What is Thanksgiving?
The celebration of Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims’ harvest feast in 1621, where they shared a festive meal with the Wampanoag Native Americans, rejoicing in a fruitful harvest after a challenging year. This holiday represents unity, cooperation, and shared prosperity, despite cultural and social differences.
How is Thanksgiving celebrated?
Nowadays, Thanksgiving is all about building connections. It’s an opportunity to gather with family and friends and share the spirit of togetherness. Whether in a fancy dining room or a cozy living room, the essence of Thanksgiving remains the same: the joy of being surrounded by loved ones.
Cooking together can be a collaborative and bonding experience, fostering teamwork, communication, and shared accomplishment. Coming together for a meal creates a shared space for conversation, storytelling, passing on wisdom, and laughter.
How many calories do we consume during Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is also a time for feasting.
On average, Americans consume between 3,000 to 4,500 calories during their Thanksgiving celebrations.
Now that Thanksgiving weekend is over, it’s time to focus on burning those calories. But how?
Here are seven ways to burn Thanksgiving weekend calories.
(Disclaimer: Always consult with your healthcare provider before implementing any of the seven ways discussed in this article)
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Walk
The most popular and efficient way to burn those calories is by walking (click here to learn more about the benefits of walking).
Walking 10,000 steps will burn roughly 300-400 calories, depending on your weight.
For example, a person who weighs 200 pounds and walks for 30 minutes at a normal pace (3.0 mph) will burn approximately 167 calories! (click here for the calculator)
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Stand for 5 minutes
Consider swapping your usual sit-down desk for a standing desk if your company allows it. If you work from home, you can also stand at your kitchen counter. Another way to incorporate standing into your workday is to use a timer. If you sit for 55 minutes and stand for 5 minutes, the standing time will add up during the day. For example, a person who weighs 200 pounds and stands for 5 minutes doing nothing burns about 10 calories. Multiply that by 8 (e.g. eight hours) and that equals to 40 minutes of standing or 400 calories burned! (click here for calculator)
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Sleep well
Sleep is just as crucial as food and oxygen. It’s during sleep where most of our growth happens, including post-workout recovery and learning. A person who weighs 200 pounds and sleeps for eight hours will burn about 725 calories! (click here for calculator)
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Increase protein
Protein requires more energy to digest than carbs and fats, which is known as the thermic effect of food. This means that you burn more calories with higher protein snacks and meals than lower protein ones.
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Take a Bath
A study by Britain’s Loughborough University (study) found that hot baths and other forms of “passive heating,” such as saunas, could help reduce inflammation. Moreover, soaking in a hot tub for 30 minutes may burn up to 140 calories!
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Add light weights to your errands
By attaching light ankle weights (preferably starting with one-pound ankle weights and building up gradually) to your everyday activities, such as grocery shopping, walking to the bus, and even when doing chores around the house, you may improve circulation, minimize stubborn belly fat, and burn more calories.
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Sip green tea
A research published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences (research) shows that consuming green tea results in weight reduction, lower body mass index, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure.
