Six Ways to Keep Your Thanksgiving Festive and Fit (Portsmouth NH Healthy Holiday Tips)

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays here on the Seacoast. I love the food, the sweets, family time, the Macy’s Day Parade, afternoon naps, and football. Traditionally, Thanksgiving means slowing down and indulging—but more and more people in Portsmouth, NH and across the Seacoast are looking for ways to stay active and feel good throughout the holiday.

And the benefits are real: improved digestion, better energy, happier joints (hips, knees, back, neck, shoulders), and a healthier balance to the extra calories you may enjoy.

If you want a festive and more active Thanksgiving this year, here are six simple, healthy Thanksgiving tips to help you stay moving and feeling great.

1. Practice Mindful Eating

You can enjoy every part of your Thanksgiving meal—while still supporting your digestion and energy—with mindful eating.

Mindful eating involves slowing down, savoring each bite, and paying attention to hunger and fullness cues. Studies show this can reduce calorie intake by up to 25%, simply by giving your brain time to register fullness.

It also helps digestion by encouraging thorough chewing and reducing the bloating or discomfort that often comes with holiday meals. Instead of loading your plate immediately, take your time, taste every dish, and enjoy the experience.

2. Interrupt Your Sitting

Even if you don’t feel overly full after practicing mindful eating, long periods of sitting can make your hips, back, and knees stiff—especially on soft couches.

Aim to stand up at least once every 30 minutes. This can be a fun job for a younger family member—let them be responsible for making everyone stand!

Regular movement breaks are one of the easiest ways to keep your spine and joints happy throughout Thanksgiving Day.

3. Sign Up for a Turkey Trot (or Create Your Own)

Turkey Trots are popular across New Hampshire and the Seacoast, and they’re a fun activity for the whole family. Most are 5Ks (3.1 miles), but even creating your own neighborhood walk or jog counts.

A morning walk or run boosts circulation, lubricates your joints, and elevates your metabolism for hours afterward. It’s one of the best ways to balance your Thanksgiving Day indulgence while giving your body a healthy start.

4. Be Active During Commercials

Whether you’re watching the Macy’s Day Parade or football, hours on the couch can wreak havoc on your back and neck.

A simple solution? Do something active during commercial breaks. It doesn’t have to be complicated:

Squats
Heel raises
Planks
Back or hip stretches

Turn it into a family challenge if you’ve got competitive relatives—you know who they are.

5. Walk Your Dessert Off

Skipping dessert is optional—but walking afterward is highly recommended. Even a short 10–20 minute walk supports digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and offsets stiffness from sitting.

Walking is one of the most natural, joint-friendly exercises you can do, and it’s especially beneficial after a big Thanksgiving meal.

6. Stay Hydrated

Hydration matters every day—but especially on Thanksgiving. Drinking water helps with digestion, nutrient absorption, and energy levels.

We often confuse thirst with hunger, so staying hydrated before and during your meal can help you feel more in control of your portions. Hydration also keeps your mind clear and your body energized, making healthier choices easier throughout the day.

Final Thoughts

There you have it—six easy ways to keep your Thanksgiving festive, active, and healthy. If back, hip, knee, neck, or shoulder issues are getting in the way of enjoying the holiday—or even these simple tips—it may be time to talk with a mechanical pain expert.

They can help you find the root cause of what’s bothering you and keep it gone—so by next Thanksgiving, you can enjoy the day fully.

And—it’s the perfect time to take advantage of our Black Friday Sale!
We’re offering our lowest prices of the year on sessions with our Physical Therapy Specialists and our Regenerative Shockwave Therapy.

👉 CLICK HERE to get full access to the Black Friday deals — packages are limited and only available while deals last!

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapy Specialist and Mechanical Pain Expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch—or to request a copy of her free guide “5 Simple and Easy Ways to Get Rid of Back Pain”—CLICK HERE or call 603-380-7902.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays and it’s right around the corner. Rest and relaxation might be top of mind for you. But, it’s still important to stay active and mobile throughout the day.

Our spine and joints don’t like to be sedentary for prolonged periods. And that’s especially true if you’ve got arthritis, back or knee pain.

You may not notice any pain while you’re sitting or relaxing, but you will pay for it the next day if you don’t find ways to keep moving.

So here are five very easy ways to help you stay active and mobile this Thanksgiving:

Interrupt Your Sitting.

Our bodies were not designed to sit for prolonged periods, so getting up frequently is an easy way to not only incorporate movement throughout your day, but to help keep away back and knee stiffness. I recommend standing up at least once every 30 min.

This could be a fun assignment to give a young child. Make them accountable for watching the clock and remind you to stand up. This is quite possibly the easiest and most effective strategy to keep your knees, hips, and spine from getting painful and stiff throughout Turkey Day.

Do a Turkey Trot.

Thanksgiving Turkey Trots are a popular event in most towns and it can be a really fun event for the whole family. Turkey Trots are typically 5K’s – or 3.2 miles. If you’re not able to sign up for an actual race, grab your friends and family and create your own Turkey Trot within your neighborhood.

If you can’t coordinate a time to do this in a group, take a virtual trot together and stay connected via your smartphone. Either way, whether you walk or jog, it will feel great to get your Thanksgiving Day started with lubricated joints and blood flowing.

Stretch During Commercials.

Whether it’s the Macy’s Day parade, football, or both – it’s easy to find yourself sitting for hours on a soft sofa or recliner. A very easy way to keep yourself from sitting or slouching too much and to incorporate some healthy movement into your day is to get up during commercials.

It’s the perfect opportunity to do a quick 2 min exercise or stretch. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Choose from a quick set of squats, heel raises, planks, or back stretches. You can alternate through these during each commercial break and your body will thank you for it.

Walk Your Dessert Off.

Just because you did that Turkey Trot in the morning doesn’t mean you have to be done for the day. Rather than feeling like you need to skip dessert – just plan to walk it off afterwards.

Walking is one of the best and most natural exercises you can do. And it gives you many of the same benefits of running (only slower).

Walking is very functional, and it’s good for your hips, back and knees. Since we tend to sit and bend so much during the day, walking is a very natural and active way to get some much needed lengthening and stretching into our bodies before we settle in for the evening.

Help With Cleaning Up.

Don’t be shamed into “just sit down and relax” because you’re a guest. Helping with clean-up (or set-up) is an easy and effective way to keep moving during your Thanksgiving Holiday.

Not only will your Thanksgiving host love you – but your body will too.

If you’re suffering from back problems, be careful bending and leaning over – especially if it’s repetitive – when you’re collecting or washing dishes. But otherwise, carrying heavy plates, moving chairs, and wiping down tables can burn quite a few calories and it’s good for your body.

There you have it – if you don’t want your Thanksgiving Day to be sedentary – you now have five easy ways to stay active and mobile.

I hope you have a wonderful Holiday and get to spend it with those you love most.

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch, or request a free copy of one of her guides to back, neck, knee, or shoulder pain, email her at [email protected].

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