Written by Drew Schultz, Raleigh Personal Trainer @ O2 Fitness Falls/540
Now that Halloween is upon us, it is easy to fall prey to the temptation of giving in to things that we usually put off limits from ourselves. Perfect example: Halloween Candy!
Candy Alternative #1
First of all, there are just plain better options than packaged candy. When I am tempted to have sweets after a meal, I often have some fruit instead - blueberries, strawberries, etc, have just enough natural sweetness. I also find the frozen versions are not as tart (particularly blueberries) and actually taste sweeter than their fresh counterparts.
Candy Alternative #2
Another thing I remind myself of is that when you have something really sugary, it feels like you need your teeth sandblasted afterward- especially from soda, but certainly candy as well. Think about how horrible that insulin coma-like feeling that occurs after you indulge. This is because your body pumps an unusually high amount of insulin through your bloodstream to shuttle the sugar to the storage areas (fat, in this case), and then your bloodsugar rapidly drops when the deed is done. You feel tired again, and all those calories were consumed for nothing.
Even though these times of the year are few and far between, the slippery slope excuse comes into effect for many people: "If it was ok yesterday, then what's wrong with it today?" This soon evolves into "If it was ok this afternoon, then I guess its okay this evening". This same self talk applies to exercise.
So try your very best to stay away from the Halloween candy this year - and if you succeed - reward yourself with something special - like a new pair of tennis shoes or an O2 Fitness personal training session!
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