Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday for so many reasons. It is one (if not the) best meals of the year, and one generally spent enjoying the company of your family. It is a happy time, but not always a healthy time. The average American consumes upwards of 4,500 calories and 230 grams of fat during a Thanksgiving dinner. Yikes!

A very popular Thanksgiving tradition is to rally the family after the meal (at least all the ones who are still awake) and head out to the backyard for a friendly game of touch football. While this may be a fun family activity, it is not the best way to help burn off the outrageous amount of calories that you just put into your body. In a typical hour-long game of touch football, you can expect to burn less than 300 calories. Or, in other words, your football game will only burn off about 6% of your Thanksgiving meal.

This year, maybe it is time to try out a new Thanksgiving tradition. Grab your father-in-law, your kids, or anyone else who is up for a friendly game of doubles, and hit the tennis court.

Tennis is a great workout, and doubles is an awesome way to get more people involved. Even a hit-and-giggle type tennis match is a much better anaerobic workout for everyone involved. The average person will burn nearly 550 calories an hour hacking the ball around the court. Not to mention, the camaraderie on the tennis court is second-to-none.

Feeling ambitious? Hit the court after your thanksgiving meal for a friendly singles match with a family member and you could burn up to 800 calories an hour!

Think about mixing it up this Thanksgiving, and head to the court rather than the backyard. You will feel an awful lot better about the mammoth meal you just ate after running around the court, and you will be able to handle the leftovers much better, too!

Leave the football to the pros on Thanksgiving this year. You’ll have a great time on the court, and your body will thank you!

 

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