The festive season is upon us already and thanks to lots of pre-Christmas functions and parties, many of us end up overindulging. If you promise you’ll make up for it by stepping up the amount of exercise you do, you could be in for a shock. You may have to do a lot more than you think. Here’s how much activity you have to do to burn off the food – or drink – you’ve pigged out on!
Top tips to avoid pigging out
Eat something filling before you go out, such as an apple, protein bar or wholegrain toast.
Sip water. It will fill you up so you don’t eat so much, and it will also slow down the rate at which you drink alcohol.
Don’t stand near the food table. If it’s right there, it’s easier to give into temptation.
If you are going to a buffet, only go up once to get food, or use a side plate instead of a large dinner plate.
Slice of Christmas cake – Mountain biking for 30 minutes
Piece of Christmas pudding – Aerobics for 45 minutes
Slice of chocolate log – Boxing for around 20 minutes
One Christmas mince pie – Jogging for 15 minutes
Glass of Baileys – Skipping for 15 minutes
1 can of Coke – Swimming for 30 minutes
1 glass of wine – 30 minutes brisk walking
1 medium serve fries – Jogging at 8km/h for 42 minutes
1 slice of pizza – Dancing energetically for 30 minutes
Medium blueberry muffin – Cycling for 27 minutes
Handful of roasted peanuts – Swimming for 22 minutes
Piece of chocolate cake – Brisk walking for 60 minutes
1 cup of stuffing – Walking on a treadmill for 45 minutes
Slice of cheesecake – High-impact aerobics session lasting 45 minutes
** These are a guide only – how much exercise you will need to do depends on factors such as your weight and how hard you work out.*
