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A healthy Thanksgiving starts with gratitude

re you tired of hearing cheerful advice about how
to stay healthy during the holidays?

Well, guess what? I have some more.

But don’t worry, we’re skipping the tips on how to lighten up your stuffing recipe or make mashed potatoes out of cauliflower. The healthiest thing you can do for yourself this Thanksgiving is live with an attitude of true gratitude.

Yes, gratitude is good for you. It’s often said that it’s not happy
people who are most thankful, but thankful people who are the most happy. Studies are showing that people who report higher levels of gratitude experience more activity in the hypothalamus, which is what regulates functions like eating, drinking and sleeping, as well as metabolism and stress levels. Since stress is a major contributor to heart disease, taking time to stop and be thankful is pretty cheap medicine.

Healthy habits begin with awareness, so start by paying attention to
what brings you joy.

Visit www.Authentic to answer some simple questions that rate your level of thankfulness.

Then view your results compared to others in
your profession, Zipcode and age group. An iPhone app called Gratitude 365 Journal lets you snap pictures throughout the day of what makes you smile, and then review them later for a reminder. Or go old-school with a pen and notepad to jot down something each day that you were glad happened. Simply noticing nice things can increase your level of thankfulness and happiness, and your body will thank you.

Then, share the love!

Check out to learn how you can not only show your appreciation for someone in a creative way, but encourage others to chime in and “fill the bucket.” Or spend Thanksgiving afternoon writing thank-you notes to people who have
made a difference in your life this year. Then actually send them.

And believe it or not, feeling thankful for the blessings in your life can help you eat less on Thanksgiving Day, too.

Finding contentment in the world around us makes it easier to remove the expectation we put on food to soothe our souls and cover up what is hurting us.

When we’re full of appreciation for the little things that amuse us, the food on our plate is just gravy.

It’s true that Thanksgiving and other holidays are not happy times for everyone, and sometimes it can be hard to find something to be thankful for.

Sometimes it feels self-serving to express thanks when so many others have so little.

When in doubt, reach out. Sometimes helping others is the best way to help yourself.

And let’s get real: Thanksgiving isn’t a day typically known for restraint, so go ahead andenjoy that delicious meal. But as you gather around your table and hold hands with family and friends, remember the words of John F.

Kennedy when he proclaimedon Thanksgiving Day in 1963, “Aswe express our gratitude,wemust never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, butto live by them.”

Heather Fuselier is a certified wellness coach and personal trainer. Learn more at WellnessWithout