Thanksgiving Feast

Have you been training Hard with me? Then you deserve a good meal and an active recovery!

Eat up and Enjoy this Thanksgiving. Think of it as a chance to 'recharge your batteries' as my Dad would say! One of my idols Tracy Anderson and trainer to Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow writes:

"Of all of the holidays throughout a given year, the one that seems to give people the most anxiety about missing their workout (and packing on pounds) is always Thanksgiving.  I am here to tell you to not worry, to enjoy yourselves tomorrow, and to eat all the stuffing and pumpkin pie that you need.  It's only 1 meal out of the year, and as I mentioned in my previous post, our social and emotional connection to food is so strong and it is important to not deprive yourself of the family table.  Don't make 100 calorie stuffing, reduced fat gravy, or gluten free pie (trust me, you will go to bed wishing you had had the real stuff).  Enjoy yourself, and on Friday, after you are ready for a little break, put on your workout clothes" and try a new physical activity or play a sport you enjoy!

She goes on "I believe that we all have a strong connection to family tradition and our roots, but we all want to look and feel our best.  It's important to stay fit, confident, and young at heart, but to also enjoy life through food.  The trends, education, and research on nutritional ways to lose weight, fight disease, and enhance longevity are ever-evolving.  While we can come together and make healthy changes, we also aren't programmed to forget our past.  We have an emotional connection to how we grew up and traditions - most of which have to do with food.  
I eat healthily most of the time and I don't eat processed foods, but I love all food groups.  I am a huge supporter of the family table and it is so important to enjoy meals with the great people in our lives.  However, that shouldn't mean that you can't also look and feel your best (even when indulging)"...

I definitely agree with Tracy and find importance in enjoying the foods you might have grown up with. All the foods rich in color(pumpkin, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, cranberries, etc) are much better for you than the white refined foods (stuffing, gravy, butter, cream, cookies, cheeses, alcohol, etc)... But each of us have our own "comfort foods". For me, I like my Moms-Butternut Squash/Pumpkin Soup, her gravy, homemade stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce and of course homemade pumpkin pie w graham cracker crust with homemade whip cream... Mm, mmm, mmm! Damn, I was spoiled-haha!

Dr Joe Nutritionist in NY also recommends a big meal/week to spike your metabolism. Further, another one of my idols, celebrity trainer Jackie Warner of Sky Sport(where I now work) and TV show 'Workout', recommends not only one but two big(1200-1500 calorie) meals/week to help satisfy cravings.

These bigger meals paired with exercise and a clean diet the rest of the week Equal a healthy metabolism! Let this Thanksgiving "recharge your batteries" for more effective workouts, more focus finishing out the year and to help satiate your gut and soul: )