A workout to combat the sugar in your favorite fall treats

It’s that time of year for sugar, pumpkin spice, and everything that tastes nice. It’s fun to fill up on October’s sweet treats. Many of us count down the days until we can light a delicious scented fall candle and dive into our favorite delectable desserts. And with stores stocking their shelves with jumbo-sized candy bags, Americans will consume a hair-raising amount of artificial sugar around Halloween time.

Having a relationship with sugar can be bittersweet. Added sugars, such as those used to flavor candy bars, cookies, and cakes, can cast a spooky spell on your body and drive blood glucose levels sky high. When eaten in bulk, these additives and their often related trans fats cause weight gain and increase your risk of obesity-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure.

And still, even with this knowledge in mind, these bite-sized candy bars, cider doughnuts, or pumpkin lattes can be awfully tempting. It’s hard to have just one — and that’s by design. Sugar is addictive. And marketing departments aren’t doing us any favors by rebranding candies from “bite-size” to “fun-size,” or releasing these specialty treats months in advance. But being educated about what you sip and snack on can help you can make smarter choices for yourself and your family during this fun time of year.

Here’s some food for thought: The next time you reach for a seemingly harmless handful of miniature Milky Ways, or top off your sugary coffee drink with a dollop of whipped cream, consider how hard you’d have to work out to burn off those extra calories.

But first, remember: Don’t deprive yourself. Moderation is the key to happiness.

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Note: These are estimates of what a person will burn performing each activity. Results vary based on age, gender, intensity, and body weight. For example, those with a greater body weight will burn calories faster because it requires more energy.

The Baby Ruth Fat Burning Circuit: Perform each exercise for one minute. Move quickly through this routine with little to no rest between exercises. Repeat the entire workout three times, with a one-minute break between sets.

Lightly land and push off the balls of your feet as you move.

From a side plank position, with your left shoulder stacked over your elbow and spine straight, extend your right arm up until it’s in line with your shoulder. Let your gaze follow your arm. Now rotate your right arm down, threading it through the gap under your torso. Continue this sequence for 30 seconds, then switch sides.

Hinge back at your hips to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push through your heels to stand. Keep a brisk, steady pace as you bend and rise.

With feet shoulder-width apart, hinge back at your hips and lower your hands to touch the floor. Extend your legs back into a plank. Perform a push-up, then jump your feet back to the sides of your hands. Explode up into a jump. That’s one rep. Complete as many as possible in one minute.

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Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and hands balled into fists. Raise your hands to chin height, bend into a partial squat, and quickly alternate punches. Remember to pivot off the ball of your foot that corresponds with the extended arm.

Swiftly jump your arms and legs in and out, landing softly on the balls of your feet.

Ashley Blake Greenblatt is a certified personal trainer and wellness coach in South Jersey. To learn more about her virtual training program, go to ashleyblakefitness.com.