A Workout Before The Turkey Dinner

You might be feeling guilty after eating plates full of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.  The average American eats around 3,000 calories during a Thanksgiving meal.  That's around 1,000 more than most people should eat in an entire day.

Take a look at how it breaks down.  Six ounces of turkey with the skin is around 340 calories. One-half cup of stuffing contains around 180 calories. And if you ate a half-cup of mashed potatoes with gravy, that added up to 300 calories.

The numbers don't have to keep you from enjoying the meal.  A group of local women woke up early Thursday to make sure it doesn't affect their waistlines.

"The highest today was 186," class participant Tiffany Kruger said.

Kruger got her heart rate going. She knows just how many calories are in an average Thanksgiving meal.

"Very guilty," Kruger said.

While the group got up early to get in a pre-turkey workout, that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to eat everything in sight either. In fact, participants say working out will help them eat less because they know more about how hard it is burn off those calories.

"The total for an hour was almost 600 calories," Kruger said.

"Plus it just gives you this really big energy boost," Ur Fit Journey Owner Stacey Niewenhuis said.

Niewenhuis says the PreTurkey TRX Class not only helps participants' physical health but also mental health.

"When it's a busy day full of family and friends, it was nice to have this little bit of time for themselves this morning," Niewenhuis said.

It's time Niewenhuis tried to make worthwhile by working every muscle in the body, along with using interval training, which is proven to burn more calories.

"What that does is you continue to burn calories well after you leave the class as well," Niewenhuis said.

But Niewenhuis says if you don't have time to make it to a class, don't sweat too much. You can still work physical activity into your Thanksgiving weekend routine.

"Bring your walking shoes with you wherever you're going to go today. There's no reason you can't step outside and grab family or a friend even if it just means going on a walk in the neighborhood," Niewenhuis said.

But for Kruger it was a priority to make it to this PreTurkey workout on a day when she's thankful for her health.

If you're looking for a workout after all the turkey, UR Fit Journey will have a Post Turkey Challenge Friday at 9 a.m.  Many other gyms are also back open for Black Friday.