Working Up A Thanksgiving Appetite
By: PhillyHealthWatch Host, Tiffany Bucciarelli
While many of us might be satisfied with exercising the taste buds Thanksgiving Day, some of us like to work up an appetite before we sit down for the big meal. Weather you are thinking about hitting the gym or doing some outdoor activity, Philadelphia has a variety of options for staying active on Thanksgiving Day.
Many recreation centers and fitness clubs in Philadelphia are open on Thanksgiving and feature special classes tailored for people looking to burn a few extra calories. City Fitness on 2nd and Spring Garden is open on Thanksgiving Day and is offering a two-hour Thanksgiving morning spin from 8am to 10am. The General Manager and Spin Instructor, Carl Geiger, states, "In order to reserve a seat, participants must submit 3 songs from any genre and I make a mix of everyone's selection and we ride for 2 hours. It's the most popular spin class of the year and I have been doing it for 7 years and everyone really loves it."
Carl Geiger also adds, "it's the last chance to burn those calories before feasting."
According to the American Council on Exercise, the average American adult consumes about 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day, more than double the suggested daily amount. PhillyHealthWatch Contributor and Registered Dietician, Kelly Strogen says, "Thanksgiving through New Years is the most popular time for heart attacks due to stress, lack of exercise, drinking, and eating unhealthy foods. Of the holidays, Thanksgiving is particularly taxing on the body due to consuming large quantities of fat, sugar, and sodium-laden foods at one time.
Kelly recommends, "taking a walk after your Thanksgiving meal (and any meal for that matter), which will help to lower your blood sugar and triglyceride levels. During exercise, your muscles need quick fuel in the form of glucose, so they readily suck in all the extra glucose in your blood stream, which results in a gradual drop in blood sugar, making you feel less tired later on."
Kelly suggests that you look for foods offered on Thanksgiving can be part of a healthy meal including light meat turkey, corn, vegetables, and sweet potatoes (if made with low amounts of sugar and butter). She highly recommends that you stay away from the stuffing, which typically is made of mostly salt, butter, and refined grains.
"No need to skip the pumpkin pie since this contributes a heavy dose of beta-carotene (a beneficial antioxidant), as well as calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Just keep your portion to one piece and skip the crust, which is where more than 1/2 the calories and most of the fat in the pie comes from," Kelly adds.
PhillyHealthWatch wants to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
This article reflects the opinion of PhillyHealthWatch –not CBS Broadcasting Inc.
