How not to become stuffed like the Thanksgiving turkey

I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving, and all the food that comes with it. I've definitely had more than one turkey day my life where the jeans needed to come off and the sweats needed to come on in order to sit comfortably after dinner (luckily, we do Thanksgiving at my dad's house, so that's not as awkward as it could be). 

That was a long time ago, and I've since learned how to not feel more stuffed than the turkey after the meal. Mostly. We definitely don't try to healthify any of our favorite dishes in our house. This is a once a year thing, and for the most part, the menu doesn't change. We still eat many of the same dishes that my aunt used to make us when I was five.

I've since learned the best strategy for the meal. I make sure I get a little taste of each of my favorite foods (green bean casserole!  sweet potato casserole! turnips! stuffing!) before moving on to the foods that are just ok (or that I can have any time). I try to eat veggie based dishes first. I've cut way back on the appetizers to save room for the meal. I've learned to stop eating before the jeans need to be unbuttoned (for the most part). And, I try not to munch too much while I'm actually cooking.

But, I've also learned that getting some movement in during the day is incredibly helpful in making sure I don't feel like Violet Beauregarde by the end of the meal. There's a bunch of easy and fun ways to get moving this Thanksgiving.

• Do a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning. There are tons of local 5K turkey trots - just head to Google to find one near you.  They're generally fun and festive events and a great way to start Thanksgiving day.
• Walk the dog.  If your dog is anything like mine, chances are he'll be eating a bit extra on Thanksgiving too (and helping himself to anything within his reach when you're not watching).  So why not get him a little exercise before the festivities begin?  Take a long walk around the neighborhood or head to a local trail for some nature.
• Play games. Head outside and throw around the football, play a friendly game of hide and seek (loser has to clean the dishes), or chase the kids around the yard for a game of tag.
• Get active in the kitchen. Offer to help mash potatoes or whip the cream (by hand!). Take drink orders and walk the hors d'oeuvres around.
• Join a a parade. I was in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade three years in a row. As a handler for the Spongebob balloon, then as a handler for the Charlie Brown balloon, and then as a birthday clown. It was a ton of fun and some great exercise on a day when we would have otherwise just hunkered down inside. Now, it's probably not very feasible for most people to be in the Macy's parade, but see if there's a local parade that you can join. It will be tons of fun and get you in the holiday spirit.  
• Root, root, root for the home (football) team. You can always find a local football game on Thanksgiving. Even where I grew up, and our high school football team has been horrendous since the school opened over ten years ago. But the Thanksgiving game with our cross town rivals is still a yearly tradition. Get out there and cheer and scream and jump up and down. Bonus points if you're one of those fans that runs up and down the sidelines following the plays. 
• Get in your regularly scheduled workout.  Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean that you have to get off your workout schedule.  If you usually work out on Thursdays, see if you can arrange your schedule around a sweat session.  It doesn't have to be long - HIIT or cross-fit type workouts are great for a day like this, when time may be tight.  But, if you're anything like me, you'll feel slightly better about gorging yourself on turkey and sides if you've already done something good for yourself that day.  

What are your favorite Thanksgiving day activities?  What about your favorite Thanksgiving foods?