Staying Healthy Around Halloween

Holidays are a tough time for people on a steady diet and it seems to start with Halloween. It’s a slippery slope when you hit the candy on Halloween and then you continue to sabotage all your hard work this past year. Don’t let Halloween trigger you into a downward spiral. The most important way to survive without going too far off the rails is to plan-ahead, snack on a bite size pieces to avoid the binge, add some extra cardio to your workout throughout the week and drink a lot of water.

Keep Candy Away

Try to put off buying your Halloween candy as long as possible so it doesn’t linger around and make it easy to snack on those treats. If you have to buy the candy earlier, hide it away or put it deep in the cabinet, keep it out of your sight and really stay motivated. Once you get to the actual date, it’s important not to deprive yourself, allow yourself to have some treats, but in a controllable fashion. Another thing to think about when buying the candy, is what kind and size. Some people recommend buying large candy bars, because not only do the kids love it, it helps you eat less. When you have a lot of small, fun size candy, it encourages quicker eating and binge eating and can actually add up quicker than if you just ate a couple bigger candy bars.

Candy Alternatives

There’s always that one house that hands out apples or nuts and the kids never want to go back there, you don’t have to be them but you don’t have to hand out candy. A lot of houses hand out toys, like slinkys, yoyos, or bouncy balls and that is a fun idea to not only shake things up from the usual candy, but it also gets them active at the same time. This will also be a huge benefit for you as well because it keeps candy out of your house and away from your diet.

Going Out

If the move for you is to go out on the town or to a party instead of staying inside and handing out candy, there are still a few things you can do to stay as healthy as possible. Make sure to have a full healthy meal, that will discourage from snacking and maybe drinking too much while you are out. Get a full meal with some protein and carbs and that should help you get through the night without eating too poorly. Drink a lot of water. Water fills you up and you will eat less while out. Make sure you stay hydrated the entire day before as well. Especially for the adult beverages you may consume, you want to stay hydrated all day because it will make you feel fuller.

Add 5-10 Minutes of Extra Cardio to your Workout All Week

Add some extra cardio to your workout during Halloween week so you can off-set any of those extra calories. Go for an extra long walk, stay on your exercise bike or treadmill just a little longer than usual. You’ll feel better and it will help you stay on track.

The most important thing for this Halloween holiday is to avoid the empty calories and to not sway too far off you diet. It’s always ok to have a snack and have some fun, but if you can do that and stay close to your diet, it is sure to be a great holiday!