It's Halloween!

If you're like me, you still have plenty of stuff to do before little ghosts and witches arrive at your doorstep tonight:

• stocking up on candy so you're not scrambling through your pantry to find something, anything to give out;
• finding batteries for your child's flashlight;
• trying to put together a costume for yourself to go to a friend's party.

Before you know it the night will be over. More than likely you will have a pumpkin or two around the house and not quite sure what to do with it. Here are some ideas on how to make the most out of your pumpkin after Halloween:

Ever have those days when eating is just a caloric bust? I mean, if it’s not the doughnuts out to get you (which they eventually do), then it’s the Reese’s cups, or a snack bag of Doritos.

Well, the other day was a caloric bust. I mean a volcano-exploding, smoking-at-a-firecracker-stand, stick-a-pin-in-a-balloon bust.

I know what you’re thinking. Animal crackers aren’t that bad. Well, according to the nutrition label (yeah, I had the nerve to look at it), the one package was two  servings.  What's that's about?

And, yes, that's a Kit Kat wrapper you see hiding behind the bag ... allbeit a mini one ... still a Kit Kat.

Back in the day, I used to stress over these types of things (to a level far less healthy than the foods I was eating). I would jot down every single thing that passed my mouth, tally the calories, and then try to work them off (I’m talking 1,000 crunches in one sitting).

I was actually talking to a friend about this the other day. And, the older my parents get (and the more often they try to go on those Slim Fast, eat-only-cabbage-soup, NutriSystem plans), the more I realize how much lifestyle really has to do with how we look and feel.

So, OK. I ate too many goodies at work. It’s cool. I can have a really great, healthy salad for dinner, and I’ll skip dessert and trade any sugary beverages for water.

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Looking for a way to team up with your friends, then run them into the ground? Meet Triathablog, a site that takes friendly competition to a whole new level.

When I was growing up, right here in the South, my mom always told me to be sure to drink lots and lots of water everyday. Not only is it good for you, she said, but it keeps your skin looking young and healthy. Of course I believed her, because she’s my mom and she never tells lies. But as it turns out, drinking excessive amounts of water has little to no effect on the appearance of your skin. And apparently eight glasses a day is no longer recommended.

It all started when my friend and colleague Sean over at Poked and Prodded complained about the long wait times during a recent trip to the doctor. Hey, I know things are supposed to move slower in the South, but waiting a couple of hours—first, in the waiting area, then in an examination room in the back—is ridiculous.

It's not pretty when health care and customer care clash.

Our sister company CNN hopped on the story, sharing tips from Sean and other experts about how to avoid waiting for the doctor. They include:

• Writing a complaint letter to the doctor. Don't forget to enlist fellow disgruntled patients in the waiting room.
• Speak up if you've been waiting 15 minutes. "Have I been forgotten?"
• Book your appointment early: first thing in the morning or first slot after lunch.

I'm going to see my doctor for my biennial physical. You'd better believe I'm scheduled first in the morning. Let's see if it works.

Video with more tips after the jump ...

The other night, I went to a party and wore my favorite black heels, which I hadn't worn in quite some time. After standing up for 20 minutes I remember why: They hurt! But they looked so good. Then I read that we're going to see the trend of super high heels continue this fall and next spring. Ouch!

I'm not the only one with this problem. High heels are one of the major causes of foot problems, including foot pain, shortening of the Achilles tendon, and stress fractures. Posture, gait, and balance can also be affected.

The good news is that we can use a number of strategies to avoid these problems. (Of course, the top one is to wear some cute ballet flats, but if you want a heel, choose wisely.)

Judith F. Baumhauer, a spokeswoman for the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, offers some great tips on choosing comfortable and stylish shoes (see "Fall In Love With Comfy Shoes"):

I recently read this in an online news article concerning the recession and its effect on health:

... Strange as it may seem, bad times can also be good for health. Forget individual health for a minute. This is about the macro picture, the health of entire societies. And there, statistics show that as economics worsen, traffic accidents go down, as do industrial accidents, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking. Population-wide, even deaths from heart disease go down during recessions.

"Deaths go down when unemployment goes up," says Christopher J. Ruhm, professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who for the last few years has been publishing counterintuitive and controversial papers on the economy and health. Put total mortality numbers on a spreadsheet, he's found, and the population's physical well-being improves as just about every measure of economic health dips.

