5 Healthy Activities to Enjoy After Thanksgiving Day With Your Chosen Family
Thanksgiving Day is the most hyped up meal in American history, but what to do in the days that follow are up for interpretation. While time honored traditions like relaxing after a big meal or knocking out holiday shopping on Black Friday Weekend are indeed glorious, we’re inclined to believe that gathering doesn’t have to start and end once Thanksgiving Day Weekend is complete.
That’s why if you’re searching for healthy activities in the New York City area with strangers that will soon become your chosen family, here’s five ideas to get you started:
5. Join a run club
Want to work up to a marathon or just navigate your neighborhood faster? Run clubs are worth reviewing. Photo: NYRR
Running along the waterfront parks of New York City at your own pace is a perfectly healthy way to enjoy some alone time. But if you’re open to running alongside others or need motivation to reach your lifelong dream of running a marathon, signing up for a run club can be incredibly powerful. New York Road Runners has a directory of run clubs - many of which are free to join - that will have you making new friends while finding a new appreciation for how far your own feet can take you.
4. Join BetterPlayer’s Holiday Season of Soccer Practices
BetterPlayer’s holiday season programs and individual classes are now available. Photo: BetterPlayer
If you want to learn soccer basics - or fine tune your skillset if you’ve been playing for awhile - BetterPlayer’s certified coaches are about to kickoff their holiday season of practices starting this Friday November 29th at Battery Park City. With practices available across NYC for every skill level and position, you can complete an entire mini season before Christmas Day.
3. Embark on a scavenger hunt at an iconic NYC location
Scavenger hunt at Grand Central? All aboard! Photo: Uwe Conrad
Getting in some steps while discovering random facts about NYC is the physical and mental challenge most of us could use when the cold of winter tries to keep us down. Companies like Watson Adventures host public scavenger hunts at well known New York locations like The Met and Grand Central Station. If you’ve ever wanted to try out for The Amazing Race, this would make for a great warm up.
2. Take a comedy class
The Comedy Cellar is our top pick for comedy inspiration in NYC Photo: Kevin Snow
Don’t let those funny voices fool you, stand up and improv comedy is physically demanding and one of the best ways to connect with humorous human beings. The Comedy Cellar, Upright Citizens Brigade, The Magnet Theatre, and The Second City are just a few of schools of comedy you’ll find in the Big Apple, with each providing a unique opportunity for training - as well as connecting with those performerswho one day might form a traveling comedy troupe or stand up act with you!
1. Meet your chosen family by registering for a a co-ed recreational sports league
Team photos: a NYC Footy tradition that captures the social power of sport so perfectly.
Joining an organized recreational sports league like NYC Footy or Sandlot Sports as an adult shouldn’t be scary, but we know there can be some social awkwardness when trying something new. Take it from us, without a little risk, the reward doesn’t feel as grand. That’s we’re encouraging everyone who has come this far to find a rec league that speaks to your playing and personality needs. Registering because of a shared love of sports is how most rec league dynasties form, yet the greatest takeaway we typically hear is how valuable team sports has been for players in their personal lives off the pitch.