With Halloween upon us, there are lots of frightening things lurking about. But what may be scarier than the witches and werewolves are the sugary calories we could be consuming. It should come as no surprise that with the vast amounts candy around our calorie intake can quickly escalate. In fact, by handing out candy and sneaking a few pieces here there, your could easily gobble up between 640 and 1,280 extra calories. That doesn’t even include the continuous raid of the candy bowl after the holiday is over. So, the total damage could be a real horror!
Please know that we’re not here to rain on anyone’s candy parade; enjoy some of the scary good sweet stuff, just keep moderation in mind. To help balance out the candies we eat, try incorporating some additional cardio into your workout. But exactly how much more will you need to do?
Here’s a quick list that shows common Halloween candy and the amount of exercise needed to burn it off:
- Starburst, 3 pieces: 42 calories= Climb 10 flights of stairs
- Fun-sized Kit Kat bar : 70 calories= 10 minutes of elliptical
- Fun-sized bag of Skittles: 60 calories= 100 push-ups
- Fun-sized bag of Peanut M&M’s: 90 calories= 18 minutes of Pilates
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: 110 calories= 12 minutes of Spin
- Snack-sized Milk Duds: 53 calories= 125 jumping jacks
- Fun-sized Snickers: 80 calories= 50 burpees
- Fun-sized Hershey’s bar: 77 calories= 10 minutes of jumping rope
- Candy Corn, 20 pieces: 140 calories= 35 minutes of brisk walking
Not sure about extra exercise? Fear not! There are lots of ways to burn off the candy calories. Here’s a few ideas:
- Vacuum your carpets for 30 minutes and burn 100 calories
- Wash, wax and dry your car and burn 110 calories
- Scrub the kitchen floors and burn 200 calories
- General household cleaning for 90 minutes can burn 300 calories
- Yard work can burn roughly 250 calories
It’s not a good idea to try and burn off all the candy calories from Halloween in one workout or even in one day. If you overindulge in the sugary sweet, try adding a few extra minutes to your workout for a week or two. To talk to a fitness specialist for more tips, click here.
Looking to make a longer lasting change?
Try our Balance Program! This 12-week fitness program offers a personalized weight loss and fitness program to help you reach your goals. Join during the month of October and receive a FREE fitness membership!