The average Thanksgiving dinner contains 3,000 calories.

Yowza. That’s a lot.

Fitness magazine pointed that out in an article they ran on their web site. Their strategy to burn off some of those calories was to run a Turkey Trot (a race held Thanksgiving morning). And that’s a great idea! But what if you’re not a runner?

My solution: start planning now, so you don’t eat all 3,000 of those calories.

Here are three simple tips:

1. Stick to your fitness routine. I know, I know – this time of year is insanely busy. Believe me, I get caught up in it too. But, sticking with your routine is one of the best things you can do, to manage the over-indulging that goes on this time of year, but, also to manage stress.

Even if you can’t do a full 30 minutes when you’re scheduled to exercise, at least get a couple of 10 minute shots into your day. You can find some suggestions on how to do that here. Sticking to your fitness routine will help ease the side-effects of indulging a little too much.

2. Make sure there are some unadulterated foods available. If you are the host of your meal, make sure to have some side dishes without sauces, or turkey without gravy. If you’re going to someone’s house, why not bring a clean appetizer, or side dish?

The word “clean” in the context of food means unprocessed, as close to nature as possible, and without sauces. You don’t have to be outspoken about why you’re bringing the dish you’re bringing. You can just offer to help by adding to the meal.

3. Don’t get lazy after dinner. Do something! Why not take a walk, or help the kids jump in the leaves? In our house, our tradition is to fire up the Wii and have a bowling tournament. You may not burn off every calorie you ate that day, but at least you’ll be helping your body digest everything, and you will be burning some of it off.

And remember, over-indulging for one day isn’t going to completely wreck your healthy eating. Don’t get too stressed if you just completely go off the wagon and eat everything you want til you’re busting. Just get back into your normal habits the next day.

Has your walk been B-O-R-I-N-G lately?

I love to walk. It’s easy to do anywhere and the only equipment you absolutely need is a great pair of sneakers. But, because it’s so easy, it can get boring very easily – especially if you’re like me and you have a very short exercise attention span.

Here are 3 ways to add a little spring to that step:

1. Change your scenery. Local parks have great trails. Or, simply reverse the route you normally take. Usually walk on a treadmill? Try walking in the neighborhood. Stepping out of your comfort zone and normal routine will not only make your workout more interesting, it’ll challenge your muscles in different ways too – which is always good for avoiding plateaus.

2. Add a little intensity. Instead of just walking, why not try different paces. Speed up for a minute or two, or increase the width of your stride for a minute. Try carrying a set of light weights for some added upper body resistance. You can also strap on a backpack and put some light weight in it.

3. Add in some Circuits. Instead of just walking the whole time, stop and do a few resistance exercises, or intense cardio blasts. For example, you could do some push-ups, lunges, squats, or sit-ups. Or, stop and do jumping jacks, run in place, or do squat jumps.

Thanksgiving is coming, and there’s nothing better than taking an after dinner walk around the block. Get the whole family involved and give each other challenges while you walk. You can challenge each other to see how many jumping jacks you can do in a certain amount of time. Or, how fast you can walk between your neighbors houses.

If you’ve got some great things that you do on your walks, feel free to share them!

**Don’t forget to check out the Prevention not Prescriptions blog carnival this week. We’ve been having some great discussions over at Kathleen’s blog as well, so don’t forget to check back often during the week!

Put that frozen entree down and don’t even think about going through the drive thru.

Those frozen meals are processed and full of bad stuff… I don’t care how healthy they try to appear. And the drive-thru… well – I don’t have to tell you how bad that can be!

Here are 5 lunches that will pull you right out of that lunch rut, keep your energy up, and keep you healthy:

1. Vegetable soup with shrimp. I love homemade vegetable soup. You can find recipes for super easy soups here. And if you really don’t have time to cook, in the grocery store, you can find organic varieties that don’t contain as much salt and no preservatives. Add some frozen, pre-cooked shrimp and you get a little extra protein. Yum.

2. Tuna on butter lettuce salad. Butter lettuce is my favorite lettuce right now (a.k.a. bib lettuce). No real reason it’s my current fave – just a nice twist on an old salad staple. I’m not going to tell you how to make your salad, just grab a bunch of your favorite veggies, throw ‘em together with some vinaigrette dressing, throw some unadulterated tuna on top – Voila! Healthy, filling lunch.

