Turkey Trots are fine and fart walks are great, actually
Plus: The greatest Thanksgiving leftover recipe on this entire planet
There’s a category of joke or meme that goes around social media every year around this time about the nightmare of marrying into a family that has a Turkey Trot tradition. And I get it: If Thanksgiving is, for you, primarily a day for relaxing, eating, and trying to avoid awkward conversations with loved ones, the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn to strap on your sneakers and run a 5K before the festivities begin sounds pretty unappealing.
And while Turkey Trots (content warning: some calorie bullshit in that article, toward the end!) are, from what I can tell, primarily intended to give families something fun to do together on a day off, often while raising money for charity, they’ve of course been infused and entangled with diet culture, promoting the idea that you need to either earn or burn the food you’ll eat at Thanksgiving dinner. This idea sucks! And I don’t need to go into the reasons why it’s problematic and worth tossing out.
I should maybe tell you now that I’ve never done a Turkey Trot. I probably never will. I hate getting up early (I pre-scheduled this 5:00am email, obviously). I’m not really into running.
But also!!! If you’re someone who loves to run and enjoys a Turkey Trot tradition, I say…go ahead? It truly doesn’t have to be that big of a deal. You’re probably going to hear some stupid calorie references and discussions of “overindulging.” It’s going to be annoying. You can ignore it and go for a little family jog anyway. Or (my personal fave) a little family walk after dinner. Or (when my introverted, borderline–highly-sensitive self is completely exhausted) a little solo walk after dinner. And if a family member is making annoying diety comments at you,
has some excellent suggestions for how to respond (so do her readers, in the comments):
And furthermore: I feel like it’s almost become taboo to say things like this, but sometimes when we eat a bigger meal than we’re used to, we feel physically uncomfortable: bloated, gassy, headachey, fatigued. Movement, like a walk, can help! This is truly not about repenting for “bad” behavior — food (especially lovely, celebratory holiday food) serves many purposes beyond just fueling your body (the piece linked here from
is worth a close read today, btw), one meal out of the year isn’t going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for you healthwise, and of course health is morally neutral so the idea that eating a delicious meal is “bad” is ludicrous. I’m talking about noticing how your body feels while you’re eating and after you eat, and using a pleasant and healthy tool (just walking!) to help yourself feel a little better if you need to. I am not a dietitian or an intuitive eating expert, but based on what I’ve read, this is a pretty intuitive eating–aligned approach (anti-diet RDs, I’d love to hear what you think!). Research backs up the benefits too (another weight loss/calorie-burn content warning for this link; it’s a minefield out there). Postprandial walks can help:Improve symptoms of gas and bloating (we’ve all seen the fart walk thing, right?)
Prevent major blood sugar spikes
Regulate blood pressure
YOU DON’T HAVE TO, okay? You really do not! If you’d rather take a nap, or have another helping of pie, or watch a terrible Hallmark Christmas movie on the couch, that all sounds truly amazing. (You can also do both!) If you hate taking walks, can’t walk, or it’s not really safe to walk in your area, I get it. If the idea of exercising after you eat feels unhealthy to you mentally or emotionally, that’s also a great reason not to, especially if you’ve dealt or are still dealing with a disordered relationship with food or exercise — this holiday is fraught; take good care. It’s also possible that you simply do not have the chance: You’re overloaded with caregiving responsibility or family stress or other personal burdens, and it doesn’t feel possible to take any time for yourself during the chaos of the holiday. And maybe this all sounds really nice to have the luxury to even worry about, because for one reason or another you aren’t part of a big family event this Thanksgiving. I’m thinking of all of you, too, and hope you find a moment of comfort and joy this season despite it all.
Anyway. This take brought to you by noticing that I was bracing myself for toxic Thanksgiving repentance messaging and simultaneously preparing to be sort of frustrated by the counter-programming throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Let’s take what works for us, ignore the nonsense, and make choices that support our own wellbeing to the extent possible. Yeah?
Happy Thanksgiving 🥴
xo
Anna
PS: If Thanksgiving is hard for you and if this stuff is feeling really triggering, please seek help from a qualified professional. MEDA has a list of free support services here. Christy Harrison has a great list of experts (anti-diet/HAES-informed RDs, therapists, and doctors) on her website here.
Oh, a couple more things:
First: My Thanksgiving gift to you is the gift of delicious culinary knowledge: Did you know you can put a mound of leftover stuffing on a waffle iron?!?! I call it a stuffle, and it’s quite possibly my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten. (I just googled it and realized I didn’t actually invent this, but I swear I had never heard of the concept when I was inspired to try it a few years ago after acquiring a waffle iron.)
I recommend heating the stuffing a little bit in a microwave first, and spraying it a tiny bit with cooking spray before waffling it. While it’s crisping up on the waffle iron, reheat some leftover gravy and turkey, and then plop it all on top when the stuffle is done. If you’re feeling really wild, add a little plop of cranberry sauce for sweetness and acidity. Knife and fork it and feel simply amazing about your excellent choice to follow my advice.
And: I finally started a public Instagram! My personal Instagram is a lot of kid photos and ranting about systemic racism in our public school system and I don’t really accept follows from people I don’t know (apologies if you’ve tried and I haven’t accepted you and that felt really rude, it’s not personal!); but now you can find me on Instagram at @_howtomove. My main focus is to pour energy and creativity into this newsletter — not Instagram — but I will post there as time allows.
Finally: ICYMI, I am running a little holiday sale on annual subscriptions! More info here.