Your Halloween Health, Examined
By Brandi Goodman
The Halloween season sees the start of binge-eating unhealthy treats and spending too much time in front of the TV watching holiday specials. To have a healthier Halloween, it's best to examine your habits and learn where you can make changes for the better. Keep these tips in mind to do so.
Skip the Candy Aisle
Make sure you're skipping the candy aisle when you go to the store. It can be incredibly tempting to pick up those peanut butter cups and other Halloween candy you see so heavily advertised. However, all the sugar will only lead to further cravings, making you want to buy even more. Skip the candy aisle altogether and opt for some more nutritional treats.
Find Non-Food Items to Pass Out
Passing out Halloween candy may be a common tradition, but if you have a sweet tooth yourself, it may be best to avoid it. Find non-food items to pass out to trick-or-treaters instead so you take the temptation away. Halloween stickers, pencils, stencils, tattoos, and more can make up your pass-out bucket instead of candy.
Exercise While You Watch TV
Television viewing throughout the holidays is up considerably from summer. It's fine to watch a Halloween movie, but if you're going to be seeing more than one, it's wise to add exercise to your viewing habits as well. Set up a treadmill, exercise bike, or other gym equipment in your living room so you can work out while you watch and avoid becoming a couch potato.
Walk on Halloween Night
If you're a parent or older sibling responsible for taking kids around town for some trick-or-treating fun, plan to walk. Driving around won't burn many calories. Walking, however, will have you boosting your lower body strength and burning all those candy calories in the process. You can indulge on this night as long as you're adding exercise to the mix and enjoying nutritious meals throughout the day to combat the effects.
Use Candy for Decorating
You -- nor your children -- have to consume all of the candy received on Halloween night. Instead, use the candy for decorating. A gingerbread house at Christmas isn't the only decorating you can do. Create a haunted Halloween house using leftover candy for a fun way to get rid of it. Make it a competition and see who can create the best house of all.
The Halloween season doesn't have to start your unhealthy habits. Make some changes to your routine and you can lead a healthy Halloween that extends to a nutritious Thanksgiving and a Christmas dedicated to your well-being. You can still enjoy the holiday season. You just need to learn to do so in healthier ways.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Wilmington, N.C.