This is one of my favorite times of the year and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. Despite what most people think about personal trainers, I eat a ton on that day, and I’ll eat whatever and then I’ll go back for seconds or thirds. You’ve got to fight me alive for the desserts too as well. So don’t just think that because I’m healthy and fit is I don’t indulge just like everybody else. It’s those other times that you don’t really see me eating clean and healthy that are really boring.
Side note, that being said, happy Thanksgiving. This is a time of year when we can spell with family, with friends and just express our gratitude. But the power of gratitude should be done every day, all day, every day, all throughout the year. There’s science behind a lot of the benefits from that too as well, especially from a health and fitness perspective.
Let’s talk about health for a second. The power of gratitude. It’s great for our brains. There’s a research study that shows when we practice gratitude and we’re thankful for something or we think somebody, our brain releases a hit a dopamine and we get a natural high. Who doesn’t want that?
The other thing it does, it helps to decrease pain. In a study called County Blessing Versus Burdens, ill patients that practice a gratitude study, 16% they reported a reduced a reduction in their symptoms and 10% in reduction in the pain. That’s profound. No drugs needed. Also, gratitude helps with better sleep, which then leads to reduced anxiety. A study in 2005 showed that a reduction in depression and stress, 30% of the clients that practice a gratitude journal reduce their stress and their depression. Profound. Again, no medication needed. Practice gratitude.
It also helps us with our immune system. I mean, food is like medicine, but at the end of the day, so is gratitude. So I would implore you, please, if you don’t practice gratitude on a daily basis, make it part of your routine. As simple as just taking a couple of notes or just taking a moment and thinking about what and who you’re truly grateful for. And by the way, I’m grateful for you. If you’ve taken the time out to watch this video, I truly appreciate it. So think about somebody around this holiday that maybe you haven’t reached out to in awhile, and you want to thank them for being just a part of your life. And then big things, small things, I mean, thankful that we’re all alive. The gift of life is just amazing and we often take it for granted until it’s too late. So don’t let it be too late. Reach out to those loved ones or somebody that you’ve maybe been estranged with and say thank you. And practice gratitude daily because it’s amazing. Take care.
All right. No, I’m just kidding. All right, we good?
Happy Thanksgiving. This is one of the favorite, my … We’ll cut that, we’ll come back to that.
Hey, real quick, before you sit down for that Turkey dinner, I want you to know about our Holiday Survival Guide. Now most people will gain, research shows, anywhere between, I don’t know, seven to 10 pounds over the holiday season. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but we’ll go with that. But here’s how you can navigate those waters without gaining the unwanted pounds over the holidays. Look, this guide is chockfull of tips and tricks on how to survive the holidays without packing on the pounds.
There’s awesome recipes in here too, as well, both traditional and the healthier version. So if you’re interested, you can download it somewhere on this page. If you know of anybody else who might benefit from it. Sharing is caring, please pass it around. It’s our gift to you at this holiday season. I hope you and your loved ones have an amazing Thanksgiving Day. Follow the survival guide, not during the Turkey dinner. That’s a free for all, but get right back into it. Until next time, this is Jeff of MaxStrength Fitness. Happy holidays. Take care.