Secret 2 : Ditch The Idea That Halloween = Packaged Candy
HAPPY fall from your St. Pete Personal Trainer and Transformation Expert & WELCOME BACK  to my Battle The Holiday Bulge and WIN Series. If you missed my #1 Tip To Avoid Halloween Weight Gain  & Healthy Pumpkin Recipes: Pumpkin, Chocolate Chip Bread, Pumpkin Smoothie and Pumpkin Ice Cream , I’ll give you a minute to catch up.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays here in St Petersburg as the humidity disappears and the weather gets crisp and clear  and the excitement of the Holiday Season starts.
Unfortunately,  this time of year also begins the start of the, hectic schedules and an abundance of food that can crush your fitness goals if you aren’t careful.
It’s been the primary topic of conversation  in our St. Pete Group Fitness Training sessions and In-Home & Outdoor Park Personal Training Sessions so today I want to teach you how to do Halloween like a Personal Trainer!!
Costumes, trick-or-treating, and LOADS of candy are the basis of this fall holiday.
BUT, what if Halloween was MORE about the costumes, activities and fun of the season and LESS about the the candy and junk food? Here in St Pete, we are unbelievably blessed with both fabulous weather AND a community full of fun, out door activities.
So, what IF you decided to be the house that handed out non candy Halloween items this year?
Three things are  for sure:
1. The neighborhood parents will thank you
2. You won’t have kids that are on a sugar rush for days
3. You won’t be complaining about all of the candy laying around that you “had to” have which will inevitably sets off a day (or 2 months) of sugar and carb cravings.
More From Fat Loss U: The Secret  To Eliminating Carb Cravings
Fall/Halloween Activities:
Focusing on events and activities around the Halloween holiday is a much healthier choice than making it solely about treats and candy. Participating in fall/Halloween activities can be fun for the whole family and can continue as traditions for years to come. Below are just a few ideas. Head to a local farm where you can pick apples and/or pumpkins. This is afabulous family activity on a nice fall day. Don’t think the only thing you can do with pumpkins is carve them, you can also roast pumpkins.
Attend a local fall event or festival. This could range from a community Halloween party, parade, or one of the many events in  Downtown St Pete between now and new Years.  If you have older kids, you may want to go to a haunted house or Hallowscream and there are so many that are local and some simply ask for a donation for entry.
Tips for Trick-or-Treating
Kids love to go trick-or-treating on Halloween. As parents who care about their kid’s health and well being, the amount of candy received while trick-or-treating can be a bit concerning…. not to mention the amount of candy (Ie: hydrogonated oils, high fructose corn syrup, chemicals and preservatives we can’t pronounce and GMO’s) we have laying around the house for weeks as temptation.
Halloween is an opportunity for you to educate your kids about what sugar does to their bodies and why it is not good for them. Below are some tips for trick-or-treating that can ensure your kids won’t be eating their Halloween candy until Christmas.
Feed your kids a good healthy dinner of protein, vegetables, and healthy fats before heading out the door to trick-or-treat. That way they aren’t starving and eating candy as they go!
Limit the amount of houses that your kids go to for trick-or-treating.
Keep it to your close neighbors, friends, and family. When I was a kid, we only went to a handful of houses of people we knew very well to show off our costumes.
 Let them pick out 2 or 3 of their favorite pieces of candy that night and then put the rest away. From there you can decide if you will allow them a piece each day for a while or if you get rid of it completely.
Take Halloween candy to a dentist office; many buy Halloween candy and then send it overseas to troops. There are also other places where you can simply donate Halloween candy (like CASA for example.
After your kids have picked out some of their favorites, consider one of the above      options for the rest.
Hand out non-candy items at your house. Check out my list of most popular NON CANDY items
Halloween Recipes:Â
Here is one of the most popular recipes  from my signature Ultimate Fat Blasting Cook Book Vol 5 (yep, this is one of the recipes included in our Hot For The Holidays Challenge coming up in November 🙂
Trail Mix
Pre-make and place in same Tupperware containers or snack-size zip locks. You can prep a bunch and put in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
Ingredients:Â
Cacao Nibs
Goji Berries
Raw Nuts (best: almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
Chia Seeds
Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds
Sulfite Free Raisins
Directions:
Mix together and store in a cool dry place (¼ cup is one serving)
Exchanges per serving: 3 Fa, ½ Fr
Making a homemade, grain-free, low sugar treat at home is a great way to round off your Halloween festivities. so I searched and found some more  amazing Halloween-like recipes for you to try!
Kid Friendly Pumpkin Cider Latte
Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Truffles
Committed To Your Success and Awesomeness,
Dianne Villano – THE Fitness Expert For YOUR Over 50 Body
Fitness St. Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
P.S. Need Extra Accountability and Support? Come Join Us in Our FREE, Private Facebook Community St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50 where you will be surrounded by some of our most successful clients and we get real and talk about what REALLY works when it comes to losing weight, reshaping your body and having a body you LOVE ! This is Community for St Pete and Tierra Verde residents who want to get tips, recipes and strategies for living a healthy lifestyle and learning how to eat more, train less and achieve a body they love
[…] If you Missed Secret 2 and 7 of my fav Holiday Recipes, you can check it out HERE […]