Good Morning and Happy Halloween Week!
Is everyone geared up for Halloween? My kids are piped up and ready to bring on the candy.
As you can imagine, this is not my favorite holiday. I am all for celebrating and having fun, but the sheer amount of candy that comes into our home is a wee bit crazy.
Halloween is practically synonymous with binging, either on candy or booze or both!
Now to help you have a Healthy Halloween and deal with candy overload, I want to share my:
5 Healthy Halloween Tips and Tricks
1) PROCRASTINATE– Purchase Halloween candy the day of “trick or treat” to avoid temptation. Buy less than what you think you need to avoid leftovers and buy candy that you do not like. This one works! If you still have candy leftover, promptly put it out of sight. Out of sight out of mind. Or choose to put out non-candy treats such as junk from the Dollar Store- bouncy balls, spider rings, pencils, bubbles or stickers. Dare to be the one who gives our fruit- apples and oranges : )
2) EAT BEFORE YOU TRICK OR TREAT– Serve a healthy family dinner before the fun begins, this way you and your kids will not be as tempted to eat candy along the way. I suggest eating something that include Protein, Fat and FIber. This combo will fill you up and slow down the sugar response in your body. My kids love stir-fry so I will be loading it up with protein + extra veggies and use a good fat (coconut oil) to cook with. Click here for a quick and easy stir-fry recipe.
3) OFFER FUN ALTERNATIVES- Get your kids involved in making healthy and fun alternatives to candy. The more I get my kids involved in choosing and making food the better they eat. Make Clementine Pumpkins and Banana Ghosts– Peel clementines or mandarin oranges, use a bit of green apple for the stem. For the ghosts, use regular chocolate chips or raisins for mouths and mini chocolate chips for eyes. So cute!
4) NEGOTIATION TRAINING- My kids are master negotiators. I swear we are going to have a family of lawyers in this house one day : ) Part of the fun of Halloween is coming home and dumping out the goods and sorting through all the candy. Then there is the candy swapping that goes on between my kids and even my hubby ( he loves Reeses Peanut Butter Cups). Then comes negotiation training. My kids and I set up a verbal contract of “when” and “how” much candy they can eat. We put all the other candy in a big bucket and send it off to work with hubby. In other words, get rid of all the leftovers ASAP. That way everyone has an understanding of what they “get” and there is no more temptation in the house. This can be used for YOU too. If candy is your THING, then I recommend enjoying a few pieces of your favorite candy to get it out of your system. Then pack the rest away and get it out of the house. Out of sight out of mind.
5) BE ACTIVE- The good news about Halloween is that the kids are so excited about “trick or treating” that they automatically are walking briskly to as many houses as possible. Being active is key. This is a great time to take in all the great decorations and traditions while having a long stroll around the neighborhood. I love to see the creative costumes and excitement in the kids eyes as they bounce from house to house. Be sure you make it to a Refinery Class on Halloween day. That will help keep you in check.
I also recommend adding in an extra 16 minute workout on Halloween day. That extra 16 minutes can ward off any weight gain that might occur by eating a piece or two of candy. To help you out, I have included my “No Excuses” 16 Minute Workout that you and the kids can do together. Click Bliss No Excuses Workout + 5 Tips for the Holidays to download the workout.
Have a safe and happy Halloween this week.
In Health and Happiness,
