Halloween Calories – Ways To Avoid Packing on Extra Pounds

While many of you are gearing up for the Halloween festivities both at home and at work, a lot of you are probably thinking about all of the delicious candies, tasty cookies, savory potlucks and other fun holiday activities that are centered around high calorie foods that can quickly add pounds and inches to your waistline!

I want to provide you with some great tools and helpful tips for getting through Halloween with limited regrets. This means avoiding the crazy sugar highs while keeping your body in fabulous shape throughout this fun holiday season. Yes, it actually is possible to stay slim and trim during this time!

The 2 C’s of Halloween: Candy and Calories
Candy is a staple during Halloween and even if you don’t personally celebrate it, there will be candy all around you. It will be at the office, in the schools, at your friend’s houses and it will be wildly abundant at the grocery stores. It’s important to remember that the challenge during this time is to avoid consuming massive quantities of those sugar-packed candies, even though you may find it very easy to make these excuses:

1. They’re “fun size bites”, so it’s not as bad as a regular candy bar!
2. Those candies are on sale, so I really should buy them now!
3. I promise that I will only eat one candy a day!
4. Halloween only comes once a year, so it’s okay if I splurge!

How many of these excuses, and many others, have you made to yourself during Halloween over the years? If you’re quietly laughing to yourself right now, then keep on reading so you can learn how to reverse this vicious cycle!

While candy is filled with useless, empty and unnecessary sugar-laden calories, you have to admit that it’s pretty darn yummy and while it’s okay to have candy every once in a while, it’s totally different when you find yourself sitting on the couch, laying in your bed or huddled in your chair at the office eating unlimited amounts of this gooey, chewy and delectable childhood delight. What you could get away with as a child, you can’t get away with as an adult. Isn’t it amazing how fast the pounds and inches get packed on as we get older?

What To Do?
If you’re at the office and find yourself tempted to indulge, try to allow yourself only one piece of candy! Yes, I’m recommending portion control because that is exactly what you need to control yourself and make it through this difficult time. So, you’re going to allow yourself one piece of candy and for any additional pieces you eat, you’ll have to partake in some type of exercise in order to burn it off. The chart below will give you an example of what it takes to burn off some of the most popular Halloween treats!

Candy CaloriesExerciseTime 1 Fun Size Butterfinger85Tabata4 minutes 1 Fun Size Peanut Butter Cup210Spinning29 minutes 1 Fun Size M&M73Canoeing10 minutes 1 Fun Size Nestle Crunch60Crunches150 minutes 1 Fun Size Skittles63Push-Ups100 minutes 19 Pieces of Candy Corn 140Boxing 24 minutes 1 Kit Kat Bar210Hiking30 minutes

So, you should now get the general picture of what you’ll have to do! The good news about eating that additional piece of candy is that you’re also committing yourself to some type of physical activity that will get your heart rate up, burn some extra calories, help to increase your lean muscle mass and make you feel energized!

Now that you’re saying to yourself, “Lisa…I’m so not feeling that option! Give me something else!” Well, without further ado, here are your Spooktacular fat blasting Halloween workout routines! Both workouts can be performed while “Trick or Treating” with your kids and/or going to your favorite Halloween party!

Trick or Treat Workout:

1. 25 walking lunges (each leg).
2. 20 candy bag squats and shoulder presses (as the evening progresses, this will get harder).
3. 20 reverse lunges off the curb (you can do these while waiting for your kids).
4. 25 calf raises using the curb on the sidewalk.
5. Are you pushing a stroller? Do some slow and deep walking lunges to the next two houses.
6. 20 more candy bag squats and shoulder presses (how’s that bag feeling now).
7. 25 Plie squats while you’re waiting until your kids come back.
8. 20 bent-over rows (or 1 arm rows) with your heavy candy bag.

Try repeating this routine 2-3 times during your “Trick or Treat” journey and make sure that you modify the routine if you feel any type of stress or discomfort. Also make sure that you add in a total body stretch at the end of your workout before heading home!

Halloween Party Workout
This can be done before leaving your home, or even at the party, depending on what your Halloween costume is! Do each exercise for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest period before moving onto the next exercise. Shoot for 2-3 rounds of this routine for a killer fat blasting workout!

1. 30 seconds of Zombie kicks (kick your leg straight in the air and touch your toe with your hand).
2. 20 pumpkin squats and shoulder presses.
3. 15-20 alternating reverse bodyweight lunges along with 20 oblique twists using a broom.
4. 20 alternating side push-ups using a pumpkin.
5. 25 mountain climbers.
6. 25 booty rocking glute lifts.
7. 30-60 seconds of planks.
8. 15-30 walking lunges while holding a pumpkin.
9. 10 fat blasting burpees to finish it off!

Try your best to repeat this routine for 2-3 more rounds! Always make sure to drink plenty of water so you can stay fully hydrated (this will also decrease your appetite) and include a total body stretch at the end of your workout.

I hope these diet and exercise tips help you avoid packing on any extra pounds and inches during this holiday. It all comes down to how bad you want results and the key is to stay focused and disciplined on your fitness journey no matter what time of the year it is. I hope you have a fabulous Halloween and I wish you the best!

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