Turn Thanksgiving into a Happy, Healthy Holiday!

According to Wikipedia, Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621.

Today, Thanksgiving is one of the only times that extended families can come together. We eat until we can’t see straight, sit on the couch watching football and even nap. So how do we maximize family bonding and minimize overindulgent eating and create a healthy holiday? Activities everyone can participate in!

House Beautiful suggests:

1. Pumpkin roll – Get your blood pumping before or after the feast. Host a pumpkin roll in the backyard. You’ll need lots of room since pumpkins don’t roll in a straight line. Divide into teams, set start and finish lines, and get rolling.
2. Turkey bowling – With the help of plastic cups you can challenge the family to a friendly Thanksgiving bowling tournament. Use mini pumpkins or a tennis ball to bowl with and try to knock down your plastic cup pins.
3. Do it yourself escape room – If you’ve ever wanted to try an escape the room game, know that you can set one up yourself—and perfectly themed for Thanksgiving, too. Using this printable kit (and the required items from the supply list) you can make a fun holiday room escape scenario the whole family can enjoy.
4. Thanksgiving charades – Charades is always a fun party game for all ages. You can make it extra fun on Thanksgiving by using words and phrases that are seasonal and festive. Acting out “cranberry sauce” and “pumpkin pie” might be a little bit of a challenge, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
5. Mini pumpkin hunt – Every holiday has its respective sought-after object—for Easter it’s chocolate eggs, for Christmas it’s candy canes, and for Thanksgiving it’s uh, pumpkins. Or, at least this game is making it so. You’ll need lots of pumpkins and a volunteer to hide them before the guests arrive. We’ll be kind and recommend mini pumpkins as opposed to the regular 20-pound variety.

Some other fun ideas are:

1. Outside scavenger hunt
2. Family tag football
3. Family soccer
4. Nature hike for items to create and/or decorate a holiday wreath

Google Ideas for a Healthy Holiday:

Google has options for every family scenario. The key is to make a conscience effort to make Thanksgiving a healthier holiday. Whether you choose to skinny up your current recipes, add activity to avoid being a couch potato or both, know that you and your loved ones will benefit! Start now and give thanks for your healthy family.

Stuck at the in-law’s unhealthy Thanksgiving? No worries. Remember to drink plenty of water, choose the healthier options and do a little more standing next week at work. Standing desks, walking meetings and parking farther away from the front door will all help take off the extra holiday pounds!