Have you ever wondered how to make Thanksgiving enjoyable without gaining extra pounds? Although this holiday is all about enjoying delicious food, with some creativity and discipline you can have your cake (or pie) and eat it too. With a few simple exercises done before or after mealtime, you’ll still be able to indulge in the joy of indulging in Turkey Day favorites without sacrificing your physical fitness. Here are some heart pumping exercises you can do to prepare for this Thanksgiving season!
Wobble Board Plank
Gobble gobble it is time to wobble! That is right, CanDo® Balance Boards are perfect for strengthening and conditioning your body. If you have ever done a plank before, the balance board adds an extra challenge to that. As you try to use your whole body to try to remain in a balanced state. To begin, place your CanDo® Balance Board on the ground in front of you. Then, get on your knees and place your hands on the board. Be sure that you keep your hands on the board and not on the edges so that you don’t squeeze your fingers in between ground and board. Then, and get into plank position. You should find your balance on the board by adding more weight to your upper body. Slowly move your feet back to get into a plank position. Make sure you are keeping your elbows close to your sides, and do not exceed a 90° angle. Your body should make one straight line and engage your core. Hold that plank for 10 seconds before taking a brief pause and then repeating the exercise again for another 15 seconds.
Burpees
Though the name sounds like something you do after eating an entire thanksgiving dinner, burpees are no joke. It can be one of the toughest exercises to do, but it is extremely rewarding. Giving you the benefits of a full body work within minutes; boosting your heart rate, burning calories and building muscle. To begin, have your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your back straight. Then drop into a squat by bending your knees, driving them out slightly past your toes, while bringing your bottom down. Then kick your legs back into a high plank position. Then do a push up by bending your elbows and bringing your body down toward the floor. Then quickly get back up into your starting position and jump once to complete the rep. After doing this for a couple reps you will really start to feel exhausted yet accomplished, and ready to eat!
Thanksgiving should be a time of joy and indulgence, but not at the expense of your health. With a bit of pre-planning, you don’t have to worry about gaining extra pounds while still enjoying all the traditional Turkey Day favorites. CanDo® Balance Boards are an excellent choice for strengthening and conditioning your body, providing an additional challenge to traditional exercises like planks. Additionally, burpees offer a full body workout in mere minutes, burning calories and building muscle without ever leaving your home. So, this year, use the CanDo® Balance Board to help balance out those calories by boosting your physical fitness before or after mealtimes.
To check out the CanDo® Balance Board, click here.
Article written by William Graves.