Yes, you will overeat on Thanksgiving. That is a given. Own it. Flaunt it.

How, you ask? Well, we here at ActiveForever encourage creativity and originality in personal expression; but if you want our suggestion, we personally prefer to walk around the dinner table waving a piece of pumpkin pie in our hands, perhaps with crumbs and a dollop of whip cream on our faces, screaming “Wooooo-hooooo!”

We found this super easy, super healthy, super crust-less pumpkin pie from HealthyRepicesblog.com. Perfect for waving. Click for the recipe!

Not only are we pretty sure this type of gluttonous showmanship is the whole point of the food-centric holiday, but considering the stress woven into the fabric of it all, it’s no wonder we eat ourselves to comfort. By the time we can finally settle down we find ourselves face-to-face with the annual menagerie of delectable dishes as they purr every so sinfully in our ears, “Hello lover.”

Oh behave.

In the midst of the madness however, it’s crucial that we stop and give thanks.

Yes, we all have our crosses to bear, but we firmly believe that we all have wonderful gifts to be thankful for. This holiday is the one day of the year where we have the opportunity to be with friends and family and bask in the glow of how lucky we truly are.

In order to really be able to relax and have the peace of mind to do this, we must plan ahead. Yes, that’s right, and this weekend is the time to do just that.

Here at ActiveForever, we promote health. Stress is bad for you so it’s always beneficial to avoid it. The most effective way to do this is to take care of things ahead of time.

Here are some tips:

1. If you are having guests over, get the deep cleaning over with this weekend, so by the time the big day approaches all you have to do is tidy up.

2. If your big chore is cooking or baking, sit down this weekend and make a carefully planned shopping list. Get all of the ingredients on Saturday. When you get home, group them in bags according to the dish they will go toward preparing. Then store them as such in your fridge or pantry so you aren’t overwhelmed by all the extra food stuffs surrounding you.

On Sunday, bake or prepare whatever you can ahead of time.

3. If you are traveling, please do laundry and pack this weekend. Before you do this, try on the clothes you plan to wear. On this we must insist. There is nothing worse than realizing at the last minute, your desired outfit no longer fits, is gone, or has been eaten through by moths.

Bonus points if you take a weekend portion of your toiletries and skin care products and pack them away as well.

Above all, remember what the holiday is for and also that it comes around every year. So even if all doesn’t go as perfectly as planned, (and it most likely won’t) just remember that in the blink of an eye you’ll get the chance to do it again.

And for that, you can give thanks.