During the summer (and every other season, for that matter), it can feel like food is everywhere — from barbecues and pool parties, to happy hours and vacation.
While I’m all for indulging strategically, sometimes a small splurge can turn into a huge diet mess. To put things into perspective, I crunched the calories and figured out how much exercise it would take to burn off our favorite fattening fare. Care to test your nutrition smarts? It’s pop quiz time!
1. How long would you have to do high-knee exercises to burn off a small pepperoni pizza and two cans of soda?
Answer: 8 hours. This relaxing night-in will set you back 1,700 calories. You’d have to walk about 19 miles — or 6 hours straight — to burn off this pizza party.
2. How long would you have to hula hoop to burn off a chicken Caesar salad and a daiquiri?
Answer: Over 3 hours. Bottom line: Don’t be fooled by the word “salad.” Caesar salad is drenched in rich dressing and loaded with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Combine it with a sweet sugary strawberry daiquiri, and it quickly adds up to almost 1,500 calories.
3. How long do you need to dance to burn off barbecue fare (hot dog, cheeseburger, macaroni salad, coleslaw, watermelon and apple pie with ice cream)?
Answer: 6 hours! That barbecue weighed in at a not-so-cool 2,440 calories. You’d have to boogie down for 6 straight hours to high-energy music to torch those calories. That’s nearly 105 straight songs!
4. How many jumping jacks would it take to burn off chips, guacamole and two beers?
Answer: 5,000 jumping jacks because this snack session will cost you more than 800 calories! Consider swapping the chips and guacamole for a veggie and hummus platter.
For healthy tips, follow Joy on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and check out her cookbook From Junk Food to Joy Food.