Is Halloween a scary time for your healthy habits?
It smells good.
It looks good.
It calls to you at night.
How do you resist the siren song of all that sugary goodness?
If you are like me, you can’t. Easy access to candy will derail my healthy eating habits. My only choice is to remove the temptation. But that can be tricky.
You certainly aren’t going to let the kids eat all of it, so what are you going to do?
Hide it? (and eat it yourself)
Ration it? (and eat it yourself)
Take it to work? (and eat it yourself)
No! Schedule a visit from the Halloween Fairy!
The Halloween Fairy is a lesser-known cousin of the Tooth Fairy. She arrives, when invited, after Halloween to magically turn excess candy into special gifts for good children (and maybe even adults.)
Here’s how it works:
Each child is given a quart-sized zippered plastic bag and may choose candy to keep. This is a great time to talk about which candies are just sugar and aren’t very tasty and which they really enjoy. Encourage the children to choose only the candy they truly enjoy. (You might want to make a bag too)
Put the bags of selected candy away, out of sight, to reduce the temptation. Children may ask for a treat when it is appropriate. Treating yourself is okay, but limit to once per day.
Put the rest of the candy in a large bowl in the center of the kitchen table (or other convenient location)
Overnight the Halloween Fairy changes the candy into small gift such as:
- Fun new toothbrush
- Fun Flossers
- Healthy snacks
- Puzzles
- Books
- Temporary Tattoos
- Active games or toys (jump ropes, balls, etc.)
- Stickers, crayons, or other craft supplies
- Older kids/adults might enjoy:
- Videos or DVDs
- I-Tunes certificates
- Jewelry
- Hair decorations
Remove the temptation and have a little fun at the same time!
Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.
She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after wellness & stress management speaker.
If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.
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