sweetener.

Winter picnic

Okay, so it may not be sizzling hot outside, but picnics are a fun and novel way to celebrate this special day. To serve a healthy and bounteous Thanksgiving meal alfresco you will need to make a few swaps. A great idea is to serve turkey dinner wraps. Take a wholemeal wrap and place strips of white turkey meat (3 ounces only contains 100 calories) inside. Then add homemade stuffing. Make your stuffing from wheat bread stuffing mix, celery, mushrooms and sautéed onions and olive oil. To finish, add a healthy dollop of that all important cranberry sauce. A healthy Thanksgiving can alter your eating habits and inspire your cooking year round, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

Throw a party

Thanksgiving is often seen as the start of the holiday party-season, which lasts right up until New Year’s Eve. Although we often associate partying with being unhealthy (too much drink, too much food and too little sleep) the Ohio State University have found that having a party can actually be beneficial to our health. In their study they found that mice who lived in a social environment transformed some of their energy-storing white fat (the type we have most of) into brown fat. Brown fat is better for us because it actually burns calories. So, although we’re not suggesting you throw a party every night throughout the holidays, it may be a good idea to invite friends and family over. You can even serve some healthy mocktails.

Turkey trot game

Lots of us watch the big game on Thanksgiving, but this year why not get off the couch and get active with everyone? The turkey trot game can be played by people of all ages and people with varying levels of fitness. Take everyone into your backyard and put the players into pairs, with their elbows linked. Each team is handed a turkey mascot (a football with a paper turkey head taped onto one end). On your cue, the pairs try to make their way to the finish line at one end of your playing field. The first team to successfully cross the line without dropping their turkey mascot or unlinking their arms with their partner wins. To make it more interesting you could make a simple trophy or some medals that the winning team can wear.

Relax

According to the American Psychological Association, more than half of all women (51%) and men (43%) in the United States experience heightened stress during the holiday season.  The holidays can create a lot of extra worry for people, so here are a few ways to keep your stress levels down. Firstly, be prepared. If you are cooking, order your turkey a week before Thanksgiving. Prepare your stuffing, pie dough and green bean casserole several days before the big day. Drink plenty of calming teas, such as chamomile or a herbal tea that contains the tilia flower. Taking a soak in the tub with some lavender essential oil is also a great way to relax. Finally, try to be yourself with your friends and family; pretending is too stressful.

What next?

Okay, so the meal has gone well, your friends and family are full and fed, but what do you do next? You may already have some fun traditions, but it’s good to shake things up and try out something new. This year, make your Thanksgiving memorable by going ice skating. It’s great fun for people of all ages and skating for just 45 minutes burns 282 calories. Or if you prefer staying inside why not get everyone dancing? Ballet, belly, ballroom and Bollywood: there are so many styles of dance you are bound to find something that suits everyone. You could buy a dance DVD or just put on some music and give it a go.  Dancing for half an hour can also burn between 200 and 400 calories, so it’s fun and good for you.

Ready, set, shop

If you want to eat healthily this Thanksgiving, but find it hard to resist temptation on the day itself, why not promise yourself a trip to some of the Black Friday sales? Indulging in something you enjoy, like shopping, is a great way to stay focused and motivated if you find resisting unhealthy food difficult. You could either treat yourself to something that furthers your healthy lifestyle; like a new piece of kit or some supplements. Or you could treat yourself to a new outfit, something that boosts your confidence even more. Plus having a three hour shopping trip is estimated to burn 400 calories for the 100 pound person, 750 calories for the 200 pound person and 1,100 calories for the 300 pound person.