Prep for the Turkey

Only two more days before those of us in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. My mom will tell you that she loves the theme of the holiday simply because without seeking to link to any particular religion or faith, this holiday celebrates family, friends and loved ones. It's a time when we can get together and remember that we are thankful for even the little things in life. I for one have many things to be thankful for. Still, many of us have things we regret being thankful for the day after Thanksgiving. You see, this is also the time of year when gyms all across the country will suddenly begin seeing an influx of people. Gym registrations and trial memberships soar and you'll be surprised if you don't see a commercial for a gym during every commercial break from now on. Being a regular gym-goer, I am thankful that I get to see the cycle and I'm just as thankful when the sudden rush is over.

As I've blogged about in the past, you will suddenly see a jump in the number of people going to the gym or exercising at this time of year. Many of us realize that there is a problem when our pants no longer seem to fit long after Thanksgiving turkey and all the leftovers are but a distant memory. See the meal may last only one afternoon or evening, but the effects can last a lifetime if you aren't careful. Unfortunately there are many of us out there who let things go and then pay the consequences later on. For some among that group, 'later on' can occur even earlier if we're not careful. What do I mean? Well, if you read the latest trends in health magazines and such you'll see that the incidence of heart trouble, diabetes, obesity and other ailments associated with over-indulgence are on the rise.

What this means is that the problems that affected our parents and their parents at the latter stages of their lives is affecting younger people a lot sooner. Some would argue that we lead healthier lives now than they ever did, but that doesn't excuse over-indulging on a regular basis. A lot of what we consume these days is above and beyond what our parents may have ever considered consuming during their time. Chemical compositions of every sort are in many of the foods we consume; we're either so busy or so lazy or so uninterested in cooking that many people have nothing but fast food all the time. So many of these things end up contributing to the problems we experience today.

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case it can be the literal truth. If one were to start visiting the gym before the holiday season started, for one thing there would be time to get the body in 'tune' for weight loss or weight maintenance. If one were to follow the trend and try to cram a year's worth of exercise into a few days there will be plenty of sore or pulled muscles, aching bodies and nothing else the loss of will to continue the exercise. So why not do yourself a favor and get out for a walk. There's two days to help strengthen your resolve. Think twice about that extra plate of food and maybe save a bit of the pie for later.