Turkey Burn! Exercises to burn off the bird this Thanksgiving!
Have you ever wondered what it takes to burn off the bird?
The average person gains over 5 pounds during the holiday season. Between the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie, the average American eats between 3,000 and 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. The typical moderately –active women will use approximately 1,800 calories a day, and the average man needs between 2,200 and 2,400. This means that on Thanksgiving, we are eating nearly two days of calories in a single meal!
We did some math to figure out what it would take to burn off all these extra calories, check it out:
- 6 Ounces of turkey (340 calories) – 30-minute run
- Mashed potatoes & gravy (300 calories) – Burpees 60 sets of 10 burpees
- Half cup of stuffing (180 calories) – 30 minutes of Pilates
- Cranberry sauce (150 calories) – 20 minutes Stairmaster
- Roll with butter (180 calories) – pushups 18 sets of 20 pushups
- Piece of pumpkin pie (180 calories) – Elliptical 30 minutes moderate exertion
Now we are not advising you do all these but find little ways to stay active during the day. Some fun ideas include:
- Sing up for a Turkey trot – every year, thousands of turkey trots are held across the country. These festive runs usually range from 1k to 10k distances. Many of these events also support charity.
- Play flag football with your family or friends – split up into two teams, stick three flags in your belt-loops, and try to get the ball into the opposite ‘end zone.’
- March in a Thanksgiving parade – cities and towns host Thanksgiving Day parades, many are at least a mile long! Find one near you and rack up some extra steps.
- Go shopping on Black Friday – a full day of shopping means a full day of walking!
Be mindful, but don’t stress! If you are too focused on calories in versus calories out, you will forget about the essential part of this holiday which is giving thanks for the blessings in your life and enjoying time with your family.
