Halloween is only a week away and that means candy, costumes, and parties! For most, it’s after midterms and that means Halloween is all the more fun; but the scariest thing is falling off your healthy track. Candy and extra calories are abundant this time of year, from teachers handing out goodies in class, to party favors being tossed around like hot-cakes. Having those itty-bitty candies are harmless until you have 12. Avoid snacking and the post-Halloween guilt by using these 8 simple tricks.
1) After having a bite-sized treat, don’t immediately throw away your candy wrapper. Hold it in your hand as a reminder for how many you’ve eaten to prevent yourself from eating more. Try going for the darker chocolate, too. It helps kick cravings, has antioxidants and is mostly dairy-free!
2) Stay hydrated to help reduce fat-storage. If you’re one who tends to over-indulge, avoid a hangover from candy and all those Halloween themed beverages by drinking water throughout the day.
3) Instead of eating all that candy, try doing some reverse trick-or-treating by passing candy to your friends, neighbors or floormates. This will help you avoid those temptations while also staying in the Halloween spirit.
4) Instead of spending all your money on Halloween treats, you can skip the candy all together and put it towards your killer costume. You can even enter a costume contest!
5) Make sure you stay active during this time. If you’re going to have those Halloween treats don’t let your exercise falter. Go for a fall hike and admire the beautiful foliage before the winter weather takes over.
6) If you’re going out to a bar or a house party, try some heathy Halloween-themed snacks to eat during your pre-game, such as:
- Hummus and carrot fingers: put out a bowl of hummus and decorate the bowl with some carrots cut into the shape of fingers.
- Banana Ghosts: Cut bananas in half, place them upside-down on a plate and grab some chocolate chips to make a ghost face.
- Apple Bites: Slice apples into quarters and cut a small wedge in the quarters. Fill the wedge with peanut butter and put slivered almonds inside for the teeth.
7) Save all the candy treats for a specific time or a specific day. This will help keep you from over-indulging for an entire week, or worse, a month!
8) Keep Halloween a social-fest instead of a sugar-fest by inviting your friends to fun events, on or off campus. Perhaps a corn-maze, a haunted house or fright fest.
Keep in mind that being healthy has no holidays. Don’t fear Halloween and have a healthy one!