The holiday season is a time of celebration, family gatherings, and, of course, lots of delicious food. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, it’s easy to get carried away with indulgent meals, sweets, and drinks.

While it’s essential to enjoy yourself, it’s also essential to be mindful of your overall health and fitness goals. One way to do that is by understanding how long it takes to burn off holiday calories.

How do calories work, and what are holiday calories?

Every food and drink item you consume contains a certain amount of calories. Calories are the measure of the energy stored in food, and your body uses the calories you eat to fuel various functions like breathing, moving, and digesting food.

However, if you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess energy gets stored as fat, leading to weight gain over time.

Holiday calories refer to the extra calories you consume during the holiday season. These calories usually come from traditional holiday foods and drinks like turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, eggnog, and cookies.

While indulging in festive treats is a significant part of the holiday experience, it’s essential to keep in mind that excess calories can lead to weight gain and other health problems if not managed.

What is your calorie burn rate?

Before we dive into how long it takes to burn holiday calories, it’s crucial to know your calorie burn rate. Everyone burns calories differently based on several factors like age, gender, weight, height, and basal metabolic rate, among many others.

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain vital body functions like breathing, blood circulation, and cell growth.

To calculate your BMR, you can use online calculators based on your weight, height, and age. Your BMR determines the minimum number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain your current weight.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body burns regularly.

How long does it take to burn off holiday calories?

Now that we’ve established the groundwork let’s dive into how long it takes to burn off holiday calories. To lose one pound of body fat, you need to create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories.

Therefore, to lose one pound of body fat, you need to burn 3500 calories more than you consume.

Suppose you consumed 3500 extra calories during the holiday season and want to burn it off to get back on track with your weight loss goals. In that case, you need to create a 3500 calorie deficit through exercise or a combination of exercise and diet.

The number of calories you burn during exercise depends on the activity, duration, and intensity. Here are a few examples:.

1. Walking

Walking is one of the easiest and low-impact forms of exercise that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Depending on your weight, walking speed, and terrain, you can burn between 280-460 calories by walking for one hour.

To burn off 3500 calories, you need to walk between 7-13 hours, which can be split into smaller intervals throughout the week.

2. Running/Jogging

Running and jogging are high-intensity exercises that can burn more calories per minute than low-intensity activities like walking.

Depending on your weight, running speed, and terrain, you can burn between 600-1000 calories by running or jogging for one hour. To burn off 3500 calories, you need to run or jog between 3.5-6 hours, which can be spread out over the week.

3. Cycling

Cycling is an excellent form of cardio exercise that can help you burn significant amounts of calories while also being fun and enjoyable.

Depending on your weight, cycling speed, and terrain, you can burn between 420-700 calories by cycling for one hour. To burn off 3500 calories, you need to cycle between 5-8 hours, which can be split into smaller intervals throughout the week.

4. Swimming

Swimming is a full-body exercise that can help you burn calories while being easy on the joints. Depending on your weight, swimming speed, and stroke, you can burn between 400-700 calories by swimming for one hour.

To burn off 3500 calories, you need to swim between 5-9 hours, spread out over the week.

5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a popular form of exercise that alternates between high-intensity bursts of activity and short rest periods.

Depending on the intensity and duration of your workout, you can burn at least 500-1000 calories during a 45-60 minute session. To burn off 3500 calories, you need to complete 3-7 HIIT sessions throughout the week.

Conclusion

The holiday season is a time of celebration, and enjoying delicious food and drinks is a vital part of the experience. However, it’s important to be mindful of your overall health and fitness goals and avoid overindulging in excess calories.

If you do end up consuming more calories than you intended, you can burn it off through exercise and creating a calorie deficit. Depending on the activity, duration, and intensity, you can burn significant amounts of calories in a short time through activities like walking, running, cycling, swimming, or HIIT.