Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

Thanksgiving is what you make it.

Make it stressful and tense, and you'll wind up with heartburn even worse than the natural gas you get from too much of Aunt Lil's fabulous chestnut-and-chicken-sausage stuffing.

Carve out a sweet and cozy celebration of gratitude and grace, and you'll give your spirit an uplifting dose of time-well-spent.

It's up to you. This is your Thanksgiving. Living a healthy lifestyle is all about making choices.

Here then, for your consideration:

Rogue Action No. 1 — This one sounds easy, and it is easy, but in some homes it will be considered a socialist act. As your guests arrive, ask them to please take off their shoes before they come into the house.

Say what? Be brave. This is what transformation looks like. Have a place for them to put their shoes and a supply of socks or slippers if you want to go all out.

When certain guests refuse — holes in their socks? Three hundred dollar over-the-knee boots? — just let it go. If anyone asks, you might tell them that taking your shoes off as you go from the outside space to the inside space is an ancient custom that involves shifting your focus, coming home, leaving the dust of the outside world behind, and entering a space of peace and harmony.

If you'd rather be shot in the foot than repeat such a soppy explanation, nod and smile, and give your guest a welcoming hug, or a fist bump, or an elbow tap, depending on how well everyone is feeling.

Rogue Action No. 2: Hand your guests a blank piece of paper and a writing implement (there is no App for this, yet), and ask them to list three things they are thankful for. You might do it anonymously. Include the thoughts of every child, even if the adults have to do the writing.

Place the papers in a jar, and sometime during the meal, stop the chewing and go around the table, reading aloud whatever's been written. Again, this may feel a little awkward at the start, but once it gets going, it will shift the emotions in the room by creating real conversation, real listening. What more can you ask for?

— Rogue Action No. 3: If you want your Thanksgiving to feel different, start your day in a fresh way.

Light a candle. Or sit in silence. Or treat yourself to an early morning walk. Wake up to the deeper meanings of the day: gratitude, love, acceptance and appreciation of family and friends.

Tell yourself that when negative emotions arise — and they will, as soon as Uncle Fred starts blathering on about the importance of sending more troops to Afghanistan — set your intention to be non-reactive. Accept the day as it unfolds. Whenever you hear a glass break, or a guest scream, breathe deeply and bring your awareness back to your early morning insights into what really matters.

— Rogue Action No. 4: This year, ban the Butterball. Thanksgiving is a symbolic meal, and your typical farm-factory turkey — loaded with chemicals, hormones and antibiotics that sap our strength and screw up our metabolism — represents all that is wrong with our American way of eating. To symbolize your own commitment to eating purer, healthier foods, ban all processed foods from your Thanksgiving table this year.

That's right, only real food allowed: fresh vegetables, wholesome grains, awesome side dishes of every sort. Go organic. Buy local. Chew slowly. Be satisfied with just a few bites of your favorite splurge dessert.

— Rogue Action No. 5: Do something charitable this Thanksgiving Day. I'm giving you a lot of leeway here. You can be kind to others, visit a sick friend, write a check to a favorite nonprofit, open your table to a stranger who has nowhere else to go. You can also be extra kind to yourself this day. No matter how busy you are, take a bit of time to do something physical and fun: Take a bike ride, dance to your favorite music, find a yoga class. Get the endorphins flowing early, and ride the wave all day.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O: AND KEEP IT LIGHT

"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." — Jon Stewart

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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