How To Burn Off Your Favorite Comfort Foods
Going overboard during the holidays can make it hard to stick to your diet and fitness goals, and leave you feeling guilty later. However, rather than totally eliminating the foods you love most, you can work to counteract indulgences.
A slice of pizza
That delicious slice of pizza sure did hit the spot. But even though you may know it has 120 calories per slice, you may not realize how much movement it will take to burn it off.
Combat it with 40 minutes of housework.
A 12-ounce can of soda
Did you ever hear the saying “Don’t drink your calories”? Well, with 140 calories per 12 ounces of soda, you’ll need to be more active to negate these calories.
Combat it with 50 minutes of yoga.
One hard shell taco
You had one hard shell taco. This doesn’t seem so bad, right? Well, at 170 calories per taco, you could easily be eating your way to hours’ worth of exercise needed to get rid of these calories.
Combat it with 45 minutes of Pilates.
One glazed doughnut
If you think breakfast items aren’t as caloric as desserts, think again. With 360 calories, a single glazed donut requires about 60 times as much exercise to negate it as it does to eat it.
Combat it with 60 minutes of dancing.
Fried chicken
Chicken breast is relatively healthy, right? Wrong. Breading and frying chicken breast transforms an ordinarily healthy option into something fatty, and full of cholesterol.
Combat it with 35 minutes of jumping rope.
Large movie popcorn
If you’re going to the movies, skip the popcorn. Full of butter and fat, a large-sized movie popcorn snack will set you back about 450 calories—as many as a light meal!
Combat it with 60 minutes of jogging.
Cheeseburger and fries
Splurging on a cheeseburger and fries? Well, no big deal as long as you have time to exercise afterwards. A cheeseburger and a side of fries made at home comes in at about 640 calories.
Combat it with 75 minutes of stair climbing.
Cheesecake
Dessert tastes better when enjoyed only occasionally. Especially because a single piece of cheesecake can contain about 710 calories. If you knew the calorie count before, would you still eat it?
Combat it with 95 minutes of cycling.
*Calorie burn totals are based on recommended daily calories. Keep in mind these are estimates, as the actual amount of time you need to work out varies with many factors, such as your weight and your fitness level.