Before getting to the trick-or-treating routine, remember to protect your feet with the correct shoe wear. Many costumes suggest shoes that don't have support or don't fit appropriately. After some time on your feet, inappropriate foot wear can cause arch pain, heel pain, and even blisters. Wear shoes or sneakers that have arch support, that do not rub on bony areas causing blisters and that fit appropriately. I suggest sneakers or tennis shoes. They may not go exactly with your costume, but I promise nobody will notice and you will feel a lot happier being able to walk longer without pain.
Here is the routine that combines trick-or-treating and working out. Do it while you take the kids (or yourself) around the neighborhood, and you won’t feel guilty about sneaking a snickers or two!
Once you have your mask or costume on, put on your comfortable shoes and get ready! I recommend planning out your route prior to Halloween to make sure you know exactly all your stops.
1. As you walk out the door, begin by doing walking lunges down the block. You can also skip to bring your heart rate up a bit.
2. While waiting at each door to open, do jumping jacks but make sure not to drop any candy!
3. For each piece of candy you have in your bag do a squat. For example, one Reese’s do 1 squat. If you get to your next house and have 1 Reese’s, 2 snickers do 3 squats and so on. As your bag fills up you will do more and more squats with a heavier and heavier bag. Challenge yourself!
4. As the bag gets heavier you can do bicep curls and shoulder shrugs on your way to each house.
After you return home for the night, make sure to stretch for about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy your treats and don’t feel bad about having an extra piece of candy, you deserve it!
Have a Happy & Healthier Halloween! ;)