By Kathleen Connelly
I recently realized that, beside the possibility of snow, I love the month of November! My youngest daughter has a birthday which makes it extra special, but it is also the month of what I call “Turkey Day.” I love getting together with family or friends, I love pitching in and cooking the Thanksgiving feast, I love watching football, love playing games with my kids and just enjoying a day off.
What are your plans for turkey day? Is your health part of the game plan? A few years back, some of my family members started participating in the Drumstick Dash, a walk/run in the Broad Ripple area that supports Wheeler Mission Ministries. It has been a great way to start the day, get some activity before our family feast and help others out in the process.
If you want something closer to home in Fishers, maybe the YMCA Wishbone 5k, which supports the YMCA Annual Campaign, is a good fit for your family. Close to Carmel, try The Bolt for the Heart 5K Run which helps support HeartReach Carmel in providing lifesaving automated external defibrillators in central Indiana.
If signing up for a walk/run isn’t your cup of tea, there are lots of other ways to benefit your health on a day that is typically thought of as “eat until you can’t eat anymore.” By the way, I don’t recommend this. Enjoy what you are eating, just don’t go overboard, it never feels good.
Initiate a family walk or bike ride around the neighborhood. Taking a walk after your Thanksgiving feast is a great way to spend time with family before you have dessert.
Even if the weather is a bit chilly, you can break out the corn hole set or Frisbee for some backyard fun. Play touch football while the turkey is cooking. Hide mini-pumpkins/gourds and have the kids hunt for them. Maybe fitness for the brain is more your family’s speed, so have a game tournament, cards, checkers, maybe even chess.
What about your heart and soul health? Sign up to work at a soup kitchen for a couple hours. Maybe ask all your family and friends coming to dinner to bring items to donate to a food pantry or shelter.
On this “Turkey Day,” be thankful and do something that benefits your health, your family’s health and maybe even others.
