Walking Off Thanksgiving Calories

At Thanksgiving, people usually remove all restraints from their eating. Indulging in extra helpings of mashed potatoes, pecan pie and other holiday delights seems okay on that special day.

Here's what you need to know before indulging: how much exercise will it take to compensate for that huge meal?

Look down the page to find the answer. I've included the calorie count for the traditional food served at Thanksgiving and also the calories burned with various activities. Get ready for the Thanksgiving feast by working off some of those calories in advance.

Graphic available from Zazzle:
Taz Thanksgiving Plates by looneytunes

Using the Thanksgiving Calorie Counter

Go to the Thanksgiving Calorie Counter at About.com. Browse the list of Thanksgiving foods and click on the ones you expect to eat. Don't forget to click on the drinks and gravy and various trimmings.

At the end of the list, click on DO-THE-MATH. It brings up the total calories you expect to consume and then tells you how many steps it will take to walk those off.

EXAMPLE: "that comes to 1728 calories. You will need to walk 17.28 miles or 34560 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps."

Available from Zazzle: Bless this food by pattycake

Now obviously you aren't likely to take a 17 mile hike on Thanksgiving Day. I'd suggest getting in some extra walking or aerobics at the gym or biking the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

One way to inspire you to walk more before Thanksgiving is to take the camera along. Get some exercise while you have a Fall Photo Walk.

On the day after Thanksgiving, I recommend a hearty bowl of turkey and vegetable soup. It will use up some of the leftovers and give you a lighter meal to recover from the previous day's eating binge. Continue exercising with walks or visits to the gym on this day too.

See, this turkey is exercising before Thanksgiving. You can too!

Have I convinced you to take up walking for Thanksgiving?

How can you resist a fall walk enjoying the beauty of the season? The air is crisp, the leaves colorful and it feels so good to get outside and stretch your legs.