Healthy with Halloween fun!

New research reveals that your favorite ways to celebrate 'spooky season' are actually good for you!

Calm aches with trick-or-treating

Taking the grandkids trick-or-treating or simply wandering around the block admiring your neighbors' spooky Halloween decorations can prevent headaches as effectively as daily doses of prescription pain meds can. What's more, it can reduce muscle stiffness and pain by 55% in 30 minutes. So say University of Iowa scientists, who found gentle strolls calm overactive pain nerves and relax tight muscles, plus they boost circulation to flush out painful inflammation.

Nibble on this jack-o'lantern leftover!

Next time you're carving a pumpkin, save the seeds! Turns out snacking on a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds each day could trim six points off your blood pressure, Jamaican investigators report. Thanks goes to potent pumpkin seed oils, which relax heart arteries and ease inflammation, helping your heart beat a little easier.

To do: Boil raw pumpkin seeds in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain water, then wipes away any leftover pumpkin flesh and pat seeds dry. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste.

Roast at 350°F until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Tip: The seeds are tasty in muffins or sprinkled over oatmeal.

OR GRAB A SEAT! If you're not in the mood for motion, relax on the porch. German researchers say any type of self-care, from relaxing in a rocker to reading, spurs the release of healing compounds that cut pain by 40%.

Sharpen focus with pumpkin carving