Hallowe'en Candy....

What's scarier than all those little ghouls and monsters that appear on Halloween? The calories and carbs in all those little fun-sized packs candies -- and who has the willpower to enjoy just one? Therein lies trouble. Not to deny anyone the fun of treat or treatin’ ….but for those of us who hand out the loot at the door and help ourselves regularly to one or two, five or six, nine or ten little snack bars ….the calories do add up quickly!

How much sugar is in those fun-sized chocolate bars and mini packs of candies? With full-sized packages of candy, the nutritional information is printed on the package – not the case with the individual fun-size packs of candies.   Here’s a few….   ·        One Hershey Kiss has 26 calories and 8 gm carbs ·        One snack size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has 88 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Snickers Bar has 80 calories and 10 gm carbs ·        One snack size Skittles pkg has 80 calories and 18 gm carbs ·        One lollipop has 60 calories and 16 gm carbs   There’s no need to include any more examples ….we all know the numbers are scarey!   So have a wonderful Hallowe’en and surely enjoy a few treats, but when you see the pile of empty wrappers getting bigger than the candy bowl itself …..oh, am I speaking from experience here?  Well, maybe that’s why I won’t be buying my treats until the 31st!!   Have fun!

Morning Exercise

Morning people can be very annoying. And morning people who exercise can be the most "annoying people on the planet." That is a direct quote from someone who, obviously, is not a morning person.  The fact is, many exercisers end up having to become morning exercisers due to work schedules, whether they like it or not.  Mornings comes early -  it's dark and cold and the bed is so very warm.  However, knowing you’ve completed your daily workout before others are out of bed, can be very satisfying and leave your evenings open for other activities or family time.

Even if morning exercise doesn't come naturally to you, you can train your body to do it . The trick is to use every weapon in your arsenal - discipline, willpower, rewards, punishments, bribes and, most of all, baby steps.

Some tips to make it easier:

·        Adjust your schedule - One mistake some exercisers make is keeping their bedtime the same, even though they're getting up earlier. You still need that sleep, so start adjusting your schedule before adding in morning workouts. Start by going to bed 10 or 15 minutes earlier than usual and gradually add to that over time.

·        Start easy and slow - Your body is used to sleeping in the morning, so asking it to jump out bed for a 10 mile run is asking a lot. Start with simple activities - Walking, cycling, an easy exercise video or a simple yoga workout. As your body gets used to moving around at such an early hour, you can add more intensity.

·        Give yourself an extra long warm up - Your body needs extra time to get moving in the morning, so spend at least 10 minutes warming up and gradually increasing intensity. If it's cold outside, try tossing your workout clothes in the dryer before putting them on. The warmer you are when you start the more comfortable your workouts will be.

·        Keep it simple: Start with 2 or 3 days a week of basic exercise - Say, walking and basic strength training, for example. You may find you're hit or miss at first but, the more you practice, the easier it gets.