Projo Fitness Blog

Halloween. I know what you're thinking: Halloween is nothing but a calorie-packed, over-indulgent catastrophe waiting to happen. There goes my fitness routine! There goes my weight loss! There goes my ability to control my kids!

I say no -- and I'm not alone. Nutrition counselor Jill Weisenberger writes for myfamilydoctor.com that there are ways to avoid the all-snack frenzy that follows Halloween.

And I'll add my take on all this: Use trick-or-treating as an opportunity to get some exercise for you and your children.

How do you do this? By staying away from "Easy Street" and going to the "hard" houses.

I live in a neighborhood that is pretty spread out. We hardly get any door-bell rings on Halloween night, mostly because I live at the end of a cul-de-sac that's a little dark and scary on October evenings, and our house is practically in the woods, up a long driveway. We decorate, play scary music and light up the house like crazy, but still, we're only giving out about six treat bags on a good year. (I try to give great treats so we get more commers, but that doesn't even seem to work.)

But, just two blocks away, is what I call "Easy Street": A neighborhood filled with packed-together houses and easy access to all those sweets. My friends who live there say they're often the victims of drive-by trick-or-treating, where parents from other parts of town -- and maybe even other towns -- drop off their kids at the entry to that neighborhood and wait for them to return with the goodies. Within the neighborhood, these poor families are giving out candy by the boat-load, and most of the time, don't even recognize the costumed kids at their doors.

My son and his friends still take their parents along with them when trick-or-treating, so when it's my turn to go, I require them to stay away from "Easy Street" as long as possible. I make them go down the dark, scary driveways in our own neighborhood (where we still know the homeowners) and pick up the treats the others are missing.

Sure, they go to fewer houses and get less loot -- but that can be a good thing, especially coupled with the added exercise for both the kids and their parents. Also, I just love seeing the happily surprised faces of the folks who live at the end of those long driveways when my kid's gang shows up at their doors.

Now, I'm not advocating going anywhere that's unsafe for children, but I am saying this: don't do a drive-by. Make your kid walk to get those treats, and force yourself to go with them. A good, long walk on a beautiful fall evening is great for the soul.

 Tags  Halloween holiday kids walk

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