So, I guess all those people biking to work now have never been in better health. And, because we’re eating out less to save money we’re probably eating lots healthier at home: smaller portions, less calories, less preservatives, etc.

Talk about trying to find a silver lining (or, maybe just a brass or copper lining, because this is a recession ...). Interesting, huh?

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This is Andrew The Plant. I adopted him in July (or maybe it was August) when I walked into the copy room here at Southern Living and found him sitting on the give-away table that regularly houses books, unwanted candy, and, most recently, a smiley face coffee cup. I held that coffee cup in my hand for approximately seven seconds before I put it back down. I should have taken it.

Anyway, I have no idea what kind of plant Andrew The Plant is. He is green and leafy. (I left the water bottle in the photo for scale.) I water him everyday Monday through Friday, but he still droops and looks kind of sad. I should ask my colleague down the hall what I’m doing wrong, but I guess my pride has prevented me from doing so. I mean, I’m 22 years old and this plant seems pretty basic – it doesn't even have flowers – if I can’t keep it alive, I should probably reevaluate my existence.

Can you help? If you recognize what kind of plant Andrew The Plant is, let me know and I can do some research into what I might be doing wrong. I love having a plant in my cube, but I want to make sure I can do so without killing it. You know, because a live plant is so much better than a dead one.

EDIT: In this photo, Andrew The Plant actually looks full and beautiful. But in real life, he does look kind of brown and sad. Help please.

I can't personally speak to the quality of sugar-free candy (or possibly, sugar-free anything), but we have a few sweet alternatives for Halloween.

Maybe you're looking to cut sugar, or maybe you need a diabetic-friendly option.

Among the choices:

• Sorbee
• Peeps
• Baskin-Robbins Sugar-free Hard Candy
• Werther’s Caramel Mint Hard Candies
• Orbit Citrusmint and Trident Splash

A reviewer at You've Got to Taste This tried the Peeps: "I think these are a fun addition to the Halloween candy lineup, but I actually would prefer a bite of chocolate or some peanuts."

Are sugar-free candies worth the trouble?

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A few weeks ago I wrote about my attempts to get back into working out on a regular basis (see "Fall Fitness: Running for the Rest of Us"). Several weeks later, I've taken small steps (which is what we always advocate), signing up for an exercise class. The first one was a blast. But I haven't been back since. I have an excuse for part of the time: I've been traveling.

But what about the other classes I've missed? No excuse there!

My new inspiration for penciling in (and keeping) my workout sessions: Workout Mommy, which features interviews with busy women who make the time to get fit. This blog is written by a personal trainer who faces the same challenge that many of us do, namely, how to incorporate exerise into our busy lives and make it fun.

Looking for more Halloween family activities? The YMCA in Suffolk, Virginia, has some great ideas:

Try preparing a food this month using pumpkin, such as a pumpkin shake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup or bake pumpkin seeds. Many brands of canned pumpkin contain just pumpkin, with no additional ingredients, making it an affordable and healthy choice.

Pick your own pumpkin from a pumpkin patch this fall.

Instead of buying candy, head to a bulk party store, Halloween store, or club warehouse for some fun, inexpensive and simple party items:

• Mini crayons,
• bubbles,
• play dough,
• temporary tattoos,
• bouncy balls,
• rubber bugs,
• spider rings,
• decorated pencils,
• festive erasers,
• animal crackers,
• pretzels.

What's your family doing for Halloween next week?

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Here’s a quick and easy recipe I saw in a magazine: It’s diabetes-friendly, Southwest-inspired, and loaded with black beans (which I love). Sounds tasty, too.

Black Bean Side Salad

• 1/2 15-oz. can black beans
• 1 finely chopped plum tomato
• 1 minced scallion
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp. minced cilantro
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin
• Salt (optional)
• Pepper

In a small bowl, combine rinsed and drained black beans with plum tomato, scallion, red bell pepper, and cilantro; toss. In a measuring cup, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, ground cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour over bean mixture and toss again.

Serves two to four.

Per serving (1/4 of recipe): 64 cal., 2 g fat (0g. Sat.), 0 mg chol., 3g fiber, 3 g pro., 10 g carb., 323 mg sod.

