Prepping for a Healthy Thanksgiving Week

Good Monday morning to y'all!  How was your weekend?  Joe and I didn't do too much this weekend, but that's just what I wanted.  Plenty of relaxation before traveling to see family for Thanksgiving on Thursday :)

Nice description of our weekend :)

Speaking on Thanksgiving (which is on Thursday for all my non-US readers), this week can often be a tough one when it comes to continuing a commitment to healthy living.  There's a lot of stress between preparing for family and/or traveling to see people.  You're out of your normal work routine (if you job gives you days off this week).  There's an abundance of food pretty much all week long.  So, today, I wanted to share some things that you can do to have a healthy Thanksgiving week!

1. Plan, plan, plan!  One thing that always alleviates my stress is to have each day planned out.  Not only will I have healthy meals and workouts planned, but I can avoid the stress of "so much to do, so little time!"

It's so much easier to stay in a "routine" if you have your days planned out.  It also helps you make sure that you're doing everything you need to do this week :)

2. If you're traveling: pack healthy snacks for the trip.   It's always so tempting to pick up "junk food" on a road trip or walking through the airport.  To avoid that, make sure that you pack some convenient, healthy snacks for your trip.

I usually bring chopped vegetables or protein bars to keep me away from the junk I could get at the airport.  Other ideas: sliced apples, citrus fruits, nuts.

3. If you're staying at home: only purchase what you really need at the store.  This time of year, there are all sorts of treats displayed all over the grocery store.  When you do your shopping, make a list of what you need and stick to it!  Not only will that save you time, but it'll keep you from overspending AND overindulging during the holidays.

4. Find a way to be active once a day.  Even if it's just taking a 20 minute walk in the evening, doing something is better than nothing!

After walking around Joe's grandparent's horse farm last Thanksgiving

Once everyone's together, try to get the whole family out and doing something active!  Just playing outside in the yard is a great way to get some exercise (and let those kiddos burn off some energy).  It's amazing how a little activity can make you feel better, both physically and mentally.

5. Get an accountability partner!  Joe and I normally do a good job of keeping each other accountable in our healthy living goals (he motivates me to stick with the workouts, I keep him eating healthy stuff).  It's so much easier to stay in your healthy routine if you have someone holding you to it.  It could be a family member, a friend, a blog, or a community!

I'll be using the Holiday Sweat Challenge to keep me accountable this week.  Today's the first day, and earning those points are definitely motivating to me so far.

6. Bring a healthy dish to share at the Thanksgiving meal.  There are tons and tons of "healthified" recipes of the Thanksgiving classics.  Use Pinterest or even just an Internet search to find them!  Also, try using some baking substitutes to cut down on the butter, heavy cream, etc. that might be a part of what you're making for Thanksgiving.

Hope those were helpful tips for you this week!  Feel free to use me as an accountability partner this week and tell me what healthy things YOU are doing in the comments!

Question for you: How are you prepping for keeping up with your healthy eating/exercise this week?  Share your tips with me!!