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Healthy Tips For Thanksgiving

Kealey Bultena
/
SDPB

There's a reason they call it Turkey Day. People across South Dakota prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with bountiful meals, and some forget to count the calories. Ahead of the big day, a Sioux Falls fitness expert has a few tips for managing the food-focused holiday.

Thanksgiving Day is dedicated to being grateful – and eating. Longtime trainer Randy Hartz is one of the owners of Tryon Gym in Sioux Falls. He says people should eat normally Thursday to avoid over-indulging; that means a regular breakfast and healthy snacks. Hartz says people should choose more vegetables and meat instead of heavier carbs.

"Have some cheats in there, but, as long as they’re in there on purpose, you’re not going to have a problem with that," Hartz says. "We teach our clients, you need to have some cheat meals as treats each and every week. So we’ll just have our treat meal on Thursday at noon and everything else goes as planned."

Hartz recommends incorporating some level of physical activity into the typically sedentary holiday. He says even a short walk makes for a more healthful Thanksgiving.

Kealey Bultena grew up in South Dakota, where her grandparents took advantage of the state’s agriculture at nap time, tricking her into car rides to “go see cows.” Rarely did she stay awake long enough to see the livestock, but now she writes stories about the animals – and the legislature and education and much more. Kealey worked in television for four years while attending the University of South Dakota. She started interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting in September 2010 and accepted a position with television in 2011. Now Kealey is the radio news producer stationed in Sioux Falls. As a multi-media journalist, Kealey prides herself on the diversity of the stories she tells and the impact her work has on people across the state. Kealey is always searching for new ideas. Let her know of a great story! Find her on Facebook and twitter (@KealeySDPB).