Turkey Day is just around the corner! Our team at AFC Urgent Care Knoxville understands the urge to dive in to all the delicious dishes on the Thanksgiving table. However, instead of filling your plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, take note of some things you can do differently this year in order to prevent extra pounds. Avoiding the “Thanksgiving 15” Okay, so the chances of gaining 15 pounds from Thanksgiving are pretty unlikely. However, it might feel as though you are carrying around a 15-pound turkey ball after the Thanksgiving meal is over. Prevent this “stuffed” feeling by cutting back on some traditional dishes and adding physical activity into the mix. Go ahead, start Thanksgiving Day off with exercise by participating in the Hot to Trot 5k, 10k and Fun Run! Not only is this a great way to exercise as a family and spend some time together not surrounded by food, it also provides the opportunity to get your workout out of the way so that you don’t have to worry about things coming up later in the day that might prevent you from exercising. Also, remember not to starve yourself before the Thanksgiving meal. You want to make sure you eat a healthy breakfast (i.e., whole-grain toast with avocado, low-fat yogurt with blueberries, etc.) so that your body doesn’t go into starvation mode and cause you to overeat during the holiday meal. While you might think you are “saving up” the calories for the meal, you are actually setting yourself up for failure. Because once dinner arrives, you’ll be so hungry that you’ll eat more than you would if you’d just eaten breakfast. Also, when the Thanksgiving meal does arrive, don’t deprive yourself of your favorite, not-so-healthy dishes. Instead, remember moderation. Add just a spoonful or two of your favorite foods to your plate, but then use healthier dishes to fill up the rest. This way you are able to eat well while also getting a taste of some of your favorite side dishes that aren’t necessarily the best for your health. Finally, don’t put on your comfy pants. Dressing in order to “make room” for dessert can cause you to overeat during Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, dress up. Put on an outfit you feel comfortable in but that is also slightly fitted so that you’re less likely to go back for seconds and thirds. Remember, Thanksgiving Day is really about gratitude and making memories. So, focus more on being with family and less on the food. That will help you to make healthier choices during Thanksgiving Day. Make Thanksgiving a Long Weekend of Memories! Is your family in town for the long Thanksgiving weekend? Show them around Knoxville, TN – not with an ordinary tour, but with a “Christmas in the City” tour of Knoxville. Between the Regal Celebration of Lightsand Knoxville’s Holidays on Ice, you can get a head start on the Christmas memories while your family and friends are still in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. The team at AFC Urgent Care Knoxville doesn’t want your Thanksgiving holiday to be spent inside with the cold and flu. Stop by and see our medical staff today if your feeling under the weather. We are here seven days a week!