Happy Healthy Thanks-Giving!

If  the great philosophers are correct, than our reality is nothing more than our “perception!“  If this is true, then why in the world wouldn’t we choose to perceive the most optimal reality of all time?!  This doesn’t mean to confuse having a more positive perception with full blown delusion! It merely means that if we have a choice in the matter, why not choose to see the positive?  Thanksgiving may be the perfect time to start! Rather than think about all that you want, need or don’t have yet, why not focus on what you do have or once had and will have again?

The first step may be to write a list of all the people, situations, circumstances and other things that you have in your life and are thankful for. Decide to set aside a few moments per day to review that list, either the same time every day or simply pull it out when your mind begins to drift over to the darker side and you find yourself lamenting over the “don’t have yet.”
Definitely something you may want to consider when it comes to the way you feel about yourself? If only I could, should or would (you can fill in the blank)
Perhaps the positive side of that would be without the extra weight or diagnosis of high cholesterol from the doctor, you may never had stopped to consider a Healthy way of Life through Nutrition, Exercise and Stress Management and who knows where you could have ended up!   Celebrate your day with these tips-, whether it is alone with your pet, together with your immediate family or at a table of 40.
1. Rather than eat to feel the “comfort” that some of these dishes may represent to you, engage in conversations where you can recall some of those times of comfort and describe what that meant to you and describe how it made you feel. If some of those people happen to be present, embrace them and tell them how much they mean to you. This will be a lot more healthy than the heaping scoop of butter-laddened potatoes you almost used to soothe the soul!

2. Fill your plate with the healthy stuff first: Lots of salad, steamed vegetables, skinless turkey, baked un-sweetened sweet potatoes. Also, slow down your rate of eating. Enjoy and savor every morsel. If you wait all year for that one dish (like Mom’s stuffing ) find a small corner of the dish and add a Tablespoon of each of your favorites. Try eating all of the healthy stuff first until almost completely full, then indulge in small forkfuls of your hidden treasures last, focusing on how delicious the food is and how much you enjoy it.

3. Don’t Turn Thanksgiving day into Thanksgiving Week! If left overs are forced on you, opt to take home the healthy choices. If you are the one doing the entertaining, send everyone else home with everything and keep the more healthy options as additional meals you can enjoy for the rest of the week.

4. Eat like it is any other day, don’t skip meals or snacks, just substitute that one meal and go back to normal eating after that. Continue drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

5. See if you can get others to take a long walk. Believe it or not, this may become one of your new cherished favorites. Often when people are relaxed and walking, conversations may become very deep!

6. Get back to your regular workout routine the very next day.

7. Start and end the day with the right mindset! Be sure to remember the meaning of the holiday and to enjoy spending time with the people you are with. Let the food be only part of the celebration, not the purpose!

8. Continue being Thankful Every Day!