4 Tips to stay on track during Halloween

Worried about your holiday diet? Yeah, we get it. The trifecta of Halloween candy, holiday turkey, and Christmas cookies have made a sucker of us all. But you can keep from derailing all your progress and still guiltlessly gobble up that blueberry cobbler with the whole vanilla ice cream scoop on top, and we’re here to help. Our Elite Personal Trainers shared the same guides and rules they use to keep their clients on track and prevent them from becoming another New Year’s Resolutionary.

1) EAT YOUR CANDY! Just have a plan. Keep count. With whatever tool you’re tracking your foods on, keep it updated or log ahead of time instead of stressing while enjoying precious time with family. You didn’t spend a month of planning costumes, hours of alterations, and surviving last minute setbacks to not enjoy the fruits of your kids’ candy hunting labors. So grab their bags, log your MyFitness Pal points, and enjoy that Reese’s Cup! **Extra trainer protip - only pass out candy you don’t want to eat yourself (looking at you Whoppers).

2) 30 Minute Rule Holiday festivities will be earned, not given, by day long cooking or traversing across state to see family. Like all things that matter, there’s a ton of work involved. But you can’t keep giving pieces of yourself until the batteries run dry. You need to recharge, prioritize what gives you the strength to give to others. Just 30 minutes of physical activity is proven to boost endorphins (those mighty little hormones that make it feel like Christmas cheer runs through your veins) for the remainder of your day. Getting through the doors is the hardest part, your friends and family at THRC will help you use your time wisely from there.

3) The “Don’t Be Weird Diet” Like we said, plan ahead. All season long you’ll have family dinners and gatherings filled with food outside your meal plan. Good. Enjoy it, eat like everyone else is. It’s why you work so hard. Stress and mental fatigue will dog you more than that extra scoop of stuffing for one night ever will, and you want to look back and remember the memories you made, not the restrictions you enforced.

4) Get it Out of the House There will be times when the Blue Bell Ice Cream tub calls out a little too strongly to you at night. And you swear the Mudslide mix poured itself into your glass. Like hair after a breakup, sometimes you just have to cut it. Get those temptations out of your house and don’t even put yourself in a position to fail. You know what you can’t say no to when it’s out, so leave it on the HEB shelves and make it only a once-and-awhile thing.

Don’t look for quick fixes or secret life hacks to make this holiday season success and fun. Just build these sustainable habits into your week and prioritize accordingly. Get your energy from quick efficient exercise (and let us help!), plan when you’re eating out or going on a minor treat bender, and have guilt free family meals during the best days of the year!