How to Stay Healthy on Thanksgiving, Stretchy Pants and All

Adapted from article originally published in the November 2026 issue of Shawnee Outlook

Sure, Thanksgiving is the unofficial holiday of stretchy pants and second helpings. But look a little closer, and it's secretly one of the most good-for-you days on the calendar.

Think about it. It’s a whole day built around good food, gratitude, and being together. Families squeeze into one too-small kitchen. Neighbors show up with casseroles still warm under the foil. More vegetables than usual somehow find their way onto your plate, and somebody always suggests a walk after dinner. All in all, that’s a pretty good recipe for living a little longer.

At Pogo, we focus on five areas that shape how well we live in Pottawatomie County: nutrition and food access, built environment, active lifestyle, social connection, and mental wellbeing. So in the spirit of the season, we’ve cooked up a sampler platter, with one easy way to sneak in a little wellbeing from each area this Thanksgiving.

1. Don't "save room"

NUTRITION & FOOD ACCESS

It's a Thanksgiving tradition almost as old as the turkey: skip breakfast so you can really go to town at dinner. It sounds like a solid game plan, but it often backfires to stuffing yourself past the point of enjoying it. Instead, start the day with a small, balanced breakfast with some protein — like eggs, Greek yogurt, or peanut butter — to keep you full until show time. That fuel will carry you through all the basting, mashing, and table-setting, and you'll actually taste the meal you spent all morning cooking. 

2. Go leaf peeping before the turkey

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

With pecan trees turning every shade of sunset and piles of the crunchiest leaves this side of the North Canadian, November in Pottawatomie County is a show-stopper. While the turkey’s in the oven, bundle up the family and go on a color hunt to see who can spot the most fall colors. Shawnee’s parks, trails, and sidewalks were made for great walking weather like this. Woodland Veterans Park and the new sidewalks along Independence and Center by KidSpace Park make great hunting grounds on foot, or bust out the bikes on Airport Trail or Bryan Street Trail. You can even make it a game for the kids. Whoever brings home the orangest leaf gets first pick of the pie. 

3. Start a turkey bowl tradition

ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

Why just watch football when you can play it? This year, save the couch-rotting for when the sun goes down and head to the backyard for a game of two-hand touch. Pit the grandkids against the grandparents, or the cousins against the in-laws. It gets everybody moving after the big meal, and the friendly trash talk is half the fun. Make it an annual tradition, complete with a trophy for the champs. Spray-paint an old turkey baster gold if you have to! Twenty years from now, nobody will remember the final score, but they’ll still be talking about the year Grandma picked off a pass in her church shoes.

4. Interview the oldest person at the table

SOCIAL CONNECTION

Every family has someone sitting on a goldmine of stories nobody's thought to ask about. This year, pull up a chair next to them, set your phone on the table, and hit record. Ask what Thanksgiving looked like when they were a kid. Ask how they met their sweetheart, what their first job was, or what Shawnee was like back then. You'll walk away with a recording you'll treasure someday, and they'll go home knowing somebody wanted to hear their take. And who knows? The kids' table might just find out Grandpa was a whole lot cooler than they thought.

5. Give yourself a brain break

MENTAL WELLBEING

Holidays are wonderful, but let's be honest: they can be a lot. Lots of noises, lots of choices, lots of shrieking kids and barking dogs. And there are somehow three more "gotta-be-heres" and holiday parties on the calendar before the weekend's out. So get ahead of the chaos and pencil in a ten-minute break for yourself. Step outside with a mug of coffee, take the scenic drive for more ice, or volunteer to walk the dog. (The dog could probably use a break too.) A few quiet minutes in the crisp fall air can reset your mood and refill your patience. You'll come back refreshed, and a much better sport when the kids beg for one more round of charades.

Now go fill your plate!

None of these take more than a few minutes, and not one of them asks you to give up a single bite of dressing. That's the whole point. It's the small, good-for-you choices that fit right into the life you're already living, food coma and all.

From all of us at Pogo, happy Thanksgiving. We're grateful for every one of you and the place we get to call home.