Trick your unhealthy habits.
If you’re the type of person who sets fitness goals, this time of the year can be critical for you. Without preparation and mindfulness, we tend to lose track of our commitments distracted by the plethora of leftover trick-or-treat candy and the creamy pumpkin-flavored treats that end up coming home from the grocery store. On the contrary, with a small mindset shift and a good amount of preparation, we can still enjoy the season’s palette pleasers without going overboard. Don't worry... there’s no way I’d tell you to give up your favorite seasonal flavors: goals or not. Instead, there are ways we can still enjoy these flavors, without all the extra sugars, calories, unhealthy fats, and more. I’m no Halloween treat witch, but I will brag on the fact that I have mastered the art of balance in fall. I’m sharing 4 fun and effective swaps to help eliminate unhealthy holiday habits so your goals don’t fall to the graveyard.
If you’re craving candy, have a piece!
There’s nothing worse than depriving yourself of something you really want. If you’re craving a Snickers bar, suddenly everything you see seems to be flavored peanut and caramel. By the time you finally find a bag of them, that craving has caused you to eat the whole thing before you even realize it.
So when I’m craving a piece of Halloween candy, I eat the candy. I eat a piece or two and get rid of the rest. I also make SURE I did my workout that day. At least I know if I’m taking in some extra calories, I’m burning some off as well.
I found this awesome graphic of simple workout swaps you can do for an extra calorie burn if you choose to treat yourself.
Balance!
Trick your taste buds with healthy treats.
What I mean by this is, if you have a favorite piece of candy, find a “clean” or healthy version of it that will satisfy your cravings, but with less of the bad stuff. Making recipes at home also allows you to measure what goes in it and count it if you’re counting containers or calories.
I’m a Reese’s fan and recently came across a recipe for “clean” peanut butter cupcakes. I made them last week and they truly tasted JUST as good as the real thing! The ingredients aren’t things I want to eat mass quantities of, but they’re good enough that I don’t feel any guilt if I have one or two. Click the photos below to link to the recipes for peanut butter cupcakess and s’mores bars.
Sub the sugar-laden lattes with seasonal superfood shakes.
Before my health and fitness journey, I basically counted down the days until I could taste the peppermint mocha or pumpkin spice flavored lattes at Starbucks. Little did I know, the drink is PACKED with ingredients I would never approve of and has more sugar than a kid’s trick-or-treat bag. Instead, I found delicious and super healthy swaps, that not only give me the seasonal tastes I’m craving but also serve as my daily dose of superfoods. From pumpkin spice to vanilla apple cinnamon to peppermint mocha, there’s a shake flavor for just about every fall taste. The company I partner with is just weeks away from releasing their peppermint mocha flavored superfood shake, so click here to get on the waiting list for that, or click here to order any of the other superfood shake flavors.
Go adult “trick-or-treating”.
Contrary to what you may think about my costume-laden week at Burning Man, I won’t be dressing up this week. I’ll leave the costuming to the kiddos. I will, however, be out and about on Thursday night. After my workout (and after the few pieces of candy I’ll likely be eating), Jake and I plan to take Remy for a long walk through the neighborhood. You don’t have to have kids or go out to a party to enjoy Halloween. Just seeing the kids dressed up in their costumes running to the makeshift haunted houses that our creative neighbors passionately up just makes me feel really in the spirit of the holiday, and keeps my body moving.
I’d love to hear any tips or tricks you have for staying on track during fall or winter! Drop a comment below!