I can’t figure out why the kids run past my house on Halloween each year. I’m always dressed up in a cool costume (a carrot) and I hand out the good stuff (fresh kale) instead of cheap Sweet Tarts! And I’m very friendly, inviting them to stop and burn off some of that candy so they can keep going (who doesn’t want a free workout?).
I’m kidding (sorta’), but I bet you would skip my house when trick-or-treating if you knew me, wouldn’t you? You think I’d open the door dressed as a vegetable and hand you a bag of greens with a judgmental glance at your bucket of gluten-laden, fatty, sugary, and calorie-loaded treats. How dare you!
Real talk: I love candy and have my go-to indulgences that just make me appreciate my workout even more the next day! As the resident health nut, I’m here to help you burn off the extra calories with quick exercises you can do at home in between trick-or-treaters.
Let’s say you grab a handful of that oh-so-easy-to-pop-in-your-mouth-10-at-a-time candy corn: 20 pieces = 150 calories and 27 g. sugar. You can work this off with 100 jumping jacks and 50 sit-ups right there in your living room!
Regular size package of plain M&Ms = 240 calories, 30 g. sugar. EASY! Run stairs for 5 minutes without stopping, then do high knees for 3 minutes straight.
Snickers bar fun size = 80 calories, 10.5 g. sugar. Drop and give me 30 burpees (yes, with the pushup).
2 Reese’s peanut butter cups = 210 calories, 13 g. of fat, and 21 g. of sugar…and so worth it! I’ll be doing this one with you: Combo of high knees, burpees, and squat jumps for 5 minutes straight.
10 Starburst chews = 150 calories, 25 g. sugar. Do 3 sets of 10 squat jumps with a 30-second rest between each set. Then do 50 jumping jacks.
Oh, so you were “good” and went for the snack bag of Goldfish? That’s 100 calories, and 14 g. carbs. You should have just had another glass of wine! Drop and give me 30 pushups (and no dropping those knees)!
Maybe you had all of the above? Then jump into a 60-minute cycling or intense boot camp class or go for a 8- to 10-mile run to get those 700ish calories back!
Follow these easy steps and your body will forget you ever binged on candy!
Happy Halloween!
Cara
*For the record, I think it’s fine to splurge every once in a while (you may even see me stealing candy from my kids’ bags tonight while trick-or-treating), so take this post lightly. But if you do eat a Snickers bar then go on a burpee rampage, please send video.
Check out Cara’s website and Facebook page for more healthy tips for all year round!