Eating a bag of chips or a bowl of ice cream lasts only a few minutes. But did you know it can take more than 30 minutes of walking to burn off the calories you just consumed?
That’s right. It takes a lot of exercise to cancel out the calories found in many of today’s most popular foods. And when we eat more calories than we’re able to burn, that’s when weight gain takes over. Staying active and monitoring your calories can help you reach and keep a normal body weight.
Do the math — Women require 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day to maintain their body weight, and men require 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. (Yes — on average, men burn more calories than women!) But the actual number of calories you need depends on your age, weight, height and level of activity. Weight loss results from eating and drinking fewer calories per day than you use, and as you lose weight, your calorie needs may decrease. So watching what you eat and adjusting your calorie intake, even when you exercise regularly, is an important part of any wellness plan.
Test your knowledge here by matching the food with the physical activity that’s required to burn it off. See how you measure up.*
1. One chocolate chip cookie
2. Two sugar-sweetened sodas
3. Two medium slices of deep-dish pepperoni pizza
4. A double cheeseburger and medium French fries
5. One medium bag of movie theater popcorn with butter
6. Ribeye steak, Caesar salad and loaded mashed potatoes
7. Restaurant grilled chicken Caesar salad
8. One slice of Key lime pie
9. Large hot fudge sundae
10. Steak burrito with a side of chips and guacamole
____ A. 2 hours of biking at a rate of more than 10 mph, burns approximately 1,100 calories
____ B. 75 minutes of aerobics, burns approximately 600 calories
____ C. 3 hours of yard work, burns approximately 990 calories
____ D. 45 minutes of playing soccer, burns approximately 390 calories
____ E. 30 minutes of light weight training, burns approximately 110 calories
____ F. 3.5 hours of tennis, burns approximately 1,820 calories
____ G. 2.5 hours of dancing, burns approximately 825 calories
____ H. 1 hour of walking (at a pace of 3.5 mph), burns approximately 280 calories
____ I. 2 hours of vigorous basketball, burns approximately 880 calories
____ J. 1 hour of swimming slow freestyle laps, burns approximately 510 calories
*Keep in mind that the number of calories found in a specific food depends on how it’s prepared and the exact ingredients used. And the number of calories tends to go up dramatically when you eat at fast food restaurants. The time spent to burn off the calories in this quiz is approximate and based on a 5’10” male weighing 154 pounds and exercising under normal conditions. The amount of calories you would burn doing the same activities varies with your age, weight, height and other factors.
Quiz answers:
- E – Thirty minutes of light weight training will burn off approximately 110 calories, the amount in an average chocolate chip cookie.
- H – It takes 1 hour of walking (at a pace of 3.5 mph) to burn approximately 280 calories, nearly the same amount found in two sugar-sweetened sodas.
- J – Two average slices of deep-dish pepperoni pizza contain roughly 500 calories, and it would take around 1 hour of swimming slow freestyle laps to burn that off.
- A – A double cheeseburger featuring two quarter pound patties and a medium side of fries comes in at around 1,100 calories. That’s 2 hours of biking at a speed of more than 10 mph!
- G – If you enjoy buttery popcorn with your movie, you’ll need to dance about 2.5 hours in order to burn off that 800 calories.
- C – That steak dinner comes in at around 990 calories, and that’s approximately 3 hours of yard work.
- I – If you think a restaurant salad is low in calories, think again! At around 800 calories, you have to spend almost 2 hours playing vigorous basketball to burn it off.
- D – Goal! Follow that slice of Key lime pie with about 45 minutes of soccer to burn approximately 390 calories.
- B – That yummy hot fudge sundae weighs in at around 610 calories. Hit the gym for 75 minutes of aerobics to burn about that amount.
- F – The steak burrito, chips and guacamole are the heavy hitters on this quiz. You’d need to play tennis for 3.5 hours to burn approximately 1,825 calories.
