The Christmas period is the ultimate time for overindulgence. For some the most exciting part of the holiday is all the different foods they will eat.
While it is not the time to be overly worrying about our weight, it could be important to those with certain health conditions. With this in mind, fitness experts have revealed the calorific impact of classic Christmas foods and drinks – and the workouts needed to burn them off.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mica Moore from fitness equipment providers Mirafit, said: “Christmas day is just around the corner, and it’s an exciting time to gather with loved ones and celebrate with delicious food and drinks. While it’s clear that the calorie intake on Christmas day is incredibly high, with 3,959 in total, it’s one day of the year when we can forget the diet and fitness goals.
“However, fitness enthusiasts may be determined to stay in good shape despite the high-calorie consumption, so these exercise tips can guide you to help you stay on track, from upper and lower body workouts to taking a walk with the family.”
Their calculations have been based on NHS data that lists 85.1 kilograms as the average weight for a man and for a 71.8kg woman.
Starters and nibbles
Starters such as smoked salmon and cheese and crackers are popular in the build-up to the main event on Christmas day.
According to Mirafit, a 100 gram serving of salmon alongside four crackers and a 20g servicing of cheese equals 280 calories.
Women will have to take a walk for 58 minutes to burn this off, while men will have to walk for 49 minutes.
Turkey dinner and all the trimmings
Calculations by the Mirafit experts show that the Christmas dinner racks up 1,499 calories, including the turkey with all the trimmings, so expect vigorous exercise to burn this off.
Running burns more calories than any other exercise, so this is the most practical option – women will need to run for two hours and one minute, and men will need to aim for one hour and 42 minutes.
“Running for a long period of time may be impractical, especially if this isn’t one of your typical workouts,” the experts said.
“Spread the exercise over a few days, or you could even do so over a week; with the latter, you can incorporate other exercises into the same workout, like strength training.
“If you opt for an outside run instead of a treadmill, wear bright colours to stay visible to drivers when it’s dark.
“On top of this, muscles become tighter and more injury-prone in winter due to muscles contracting to conserve heat, so it’s vital to stretch properly before your run.”
Desserts
While you may be stuffed after your dinner, the feast isn’t over until you’ve had dessert.
With a taster of traditional desserts, including Christmas pudding, yule log, and mince pies, you’re looking at a sum of 1,172 calories.
According to Mirafit, that’s an overwhelming four hours and 22 minutes of weightlifting for men, or five hours and 10 minutes for women.
The experts said: “While it’s unrealistic to commit to this length of exercise in one day, it’s certainly feasible to spread it out over a week.
“Spending just over an hour for four days, or five days for women, is sure to burn the calories you consumed from Christmas day desserts.
“Alternate between upper and lower body workouts to ensure you’re targeting all areas while simultaneously allowing muscles to recover.”
Drinks
It wouldn’t be Christmas day without mulled wine, eggnog, and even a couple of glasses of classic wine – but altogether, the combination of these drinks equates to 1,008 calories.
To burn this off, women must aim for one hour and 24 minutes of cycling, while men must complete one hour and 11 minutes, the experts said.