3. Veggies and hummus. Cut up some carrots, red bell peppers, cucumbers – whatever you like, and use about 2 tablespoons of hummus as you dip. You can make your own hummus, or check out the grocery store, there are tons of varieties.

4. Almond butter sandwich. A little like a peanut butter sandwich only a different nut. Use whole grain bread, spread 1 tablespoon of almond butter on each piece, and add bananas or apples. Healthy, filling, energizing.

5. Oatmeal with fruit and nuts. Oatmeal for lunch? Why not? It’s healthy, warm, and filling. If possible, use whole oats – not the quick cooking kind which can be loaded with sugar. Whole oats take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook in the microwave, so really, there’s no reason to use the quick cooking oats. Toss in a few almonds, some berries or raisins or cranberries – delish!

Lunch at the office doesn’t have to be boring, and it certainly doesn’t have to be unhealthy. If you’ve got lunch favorites, we’d love to hear about ‘em!

One of the things I hear most from busy women is that they get bored with exercising.

And, especially with the busy, holiday season upon us, we don’t need one more reason to skip a workout.

Nothing kills fitness motivation more than boredom.

We’re human, we like repetition and routine to a degree. But when it comes to exercising, doing the same thing over and over again isn’t good for you.

Your body is this awesome machine that likes to make things easy on itself. When changes occur, for example, you start exercising, or you start eating healthier, your body likes that, but it finds ways to work more efficiently under these new circumstances. It adapts, learns to deal with what you’re giving it – this is where those fitness plateaus come from. Your body gets more effective and works more efficiently with what your giving it.

Keep your body and mind inspired to stick with the program.

In my yoga classes (and we’ll also do this in my Fitness for Busy Women Classes), I change things up every week. First and foremost, I do this so participants won’t get bored.

But most importantly, I do it to keep participants minds and bodies challenged.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to do the same thing… mindlessly.

When you’re able to be mindless about your routine – it’s time to change. Sure, it’s easy to slog through a class “just to get it done” or just coast through your routine so you can check it off the list. But if you’re feeling that way, your body isn’t really benefiting.

Don’t be afraid to try something new – and hey – you might just have fun!

The good news is, you don’t even have to leave your house to try new things. As you saw last week, I love FitTV. If you don’t have FitTV, chances are good you’ve got some sort of fitness channel. Check your local listings.

These channels have  a variety of workouts you can do right in your own home. And it’s fun – yes really – FUN.

There are also some really great web sites out there that provide fitness routines. Yours truly has a few right here – click on “Exercises” over there to the right under Categories to check out what I offer so far. And you’ll see – I do most of those things right in my office, so they can be done anywhere!

If you’ve ever wanted to try yoga, check out my local class, feel free to ask me for recommendations, or check out the My Yoga Online web site. They’ve got many videos that you can watch right on your computer.

Bottom line – if boredom or mindlessness sets in, it’s time to try something new. Not only will it give your body a challenge, but it will renew your interest and help motivate you.

**I am thoroughly enjoying being a part of the Prevention not Prescriptions blog carnival. Check it out for great insight, advice and ideas on how you can easily stay healthy.

I have a new addiction…

Halloween night, while my little one and hubby were out spooking the neighborhood, I flipped on FitTV and finally got a chance to watch Just Cook This.

Wow.

I LOVE THIS SHOW.

Sam Zien is wonderful. I love his simple, no nonsense approach to cooking. And, I love the fact that his recipes are short, sweet, to-the-point and contain ingredients you can either easily slap on your grocery list, or that you already have in your kitchen.

My husband will tell you that I am no gourmet cook. I like my recipes short, simple, healthy and easy. And these recipes deliver.

So far, I’ve tried the Steamed Artichokes with Red Pepper Puree, and Salmon with Gremolata, the Chunky Guacamole, and the Fatboy Sausage Pasta – which I made a little healthier by taking the suggestions the nutritionist gave in the show.

YUM.

Everything was fantastic.

If you are looking for quick, healthy dinner ideas, check this show out. There’s a ton of recipes on the site, and if you watch the show, you’ll pick up some really great ideas and tips.