Have Your Pie and Eat It Too

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies Health and Fitness
Date Published: November 26, 2008

Have Your Pie and Eat it Too

In last week’s article I wrote about ways to trim the calories off Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you’re able to implement the tactics and save yourself from feeling like a stuffed turkey. I know it’s not easy to practice strict portion control on holidays. It’s only one day, right? As long as you don’t turn the entire holiday season (that’s nearly 2 months!) into a binge fest you can have your pie and eat it too. If you want to keep your fitness on track gear up for more intense workouts to burn off those “few extra bites.”

The Friday after Thanksgiving is not only a shock for American malls, but also your body. You may feel the effects of the alcohol, heavy meal, sugar buzz, and maybe even a little a guilty. Well, snap out of it. Get moving…inside and out.

Strike a Pose

I may have lacked to inform readers that I am currently writing from the Gold Coast of Australia. I am on a working holiday in Coolangatta, Queensland. I will be here until April or May. Talk about endless summer! Since being here I’ve become a big fan of bikram yoga (hot yoga). There are many yoga poses that can aid in digestion.

The cobra pose can be very beneficial for digestion by improving the functions of your intestines, kidneys, and liver. Lie on your stomach, legs together, and the tops of your feet flat on the ground. Place your palms beside your chest and gently push up, lifting your upper body off the floor, and look up.

Another slightly more difficult pose is the camel. The camel can help cure constipation as well as slim the waistline and promote spine flexibility. Come on to your knees, keep the hips lifted and gently bend backwards. Slowly place your palms on the heels, lean forward pressing the pelvis forward. Rise up slowly, always protecting the spine; never strain in any of these poses.

Intensify the Cardio

Interval training is probably my favorite form of cardio. It can be applied to anything, running, swimming, or any piece of cardio equipment in the gym. It takes less time, can potentially burn more calories, increases stamina, and boosts metabolism. Alternate between high intensity bursts and recovery periods for a fat blasting workout.

Choose whatever form of cardio you like, walking, running, the elliptical machine, etc. (Tip: Standing forms of exercise such as running or the elliptical burn more calories vs. biking or rowing when done at the same intensity.) Work on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very easy and 10 being extremely difficult. Warm-up and then alternate between 1 minute high intensity bursts followed by a 2 minute recovery period. Keep repeating for a total of 20-30 minutes. Remember to cool down and stretch after. Try to work up to 10-15 high intensity intervals in a workout and then increase the duration of the intervals or decrease the recovery time as your body adapts to the workload.

Food Focus

Indulging in a gut busting Thanksgiving Day meal isn’t going to sabotage your eating habits for good. For the week after Thanksgiving get back on track right away so you don’t fall prey to excess holiday pounds. Focus on healthy meals and portion control for at least a solid 7 days. Leave the left-overs behind, and hit the grocery store if you need to in order to restock your fridge and pantry with healthy options. Plan out your week’s meals and pre-package lunches and snacks for work or when you’re on-the-go.

Unfortunately, I will miss out on my Thanksgiving Day meal since I’m abroad in Australia. My friend’s Mom is making a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal, but I doubt it will be as elaborate as the traditional Thanksgiving feast. So go ahead and have an extra slice of pumpkin pie for me, just remember to get back on track when the tables cleared.