Thanksgiving- gobble without the wobble

I got an email from Camp Gladiator a few days ago with some really good information in it to keep in mind this Thanksgiving. Inside this email was an article from Spark People titled Thanksgiving Survival Guide.

Here are some things in the article that I found really interesting:

"The average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Caloric Control Council. Surprisingly, most of these calories come from the all-day snacking in front of the TV while watching parades and sporting events."

- wwwhhhaaaaattt!? That's ridiculous!

"So what happens to all those extra calories? Caloric intake above your total daily energy expenditure (calories in > calories out) is converted into droplets, which are gobbled up by your fat cells. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Luckily, following puberty, the body has developed all of its fat cells. Unfortunately, fat cells can never go away. Although they can shrink, you can never actually get rid of the cell itself."

- okay, this statistic is a little disheartening, but you have to keep in mind that your body is burning calories just by being alive. This does not mean that you should shove another piece of pie in your mouth with the reason of "I need it to live!"...

"You can easily add a little more activity to your holiday routine to help "make up" for some of the extra calories you eat. Burn this many calories in just 10 minutes!

• Walking at brisk pace = 54 calories
• Heavy cleaning = 54 calories
• Step-ups (using stairs) = 175 calories
• Raking leaves = 40 calories

Build lean muscle and boost your metabolism even if you can't make it to the gym by adding 10-15 reps of each of the following:

• Squats-while you brush your teeth
• Lunges-on each leg while you tie your shoes
• Wall Push-Ups-before you walk out the door
• Curls-with a can of soup or bottle of detergent
• Plank hold-while reheating food. Hold for 30 seconds and work up to 3 minutes."

- okay, so ten minutes of step-ups sounds awful, but I think the point is small things here and there done with frequency can add up to make a big difference. 

This year my mom and I will be running the Thunder Cloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning. The Turkey Trot is an annual tradition in Austin. We're doing the 5 mile run and then we'll meet up with the rest of my family and all the dogs out at my parents house for the day.

me and mom, turkey trot 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!