Jill's Journal: Apparently, I'm an over-achiever

It’s that time of year where many of us throw caution to the wind and simply enjoy the bountiful feasts and trays of goodies that come with the holiday season. And, it all started last week on Thanksgiving. I, like many of you, may have loaded up more on my dinner plate than normal. After all, the family Thanksgiving meal is one that I – and probably you, too – look forward to, along with the leftovers.

The day before ‘turkey day’ last week, a press release from KURU Footwear showed up in my email. The unexpected topic of the footwear company’s press release centered on the number of steps one would have to take to walk off calories from an average Thanksgiving meal. Let’s just say, I’d better get started walking and not stop for a very, very long time.

Five numbers made up the total number of steps one would need to take to walk off the calories of an average Thanksgiving meal. Are you ready for this? 76,397 steps.

Here’s a rundown of the Top 10 Thanksgiving dishes that take the most steps to walk off:

• Stuffing (7,958 steps): I like stuffing, so yep, that one was on my plate.

• Cranberry/Walnut Salad (7,801 steps): I don’t care for cranberries in most any form, but especially the gel kind, so I can ax 7,801 steps from my walk off calories list.

• Pumpkin Pie (7,241 steps): The two pumpkin pies that I baked were mighty delicious, if I must say so myself. And I had two pieces (and perhaps a few more in the days to follow), so that largely cancels out the calories I deleted with my distaste for the cranberries. If I’m being honest, a good 14,000 steps are needed to wear off those extra pieces of pie.

• Sweet Potato Casserole (6,187 steps): This particular entrée has never been a staple among our family’s buffet of Thanksgiving goodness, so I’m 6,187 steps to the good.

• Cheese Ball (5,515 steps): This one either.

• Mashed Potatoes (5,335 steps): You can bet I had a scoop of ‘tators on my plate. Guilty as charged.

• Cranberry Sauce (4,685 steps): Once again, this is a freebie for me.

• Roasted Turkey (4,259 steps): Well, of course, I couldn’t pass up the star of the show.

• Giblet Gravy (3,990 steps): What’s a Thanksgiving meal without the gravy? Dry.

• Crackers (3,968 steps): No cheese ball. No need for crackers. Enough said.

The report went on to say that the average Thanksgiving dinner may contain 2,408 calories alone. The more startling information they provided, is that’s 170 percent more than the recommended daily calorie intake.

Oh, boy.

Now we know why new gym memberships takes a steep hike (no pun intended) every January.

The ornament

has been hidden ...

Are you ready for some Christmastime fun? We’re sure hoping so at the BV Journal office. Once again, we’ve hidden a specially-made wooden ornament made by Tim Jorgenson’s high school intern, Tobin, at Splitrock Furniture, and engraved by Monte Albertson of Monte’s Woodshop. And what would our “Finding Brandon’s Christmas Spirit” ornament hunt be without a healthy package of prizes!

Our advertising rep, Carl, has been busy collecting prize donations from local merchants, and we are so thankful for their contributions to the prize package.

So, now that you’re done reading this, turn to page 18 for the first clue.

Happy holiday hunting!