5 Tips for a Happy (Healthier) Halloween

I love Halloween. No, wait...let me rephrase: I LOVE Halloween! The dressing up, the parties, the gobs and gobs of free candy. Plus, my birthday is the day before so birthday cake, ice cream and extra attention have always been part of my Halloween package too. What's not to love?

The bulk of my trick-or-tricking career was in the 70's and early 80's...a time when all we really worried about were razor blades in the apples (but who ever ate the apples anyway?). We spent our days riding bikes all over the neighborhood and running around with our friends until dark - no computers (well, how much Atari could we really do), very little television (I think we had 4 or 5 channels then; definitely no satellite or cable at our house) and certainly we didn't think about stuff like trans fats, antioxidants, organic food, etc. We also were blissfully ignorant of any impending nationwide obesity epidemic.

So after we would get all our loot, my friends, sister and I would gather together and start the trading process. I was never really big on the hard candy and gum-give me chocolate or give me death. After the negotiations subsided, I would then proceed to eat as much candy as I could stuff in my belly in one sitting. For days after, I would do the same thing until all the goods were gone.

As I reflect on these practices, I shudder.

Now Halloween 2007 is upon us and I have my own little trick-or-treaters. Compared to the 1970's/early 80's, the world is a different place. We all seem to spend so much more of our time inside, on the computer and/or watching TV. We also spend a lot of time, energy and money on fad diets: fat-free/low-fat, low-carb/no-carb, high-protein, sugar-free, glycemically indexed...it goes on and on.

How has this helped us? Is it really safer for our children to stay inside, close by as we work side-by-side on our computers or watch hours of TV, rather than have them outside running wild, running free...just running? Are we skinnier or more fit since we have largely implemented reduced fat or high protein diets? The answer is a resounding no.

But I digress....

Let's get back to Halloween. As the unofficial kick-off to the holiday season....and by this I, of course, refer to the season of overeating...what can we do to make this holiday the most fun while keeping it as healthy (or at least as non-unhealthy) as possible?

Some Halloween tips to do just that:

1. Get out and walk

You don't necessarily need to get all dressed up, but do get out there and go trick-or-treating with your kids. If you don't have any kids, borrow some! Do not --I repeat: DO NOT-- drive from house to house. Get out and walk the neighborhood. If you do not live in a safe walking neighborhood, drive to one that is and park your car at the entrance, walking the rest of the evening away. This will help you and the kids get some much needed exercise, as well as spend some quality time together (and it lets you keep an eye on them as well).