I'll let you know if I decide to make this and will post a thumbs up or down.

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Parents: Looking for ways to make Halloween less about sugary candy and more about getting dressed up and having fun?

Scary good tips, after the jump ...

Folks usually think about two things at Halloween: costumes and candy. We'd like to present an alternative to sugary sweets, especially for children: healthy Halloween treats.

We found a few recipes over at iVillage to put you in the spooky spirit:

• Caramel Honey Apples
• Take-Along Snack Mix
• Spice Pretzels
• Dough Pretzels
• Hermits
• Spicy Roasted Soybeans
• Spooky Honey Popcorn Balls

Do you have a favorite recipe that provides a lighter option than bags of candy?

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Erin posted a couple days ago tips for saving time and gas money by minimizing trips to the pharmacy by maximizing how you spend your time there. But what if you can’t even make it to the pharmacy, or there is no point in going because you know you can’t afford your prescriptions?

The New York Times ran this article on the front page today, and I think it speaks to the troubles we face as a country in this struggling economy. It also reminded me of an experience I had as a broke college student several months back.

A round-up of health-related news and trends from sources around the South ...

South Florida fitness on the cheap: In these tough economic times, the Miami Herald looks for cheap or free options for staying in shape. Ask around in your town: Maybe there's a low-cost option to joining the gym or buying workout equipment.

Triathlons for kids are fun alternatives to team sports: This puts me to shame. I'm trying to fit in a walk or two a week. But these kids, profiled in the Dallas Morning News, are doing triathlons.

Nine-year-old Madi Young of Rockwall couldn't contain her excitement after finishing a recent kids' triathlon. "I can't believe I just did that," she said after completing the 50-meter swim, 3-mile bike course and half-mile run. "It was really fun knowing that I could do this and knowing that my family was cheering me on."

Wow!

Coke CEO: Sodas not to blame for U.S. obesity: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears it from the top guy at Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta:

Muhtar Kent: "People need to understand that obesity is not about a beverage or a candy bar or a restaurant meal or a PlayStation game or about working longer hours. It’s a systematic lifestyle issue that we must address individually and collectively as a society.”

Are we, as a society, willing to change our lifestyles for the better?

Heat treatment takes care of varicose veins: Surgery has been the traditional method for dealing with varicose veins. But a new treatment, featured by the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, involves "a local anesthetic, an ultrasound, a radio-frequency catheter and some searing heat (248 degrees Fahrenheit) to seal her veins from the inside out."

Ouch. But the patient walks out in an hour after treatment.

Nonprofit rescues Physicians Reach Out: Good news in Charlotte. The Observer reports that Physicians Reach Out, a volunteer medical organization that provides care to more than 2,000 poor, uninsured residents, will survive. Another nonprofit group is taking over Nov. 1.

It'll be interesting to see how folks make adjustments and take care of themselves in these lean times.

See an interesting health story? E-mail it to us.

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So I was going through my daily morning routine of reading The New York Times when I discovered this really neat article on blood. It’s something none of us really think about, but can’t live without. Also it seems timely that they would publish it less than two weeks before Halloween.

Each year, American make 2.2 billion trips to the pharmacy for prescriptions. I think that I might be responsible for 1 billion of those trips. At least it feels like that when I'm sitting in the drive-through at my friendly neighborhood pharmacy. And my family is relatively healthy. But between sinus infections and other minor maladies, it seems like my car is on often autopilot to the pharmacy.

Recently I've discovered a few tips to reduce your time at the pharmacy and number of trips. Perhaps some of you savvy consumers have been utilizing these strategies for a while. But just in case, these thoughts just might save you some time and gas:

I’m back from Charlotte! I had a great time and really enjoyed the city. As I wrote last Wednesday, I had never been there before so everything was new to me. I packed a lot of stuff into just two short days – learn more about my trip after the jump.

Until recently, I preferred my grits cream of wheat style—with a little butter and sugar. Now, I do them as a savory, with a little salt and maybe a sprinkle of cheese.

I’ve heard of all kinds of things to do with grits, though. As a substitute starch for rice or potatoes at a main meal, baked into a casserole—there’s even this one lady out there that makes jewelry out of them.

Cooking video on the jump ...