Thanksgiving has a way of bringing us back to the things that matter most. The familiar aromas coming from the kitchen, the sound of family and friends gathering together, the traditions we look forward to year after year, and, of course, the beautiful meal that seems to take center stage.
But when you think about Thanksgiving, how much of the day do you remember because of the food? How much do you remember of the people and the moments surrounding it?
As someone who believes that wellness is about so much more than exercise and nutrition, I think Thanksgiving gives us a wonderful opportunity to pause and remember that our health is connected to how we live our lives, how we spend our time, and how we care for ourselves and one another.
Food is certainly part of the celebration. It should be. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without some of those favorite dishes that may only appear once a year. But the meal is only one piece of the picture.
There is also the conversation around the table. The laughter that comes from telling the same family stories you’ve heard a hundred times. The traditions passed down from one generation to another. The phone call to someone who can’t be there. The hug from a family member you haven’t seen in months. The quiet moment when you realize just how much you have to be grateful for.
Those are the moments that nourish us in ways that have nothing to do with what’s on our plate.
Make Movement Part of the Celebration
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean spending the entire day sitting around.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy a holiday is to get some movement in before the day gets busy. For years, my family would participate in the local 5k or Turkey Trot. We made it a family affair, and it was mandatory that everyone participate, regardless of age. Most of us just walked the entire way, pushing the stroller or holding the dog’s leash. The goal was to finish, not to win.
More recently, we have started Thanksgiving Day with a fun game of kickball. By 9 am everyone meets down at the local park. We chose team captains and then assigned everyone to a team. If you’re too young to hit or run the bases, you get assigned an adult to hit for you and carry you around the bases. No excuses, everyone plays. It’s a way to teach kids at an early age that the holiday is more than just eating.
Sometimes we make wellness far more complicated than it needs to be. A holiday is a perfect reminder that movement can simply be part of living. It could be a walk outside, a little stretching, or simply getting up and moving around the house while preparing for the day. It doesn’t have to be a workout, and it certainly shouldn’t be viewed as a way to “earn” Thanksgiving dinner.
Give Yourself Permission to Be Present
We live in a world where it is incredibly easy to be physically present while our minds are somewhere else. We constantly check our phones, respond to messages, take pictures, think about tomorrow, or worry about everything that still needs to be done.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to put some of that aside.
Look around the table. Listen to the stories. Ask questions. Really listen to the answers. Enjoy the people who have gathered together.
We don’t always know how many more opportunities we’ll have to sit around that particular table with those particular people. This year, you may look around the table and notice that someone is no longer present. That thought alone can change the way we experience a holiday.
Being present is also a form of wellness. We often talk about taking care of our bodies, but taking care of our minds and our emotional well-being matters just as much. Sometimes what we need most isn’t another task on our wellness checklist. Sometimes we simply need to slow down and appreciate where we are.
Gratitude Changes the Way We See the Day
Thanksgiving naturally encourages us to think about gratitude, but I believe gratitude is something we can practice every day, not just once a year.
That doesn’t mean life is always perfect. It isn’t. We all experience disappointment, loss, stress, uncertainty, and difficult seasons. Gratitude doesn’t erase those things.
Instead, it can help us notice that even during difficult times, there may still be something worth appreciating.
Maybe it’s your health. Maybe it’s your family. Maybe it’s a friend who has been there for you. Maybe it’s being able to walk outside and feel the sunshine on your face. Maybe it’s simply waking up another morning and having the chance to make the most of your day.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate these simple things more and more. We can spend so much time waiting for the next milestone, the next vacation, the next achievement, or the next chapter that we forget to appreciate the chapter we’re living right now. I’m guilty of that, remembering all the years I was obsessed with my next competition and didn’t appreciate the one I’d just completed.
Thanksgiving gives us permission to stop and notice it.
Wellness Doesn’t Take a Holiday
Another lesson I think is important during Thanksgiving: taking care of yourself doesn’t have to stop because it’s a holiday.
At the same time, wellness shouldn’t become another source of stress.
You don’t need to spend Thanksgiving counting every bite, worrying about whether you’ve eaten perfectly, or feeling like one meal has somehow undone months of healthy choices. One day does not define your health.
Instead, think about the bigger picture.
Eat the foods you enjoy. Sit down and savor them. Drink some water. Move your body. Get some sleep. Spend time with people who make you happy. Step outside. Laugh. Take a breath. Be grateful. Then, when the holiday is over, return to the habits that make you feel your best.
That’s what sustainable wellness looks like to me. It’s focusing on consistency, not perfection. It’s learning how to care for yourself while still enjoying your life.
What Will You Remember?
Years from now, I doubt most of us will remember exactly how many servings of stuffing we had or whether we chose the pumpkin pie or the apple pie.
What we may remember is who was sitting beside us.
We may remember the laughter.
We may remember the walk we took after dinner, the story Grandma told for the tenth time, the child who insisted on helping make dessert, or the quiet conversation we had with someone we hadn’t seen in far too long or is no longer with us.
Those are the things that become memories.
So, this Thanksgiving, enjoy the meal. Enjoy the traditions. Enjoy the dessert. But don’t let the plate become the entire celebration. Look beyond it.
Move a little. Laugh a lot. Put the phone down. Spend time with the people you love. Take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come and the people who have helped you along the way.
Most importantly, remember that wellness isn’t just about how we eat or how often we exercise. It’s about creating a life that supports our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
Sometimes, the healthiest thing we can do is slow down long enough to recognize how much we have to be thankful for.
This Thanksgiving, don’t just fill your plate.
Fill your day with gratitude, connection, movement, and moments you’ll remember long after the dishes are gone.
