How much exercise do you need to do to burn off Christmas calories?
Christmas is creeping up on us again, and so is that festive weight gain. Although you might be busier counting presents than calories this season, there are some easy ways you can avoid that January guilt about over-indulging. By just burning off those extra calories you will consume this month, you can have your Christmas cake and eat it too!
Short daily bouts of exercise are very effective in helping you lose the negative effects of inactivity and over-indulging over the holidays. Whether you are going to the gym, working out at home or in the park, you can achieve your goals by working out daily, even if it’s by walking in a fast pace on your way to work, or dancing the night away at your office party.
Building muscle is important when working out, but cardio is a great way of losing calories fast. Try combining both to achieve the best results for your health and body.
Cycling
Credit: Tinny Photo/Shutterstock
There are around 1500 calories in the average Christmas dinner, which is more than half of your recommended daily intake, all condensed in one meal. Cycling is a great cardio exercise to help you lose those unwanted pounds, and the best part about it is that you are not restricted to going to the gym. You can cycle your way around town and work out simultaneously. The number of calories you lose cycling depends on the intensity and speed of the workout. If you would like to easily track your progress, there are numerous devices you can buy to help you with doing that. So, whether you are at the gym or on your way to work, grab a bike and start pedalling!
| Calories per serving | Workout time |
| 100g serving of Christmas pudding – 330 calories | 1 hour 26 minutes of cycling |
| Mince Pie – 230 calories | 46 minutes of cycling |
| A slice of Christmas cake – 220 calories | 40 minutes of cycling |
| Large handful of festive glazed mixed nuts – 240 calories | 50 minutes of cycling |
| Glazed ham and mustard sauce with red cabbage, roast potatoes and vegetables – 510 calories | 2 hours and 5 minutes |
Running
Credit: Izf/Shutterstock
Whether you run for the bus, in the park or on the treadmill, there are many benefits associated with this exercise – it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, it strengthens your joints, it is a killer leg workout, and it torches some serious calories. You can choose to sprint or walk briskly depending on your physical level, but try pushing yourself to do better every time. However, if your body tells you to take it easy, listen to it. It knows best.
| Calories per serving | Workout time |
| Two fondant chocolates – 120 calories | 22 minutes brisk walk |
| A prawn cocktail starter – 232 | 45 minutes brisk walk |
| A slice of Christmas ham served with roasted parsnips – 180 calories | 30 minutes brisk walk |
| A slice of nut roast covered in gravy, with vegetables – 370 calories | 75 minutes brisk walk |
| Two pieces of Turkish delight -120 calories | 10 minutes run |
| A small gingerbread cookie – 190 calories | 20 minutes run |
| A slice of roast turkey served with two potatoes and vegetables – 460 calories | 43 minutes run |
| Cheese served with crackers and grapes – 340 calories | 20 minutes run plus toning exercises |
| Mince pies (one pie) – 200 calories | Rower for 30 minutes (30 second sprints, 30 seconds rest) |
Skipping
Credit: Satyrenko/Shutterstock
It’s something we loved doing as children, and dread as adults. However, skipping can be a lot of fun, and if done properly it has many health benefits. Take it from online personal trainer Sacha Harding, who has said: ‘If you are looking for an effortless, yet very effective approach to losing unwanted calories, skipping is the way to go.’ Along with that, skipping helps with toning the muscles in the lower and upper body, it helps improving your skin, it keeps osteoporosis in check by improving bone density, and it’s the best tool for weight loss.
| Calories per serving | Workout time |
| Rum balls (one ball) – around 100 calories | Skip for 7-10 minutes |
| Pavlova (120g) – 272 calories | Skip for 25 minutes (with breaks every 10 minutes) |
| Candy canes (1 medium) – 56 calories | Skip for 5 minutes |
Feature image credit: CKP1001/Shutterstock
*This is a collaborative post.
The older I get the harder it is to take the pounds off,so I try to eat less and eat healthier.
This was really interesting I am actually on a diet lost 3 stone so far in 5 months and am dreading christmas as I love all the christmas food and its going to be so hard not to eat any
I am starting to do some exercise like cycling and running. It’s good for our health.
Jesus this has made me depressed haha! Going to need to up my exercise game well before christmas comes before I turn into a mince pie myself..
I never really think this way anymore. I think Christmas should be enjoyed and life should be lived in a healthy and balanced manner. Just make more wise food choices 🙂
Oh no, I can’t look haha, Istart eating mince pies the moment they hit the shelves so I really need to be on a constant treadmill
I love how you have included brisk walking in this guide. I find it’s the most achievable thing to do over Christmas.
I’m closing my eyes about the mince pies fact as I’ve already eaten three today 😉 x
I am happy that I am not a fan of the traditional Christmas meal and also that I will be traveling for the winter holidays, which means I won’t have a heavy dinner and I will walk daily. It’s interesting though how much time you need to cycle in order to burn off the calories of a simple slice of cake!
I don’t eat extra around the season, but I hope I’d get some time for exercise.
Really interesting, I think I’m definitely going to try and plan to keep active over Christmas!
After Christmas, it’s inevitable to not have weight gain after all those delicious food. But with proper exercise, you can just burn it off. Thanks for the tips,will keep this in mind.
I don’t stuff myself during the holidays anymore. It’s too uncomfortable for a start. I completely agree that a good holiday exercise plan is necessary. Last year I shed pounds during the winter months because I moved a lot more.
I wish I burned that many calories doing those things, lol! The thing about being smaller framed is that you actually have to work harder to burn off the same amount of calories as a larger person. It was interesting to compare FitBit data between myself and my friend this Spring when we walked Hadrian’s Wall – she’s quite a few stone heavier than me and burned nearly twice as many calories than I did doing the exact same work! Not fair….
I’ve already being planning to run at least 10 miles a week over Christmas. For me I think as long as you have that balance it’s good to eat a treat. It’s interesting to see how much exercise you need for certain foods though
This year, I hope I won’t indulge as much as usual because since I’ve been working out at the gym, I am so conscious of the amount of calories in my favourite foods.
It’s interesting to see what the calorie equivalent is, however I won’t be going out on a run to cancel the Christmas calories. It’s one day a year and I will be enjoying every bite 🙂
I am really dreading how much exercise and how good I’m going to need to be to cover my Christmas indulgences x
This is really interesting, I know friends who diet worry a lot about gaining weight at Christmas. I eat a lot all year round, but miraculously remain slim, so pigging out at Christmas is normal to me! haha!
I think January must be the busiest month for gym memberships as people get a reality check and realise they have over indulged and need to exercise. Although we should of course not wait till January. 🙂
Im going to try and eat less this year as trying to burn off the calories will be a nightmare
Very interesting how the calories add up
Thanks for the info