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By APOGEE’s Nutrition StaffYou probably have a Thanksgiving shopping list, travel itinerary, and a food preparation schedule. Do you have a Thanksgiving wellness plan, too? If you create a health and fitness strategy now, you’re more likely to emerge from this holiday week feeling energized and in control.

1.  Schedule time for your physical well-being. Whether it’s an exercise class, a walk with a friend, or 20 minutes on your mat at home, find a time each day to maintain your physical fitness habit during this holiday week. Maintaining a routine is easier than stopping and starting. (Check APOGEE’s holiday hours at our White Plains and Bedford Hills locations.)

2.  List the special foods you’d like to indulge in. Nothing says Thanksgiving like a helping of—you name it! Perhaps it’s stuffing, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie. If you have preferred dishes, then make a plan to skip the foods that are not your favorites. If you’re a guest, scan the table or buffet before you begin to make your choices. Choosing what is special will help you enjoy the meal without overindulging.

3.  Make a drink plan, too. The calories in alcoholic beverages add up quickly. Decide ahead of time what you will drink and how much. Be certain you have a water glass handy—and full.

4.  Picture healthful portions. Visualize a plate with space between normal-sized portions of the Thanksgiving foods you love. Picture yourself savoring the flavors and textures you look forward to. Then imagine yourself feeling comfortably full afterwards. Visualizing what you want will help you achieve it.

5.  Bring in some healthful options. Have vegetables and fruit on hand so everyone has healthful options to munch on; bring them as a hostess gift if you need to. Include plenty of non-caloric drinks such as water.

6.  Make friends, family and gratitude the focus of the day. Yes, the food brings us together, but it’s the people around the table—and the gratitude you express—that make the day meaningful.

Learn more about healthful eating at APOGEE’s Nourish Basics workshops.

Here comes Thanksgiving, with its mega-portions of planning, shopping, chopping and travel mixed with heaping helpings of friends and family. A wonderful holiday, but handling everything—and everyone—can be stressful, too. There are ways to dial down the stress levels: Physical exercise is one. Remembering happy events is another—specifically, keeping a gratitude journal. Writing just a sentence or two about what you are grateful for is proven to boost your mood and outlook—and could even help you fight off colds and flu.

The health benefits of expressing thanks have been studied extensively. “Research confirms what many spiritual traditions tell us: regularly expressing gratitude increases well-being,” says APOGEE’s integrative health advisor, Woodson Merrell, M.D. As an integrative doctor, Merrell considers the emotional, spiritual, dietary, environmental, and lifestyle influences that can affect health and healing. “A sense of well-being has been found to positively affect good health and immune function,” says Merrell. “Well-being enhances the release of antibodies responsible for fighting off viruses and improves important markers of cardiovascular health.”

The key is to identify and write down one thing you’re thankful for, whether it’s the fact that a grocery store clerk was helpful, your brother has offered to bring dessert to Thanksgiving or just the fact that the sun is shining and warm. Write your gratitude statements anytime and anywhere that’s convenient: on the back of your shopping list, or in your calendar or send them to yourself via e-mail. It’s best if you don’t analyze why you’re thankful—just acknowledge it.

We’re thankful for this opportunity to spread the word about simple actions that can make people feel good. We’ll post more messages about the healing power of gratitude this week. Feel free to write your gratitude statements as comments on this blog or Facebook page, or via Twitter.

Learn more ways to turn on the calm in your life in our Unwind workshops, starting in January 2011.