Summertime in Indiana would not be complete without the county and state 4-H fairs. The local buzz, events, colors, sounds, and food brings our town a little extra spirit one week out of every year. While most fitness enthusiasts rave to avoid the fair altogether- I beg to differ. With proper discipline, planning, and decision-making you can have a great time to no expense of your waistline.
The best way to ensure a gult-free great time is with a solid strategy. Some strategies I suggest:
- Plan your meals. Eat beforehand or have a specific menu item that you will allow yourself to purchase. Do not purchase any extras from plan like extra fries, sodas, or other add-ons
- Walk the Fair. See the animals, talk to friends, and visit all the booths. Add these extra steps to your daily activity logs.
- Wear Sunscreen. Sunscreen, hats, and umbrellas may be helpful at large fairs. There’s often little shade available so it’s important to protect your skin & keep cool.
- Drink Water. The easiest way to cut calories is by drinking water instead of soda or other beverages. It’s also important to stay hydrated.
- Avoid Smoke. Many fairs are going smoke-free, but for the ones that are still smoke-friendly try to limit your exposure. Find the areas in which smoke is not allowed and spend most of your time there. If you are a smoker or with someone who is, please choose to smoke away from the fairgrounds.
- Find Fresh Produce. There’s nothing better than fresh-picked sweet corn and hand-grown tomatoes. Sometimes you can find fresh produce for sale at or around these fairs.
Ever wonder how many calories are in a Fried Snickers bar? Here’s a list of popular Fair Food items and their calorie contents:
- Fried Candy Bars (5 oz.): 444 calories and 29 grams (g) fat
- Funnel cake (1): 760 calories/44 g fat
- Cotton candy: 171 calories/0 fat
- Elephant Ear (2.09 oz.): 310 calories and 300 mg sodium
- Corn Dogs: 250 calories each
- Fried Pickles (50, small): 300 calories
- Lemon Shake-Ups: 254 calories/serving
- Carmel Apples: 360 calories each
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