DIY and Freezer It Up
The joys of living in the 21st century include the amazing ability to preserve your goodies past a couple days. Chocolate? Cupcakes? Cookies? Have a reasonable portion size, then stick ’em in the freezer. The great part about this is that you can have a little each day as a true treat, and not as a compulsion because you saw the giant bag of candy on your counter.
For extra health points, go the DIY route and make your own Halloween treats. There are a million recipes and tutorials online. Personally, I love these spooky spider cupcakes. Sure, buying those Publix cupcakes is a time saver, but wouldn’t it be great to know what you’re eating? What’s more, wouldn’t it be great to be able to pronounce it? By making your own treats you can make sure you’re not accidentally inhaling the equivalent of two meals in calories when you eat that cupcake.
Not to mention, baking spooky treats with all the youngins leads to way more meaningful memories than stopping at a grocery store on your way back from work.
Remember to Move
Here’s one underrated part of Halloween; it’s not only centered around junk food, but also MOVEMENT. The holiday requires extensive walking to get the most candy in your kiddo’s bucket. If you have no children, well, best believe that Halloween party will include a lot of dancing, walking, standing, and laughing. All great things for your body.
Why not harness this part of the holiday? Make your Halloween movement centered. Create a goal to walk X amount of steps or X amount of miles if you’re trick or treating. Bring water to hydrate and make it a fun experience by looking at all the decorations your neighbors worked so hard to put up. No kids? Get a workout in before your Halloween festivities to make sure you’re looking and feeling your best, and your body is craving nutritious filling foods.
P.S. This also will counteract any Halloween horror due to accidentally inhaling 3 bags of sour candy. At least you got a workout in, right? Heh…better than nothing. *Shrug*
Restriction is Against The Rules
Confusing headline? Hear me out. For those of us with wellness goals in mind, we often think the best solution to a tricky holiday is restrictions, and ignore all the tempting junk food (and potentially calorie ridden alcoholic drinks) that you’re surrounded by.
However, you’re dead wrong. Science says so, and so does the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA). Restrictive dieting (such as eating like a baby bird all day in preparation for your festivities) may actually lead to MORE binging, MORE junk food consumed, and MORE guilt. Not things we want. Instead, do the opposite. Eat like it’s a normal day, and consume a nutritious and filling meal before your festivities. This way you’ll be less likely to eat five cookies, and more likely to just eat one. Some quick tips; practice my favorite principle of mindful/intuitive eating: once it stops tasting as good as that first bite, put it down.
When you first start eating something you wanted it usually tastes amazing and incredibly satisfying. Pay attention to when it starts to be less amazing tasting and satisfying, and more neutral. Stop eating it then. Just because it’s on your plate, doesn’t mean you have to finish it. Sorry mom, I know there are starving children around the world…but this cupcake isn’t going to do anything for them. Get rid of the idea that you need to finish everything on your plate.
Shameless Plug
Look, I’m writing this blog for a reason. I’m invested in your health and wellness. Not just as it pertains to your adjustments that I can help with, but also what you do both in and out of my office. I care about all the areas of wellness that my patients are involved with, because I believe that it’s ALL interrelated. The body doesn’t compartmentalize the way our brain does. It’s time to start looking at whole-person wellness as the new norm.
Anyway, the last thing you can do to make your Halloween as healthy as possible is to come see us (and anyone else on your wellness team) so that you’re in the best shape possible going into Halloween and have a grounded and healthy mindset that will allow you to enjoy yourself, without going overboard. We regularly give our clients feedback on all areas of their wellness, and would love to help you plan how to navigate the holidays.
To Conclude: I like to look at Halloween as our introduction to the holiday season, which means it may set the tone for the rest of your holidays. With that in mind, be happy, be healthy, and live your life without restriction while practicing balance in all areas of your wellness.
P.S. Remember folks, you can always freeze that spooky treat for another day.
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