The Halloween Aftermath

Feeling like those "fun size" Kit Kats aren't as fun as they used to be? Can't stop sneaking the Snickers out of your kids' candy-filled pillowcases? Read on for how to get back on track in the Halloween aftermath.

You’re probably opening your inbox to a slew of emails - or Instagram to a slew of posts - sharing “how to burn off all of that Halloween candy”, or some other catchy headline to that effect. You may not have even had that thought UNTIL the emails rolled in, or you may have woken up in a guilt-riddled state of panic at how you could “undo the damage” of yesterday’s indulgence.

Sound familiar?

This may sound harsh, but unless you’re calculating the “damage” of the rest of your dietary decisions on a given day/week (cocktails, snacks, Starbucks…), isolating the Halloween candy isn’t HONESTLY going to do much good. It’s just not. This is no different from any other indulgence (worst-case scenario, binge.) You made your choice, now you start fresh in a new day. There’s no going back, for better or worse.

More importantly, I believe that one of the best parts of living a healthy lifestyle is the freedom to afford to make such choices from time to time. If you start trying to calculate the work needed to “burn off” every treat you consume, it’s going to be a LOOONG holiday season (and an even longer life!)

Food guilt is natural. We all go through it sometimes. When you start to label foods as “off-limits”, “bad”, or something you “shouldn’t eat”, that sense of deprivation may actually be what leads to uncontrollable cravings, and consequential binging.

With a consistent, well-rounded training regimen, you are regularly working to build - or maintain - an appropriate muscle-to-fat ratio. As more of your body is composed of lean muscle, you increase your metabolism. If you’re working out regularly and making healthy food choices most of the time, you would bode well to give yourself some flexibility. You can afford to indulge, or “slip”, here and there. That isn’t a hall pass to throw your healthy lifestyle out the window; it’s just a reminder that you enjoy that food, that treat, or that drink, and then simply move on.

That’s BALANCE: applying yourself to what you know is the best choice for you MOST of the time, while simultaneously recognizing your mental health as a very important part of the equation. Control what you can. Allow yourself to be a human, a friend, a family member, and someone who can still enjoy socializing, celebrating special occasions, and living life, all within reason.

Still feeling guilty about that pillowcase full of tootsie rolls? Do this today:

• Drink half your bodyweight in water over the course of the day (starting with a tall glass of water AS YOU READ THIS.)

• Eat a lean protein and full serving of fibrous green veggies with each meal.

• Don’t feel like you have to eat just because it’s ___X___ time - eat when you are hungry. If you’re residually full, reduce portions or adjust meal times for the day. (This does NOT mean to starve yourself. It simply means tuning into your body’s hunger/satiety cues.)

• Take 1-5 minutes to breathe, meditate, or do something else that calms your nervous system and reminds you that it will. be. okay.

• Carry on with your life, and don’t look back.

And that’s a wrap!