Happy & Healthy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It’s that time of year… the start of the slippery slope into the Holiday season. Yup, I said it! You know the drill, eat too much candy on Halloween, oops here’s Thanksgiving, then one blink it’s Christmas and suddenly our pants aren’t quite fitting so well. BUT this year we can join together to enjoy the holiday season by preparing now and going into it empowered, motivated, and ready for anything. Bring it on, Grandma’s apple pie!

The 2016 Holiday Challenge is a free seven-week program with tips, tricks, and strategies to have a healthy (but still happy) holiday season. This is worth repeating…. it’s free. Participants receive weekly newsletters, daily tips, weekly challenges, and healthy holiday recipes all with the goal of being more mindful and maintain our weight throughout the season. We can still enjoy our favorite holiday traditions, but mindfully and with a purpose, not just because it’s there/we’re stressed/it smells good/we’re bored/Aunt Lisa made it/that’s what we always do.

So how do we get started? Register for the 2016 Holiday Challenge and grab a friend, family member, or coworker to do it with you. Research shows having someone do it with you increases motivation, accountability, and success.

And now let’s get back to Halloween….

Before going out with your kids to trick or treat, or hand out the candy yourself, fill up on a healthy dinner so you are less tempted to snack on candy.
Create a rule for the family to not eat any of the candy until you get home. Then, each person gets to mindfully choose their favorite piece.
That includes you! Save one piece of your favorite type of candy and slowly enjoy it.
Need extra motivation to avoid the rest? Here are how many jumping jacks you would have to do to burn it off.
Hide it! Hide the candy, lock up, throw it out, give it away, whatever you have to do to not be tempted.
Enjoy the festivities, below are FUN (and healthy) recipes to get into the Halloween spirit. For more, check out our Healthy Halloween Pinterest Board.