My grandmother passed away of a heart attack in 2004. She was 64.
My mother passed away in 2011… of a heart attack. She was 55.
I was 25 at the time and totally heartbroken. After the initial shock, if there is such a thing, I made the decision to change my diet and my lifestyle. I became a pescatarian, an on-and-off vegetarian and a consistent gym rat. My thought process? Simple….“I don’t want an early grave.”
I figured I could pray all day that heart disease stops in my family but without doing my part—living a healthy life—those prayers run the risk of being null and void. So, I changed!
But I can’t say that my family had the same motivation.
So, my cousin and I took it upon ourselves to at least get the family moving on the holidays! We started a Thanksgiving Family Workout! Every Thanksgiving morning we get up, head to a nearby track, and knock out a workout built for the entire family. There is something for the kids, something for the ever-growing teenagers, and even something for the seniors. A true cross-generational family workout!
Not only does it give us quality time spent doing something active, but it makes us all feel less guilty after consuming the UNGODLY amount of food we do in the hours to follow. This tradition has quickly become a highlight for my family and I wanted to share it with you!
Will your family get active with mine this Thanksgiving?
If so, get your workout in, snap a pic, and post it on social media using the hashtag #ThanksgivingWorkoutChallenge. Tag me too so I can share!
If this challenge inspires just 10 families to get active this Thanksgiving, I’d be ecstatic!
P.S. I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a brief workout for you just in case you don’t know where to start. No equipment needed. Download here.
