Ate Too Much at Thanksgiving Dinner? Do These 3 Exercises!

Friday, 11/18/2011 at 11:27:41 AM

Eat too much at Thanksgiving dinner? Yep, it's almost impossible not to with all those tasty foods. But instead of plopping down on the couch to watch football or take a nap to recover, do the below activities. All three will help with digestion, so that you feel more like yourself. Plus, you'll burn some of those Thanksgiving calories off!

3 Exercises That Help With Digestion After Thanksgiving Dinner

1. Do some yoga. According to Tamal Dodge, star of the “Element: Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners” DVD kit, there are two easy yoga poses you can do to help with digestion and increase your energy levels. First is Easy Pose or Sukasana where you start seated with your legs crossed. "Place your hand on the knees and draw in the stomach and lift the chest, rolling the shoulders back and down close the eyes for one to two minutes," Dodge says.

The second? Anuloma Viloma alternate nasal breathing. Dodge says to start seated in Sukasana. Then place your left hand on your left knee, and take your right hand and open your right palm. With the right palm open, pull down the right index and middle finger. Take your right thumb and close your right nostril, as you take a big inhale through your left open nostril. Once you reach the top of the inhale, close the left nostril with your ring and pinky finger so that both nostrils are shut. Pause briefly, and then move the right thumb off the right nostril and exhale out of the right nostril. Keep the right nostril open and inhale through the right nostril. At the top of the inhale, close the right nostril with the thumb and pause. Exhale out of the left nostril and inhale through the left nostril. Then close it and exhale out of the right.

"Keep going like this, inhaling and exhaling out of the each nostril for one minute. Repeat two to three times," she says.

2. Go for a walk. One easy way to get your Thanksgiving dinner digesting better is to do some easy low-impact cardio. Whether it's a quick jaunt around the block or a longer one, a walk is good for the whole family, so make it a post-Thanksgiving dinner tradition!

"You want to take your family for a long walk after the Thanksgiving meal to get your body and digestion going and to avoid everyone falls asleep on the couch at the same time," says Ariane Hundt, a New York City-based personal trainer, nutritionist and founder of the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp.

3. Hula Hoop. Hula hooping might seem extraordinarily silly as a form of exercise, but it’s actually one of the best ways to tone your abdominals and get a full cardiovascular workout. And after a big meal, it will pull you out of your Thanksgiving lethargy and even aid with digestion, says Bianca Jade, fitness trend expert and editor in chief of MizzFIT.com.

"When you are repetitively moving your hips and abdomen while hula hooping, the movement stirs up and massages your internal organs to reduce discomfort and help you go to the bathroom more easily. Sometimes that 'stuffed' feeling is intestinal blockage, but 30 minutes of pelvic rotations can surely take care of that!" Jade says.

Do you get moving after you eat your Thanksgiving meal? What's your favorite type of exercise?

Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications.