Post-Thanksgiving Dinner workouts

ByWendy Daughenbaugh WPVI logo

Monday, November 9, 2020

From cycling classes to trail runs, if you're looking to shed those extra pounds from your second plate, we have workouts -- both indoor and outdoor -- to help you recover from Thanksgiving.

Fall is a beautiful time to hit trails. In Delaware County, Tyler Arboretum has 17 miles of trails open to the public 362 days a year. There are seven trails of varying difficulties.

In Philadelphia, Fairmount Park has been hugely popular during the pandemic, but there are some paths less-traveled.

We checked out the Boxers' Trail, named because it's a favorite for the city's boxing legends, including Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins. Speaking of legends, legend holds that when Muhammed Ali wanted to challenge Joe Frazier to a fight, he went to the Boxers' Trail because he knew he could find Frazier there.

The Fairmount Park Conservancy is also restoring the 4.5-mile Trolley Trail, so named for the trolley that used to carry recreational guests through West Fairmount Park. You can still see remnants of the trolley tracks and tunnels.

The grounds around the Horticultural Center are also a beautiful place to hike or jog. There are specimen trees, gardens and sculptures, the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden is there and so is Lansdowne Glen, a newly restored mile-long hiking loop that will take you around the glen and up into an art installation treehouse overlooking it.

For cycling enthusiasts, Balance Chestnut Hill is holding classes Saturday mornings inside a barn in Blue Bell. Balance is doing small in-studio sessions plus taking it outside, holding workouts at a nearby track and even in people's backyards.

Every week, the studio creates a scavenger hunt. You're guided by a poem on a 3-4-mile trek around the neighborhood with various fitness challenges along the way. It's a great way to feel like you're part of a team again.