Staying Fit through Fall

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With Halloween coming in a few weeks and candy on sale left and right, it can be difficult to stay on track and not reach for those little candy corns. Fall is an especially difficult season for me not to stray, with the abundance of Halloween candies, the smell of cinnamon and pies in the air, and of course, Thanksgiving (and leftover day)!

It gets even harder for me at work. At my office, I work up front in the reception area, away from everyone. Most of the time, when my coworkers come in, they pass me and go straight to the warehouse or tech room. In an attempt to get them to stop by my desk and say hello or chat for a bit (I’m usually all alone up front), I started placing candy on the edge of my desk (Okay…so it’s kind of like I’m buying friends! Haha!). Around Halloween I usually have candy corns, hard candy, and fun-sized chocolate bars up for grabs on my desk.

It’s very challenging to have so many sweets within my reach and not reach over and grab a handful. It’s definitely an exercise of self control. In the past, I’d be okay for half the day, and then I’d cave and grab a bar. But then one bar would always lead to another, and it wouldn’t be long before half of the bowl was gone.

So how do I deal with it now? I can’t say it’s not difficult to keep myself from reaching for some. But something that has been helpful is the fact that I’m counting calories now. If I think of grabbing for one, I remind myself that that’s x amount of calories that I’ll have to take away from my lunch or dinner.

It helps to keep your goals in mind too. I like to look at fitspo for motivation, and it helps me to look at one of the pictures that I would like to achieve and remind myself that this is the goal, and I won’t get there by overindulging in candy.

Now, just a couple pieces of candy isn’t as bad, but I have found with me that if I just have one, it makes me want more and then it is much harder for me to exercise self control. So I remind myself that if I want to make it easier for myself then I shouldn’t grab one.

I also like to think of alternatives. I’ll think, I could eat that chocolate bar, but that sugar will make me crave more and I’ll still be hungry. For that amount of calories I could eat a banana, or two apples, or a cup of carrot sticks, or a handful of broccoli .. there are many healthier options I can choose for those calories that will satisfy me and won’t leave me craving more and overindulging!

When it comes to the smell of pies, I use the Extra Dessert Delight’s Apple Pie to indulge my cravings.

Chewing gum may be different for others, but for me it has always helped to curb my cravings a little and suppress my appetite.

With fall usually comes better weather, depending on where you live, and it’s much easier to exercise outside when it’s not excruciatingly hot. This is when I like to go hiking more. Hiking can be great exercise, and burns a lot of calories. If you don’t have anyone to hike with, check meetup.com, there might be a couple hiking groups in your area.

But most of the struggle is in our minds, and exercising self control and staying motivated.  This is easier for some.  But if you are determined enough,  you can train yourself to say no that candy monster!