If you’re a college girl with a pulse, it’s been a long time since you’ve tried to look scary on Halloween.
Just when you think the pressure from swimsuit season is off; Halloween advertisements haunt you with body hugging, midriff bearing, booty-length costumes for this sexually-driven holiday.
Don’t fear the sexy costumes that we as college girls are so tempted to wear. With a few diet and work-out adjustments, your “bad cop” costume will have guys lining up to be “arrested”.
-Eat most of your carbs early on in the day. “Good” carbs, like the kind in fruit and whole/multi grains, will fill you up quickly and for a long period of time. Eating them earlier will give you a chance to burn them off throughout the day when you walk to and from class, as well as when you exercise later on.
-Don’t deprive yourself! Hunger pains and deprivation add up, and they equal late-night binges (the cardinal sin of dieting). There is nothing wrong with having a small, healthy snack every few hours.
-When you do give in to cravings, stay in moderation by replacing calorie dense/sugary food and drinks with healthier options. Choose a light yogurt instead of ice cream, a Nutri-Grain bar over a Pop-Tart, and ditch the frappuccino for a regular coffee. You’ll get the same feeling of satisfaction
while consuming way less of the bad stuff.
-Halloween candy will line supermarket shelves, and it will call your name. Don’t give in just yet! Sugar is every health-nut’s worst enemy. Choose alternatives to candy, like the snacks previously mentioned. Reward yourself for being healthily behaved with a chocolatey treat when celebrating on the 31st.
-Hold off on the alcohol. Experts have found that alcohol intake not only packs on calorie and sugar intake, but it actually stops your body from burning as many calories and as much fat as it normally would. Sober October, anyone?
-Hit the gym, and hit it early! It has been proven that you burn more calories in the morning, so getting there before your first class or between morning classes can really boost your results.
-Don’t go to the gym thinking that a thousand crunches will make you look better in your midriff bearing genie costume. Full body workouts are essential for obtaining that bangin’ Halloween silhouette.
These workouts will give you quick results (and sore muscles!) for three areas typically shown off in sexy costumes.
– To lift and tighten your butt and thighs, start by standing in front of a chair (or bench, ledge, etc.,) with your back facing the seat of it. Balance on one leg and have the other extended back, resting on the seat of the chair, with the bottom of your foot facing up. Use the leg you are standing on to lunge, and when your knee bends make sure it stays in line with you ankle and behind your toes! This is essentially a lunge, but with the back leg elevated (for extra butt-lifting). Do three sets of ten on each leg.
– Add definition to your back and shoulders by doing v-pushups. Start in a high plank, then bring your feet in towards your hands with your butt in the air so that you look like a “v”, until you are almost uncomfortable. Turn your hands so that your fingers are facing each other. Bend arms with your elbows facing out and your head going straight towards the ground, then push yourself up in similar fashion to a regular push-up. Do three sets of ten.
-To flatten your tummy, begin by sitting in what is called the “c” position: your feet flat on the ground with bent knees and a straight back. Your torso, hips, and thighs should form a shape like the letter “c”. Take a medicine ball, and hold it to one side of your body with both arms. Reach up (keeping arms as straight as possible) in a motion that looks like you are drawing a rainbow over your head with the ball. Bring it down to the other side, and repeat. It is important to lift the ball with your core more than with your arms. Do three sets of ten.
You now have super simple and foolproof guidance to look your best this Halloween, all from my freakishly healthy and exercise-obsessed mind. Put them into action so you can stand out as the sexiest nurse, the hottest firefighter, or the most misbehaved schoolgirl around campus on the 31st.