Nov. 21, 2018

This paid piece is sponsored by GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

It’s possible: A massive meal and a workout can co-exist.

In fact, it’s relatively easy to fit in fitness this holiday weekend if you’re a member of GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

And if you’ve got family in town for the weekend, a $10 weeklong pass gets them access to all GreatLIFE gyms and classes.

We sat down with director of fitness Nick Ovenden for some last-minute fitness tips.

OK, so what about before the meal? Does it make any sense to work out Thanksgiving morning? And if so, what do you suggest?

I would suggest working out for sure. Your body becomes more insulin-sensitive, so it can handle sugars better. Ideally, if you can work out within two hours prior to eating your meal, your body can handle all the sugars you’ll probably have better.

If you can do a nice mix of strength training and cardio, that would probably be ideal.

At Woodlake, there are two 7:30 a.m. classes and two 9 a.m. classes. At Performance Center, there’s an 8:30 a.m. class and a 10 a.m. class. There’s also an hourlong Thanksgiving boot camp event there at 8 a.m. It’s $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. It will be held on the basketball court with eight to 10 stations, each lasting about 40 seconds. You’ll work your upper body, lower body and core. You do what you can in that amount of time, so it can accommodate all fitness levels, and there will be beginner and advanced versions of each station. Bring a clothing item for the clothing drive, and it’s free. We’re looking for lightly used athletic apparel and shoes.

And our child care is open at both places until 1 p.m. when both close, so bring the kids with you to burn off some pre-meal energy.

And enjoy yourselves. Don’t feel bad about the food. Worry about it later. But make smart choices, and maybe do water instead of all the wine.

So how would you describe the typical GreatLIFE fitness center late afternoon or into the evening Thanksgiving Day? Are there some dedicated members in there? And what sort of activity might be best after a large meal like that?

All our 24-hour facilities are still open. Thanksgiving morning is always really busy for us, but there will still be people working out throughout the day.

If you’re really lethargic, don’t kill yourself trying to burn off every single thing. An easy workout is to jump on a treadmill and do an incline workout, so you’re not running with turkey bouncing around in you. I tell people to start at zero and go up every minute until you hit 15, and go down every minute until you’re done so it works different heart rate zones with lower intensity to burn more of the fats you’ve been taking in.

Assuming you aren’t counting shopping for calorie burning over the weekend, are there any ways to change up your workout for the holiday weekend for some new ways to burn off the leftovers?

Hit up any of our classes, especially if you have people in town. We’ll have everything from yoga to high intensity, low impact and strength training.

And on Black Friday, we’re offering 30 percent off GreatLIFE apparel at all our shops. If you want to get back into healthy snacking after the big meal, we’ve got a deal on Be Right Bites too. They’re offering buy two packs, get one free at Performance Center and Woodlake for the first 50 customers at each. And they’re a good way to get a sweet fix in a healthy way.

We also find members tend to like trying out different gyms to change up their workouts. Your membership includes any of our gyms. Some new things to try include our expanded fitness center at 26th Street and Marion Road, and some new equipment at Woodlake, including a Concept2 SkiErg, which a lot of people have been requesting.

Been thinking about joining GreatLIFE? It’s the perfect time of year to balance out your holiday indulgences! Enjoy $0 down, no enrollment fee and no payment until January.

Here’s a look at everything your membership includes!