It’s that time of year again – the countdown to Christmas has begun, meaning plans for your annual office party will undoubtedly be set in motion. Whether you’ll be dining at a fine restaurant or going out for drinks, Christmas parties allow colleagues to bond and relax away from their desks, creating memories (and some regrets) that’ll be the talk of next year.
However, among all the festivities, did you know you could actually be burning quite a few calories? Check out these Christmas party classics thatcan surprisingly shed your seasonal calories.
How many calories are in the average Christmas meal?
Let’s face it, we all love tucking into a Christmas dinner, making a restaurant an ideal choice for a work’s gathering. Typically, while we’re indulging in our festive feast, we seem to forget the amount of calories we’re consuming, in fact – studies show we gain between 0.5kg to 1.3kg over the Christmas period.
These statistics are not too surprising, for the average Christmas meal contains 1,992kcal, with most of them coming from starchy favourite roast potatoes (3=520kcal), protein-packed turkey (208kcal) and the classic Christmas pudding (330kcal). Overall, this amounts to almost an entire daily calorie intake for men and women in one meal and four slices of Christmas log!
How much exercise is required to burn these calories?
Once the New Year rolls in, several of us set a resolution to shed our winter weight gain. However, with our Christmas meals overloaded with calories, burning this amount certainly seems a challenge.
According to England’s National Health Service, adults aged 19-64 should do a minimum of 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate aerobic activity (cycling or fast walking) and strength-related exercises (weight lifting or yoga) on two days or more.
This research indicates that in order to burn 1,992kcal – the average Christmas dinner – you will need to run for 125 minutes, cycle for 175 minutes or walk for 250 minutes. However, most will likely fail to schedule enough exercise to lose the excess weight gained from overindulging at Christmas. Through dancing, however, one can burn some calories, so perhaps you could use your Christmas party as an opportunity to burn calories while enjoying yourself.
Research indicates that in order to burn 1,992kcal – the average Christmas dinner – you will need to run for 125 minutes, cycle for 175 minutes or walk for 250 minutes
Dance off the calories
Dancing is a Christmas party fundamental, especially once the drinks start flowing. There’s nothing better than seeing your usually quiet and sensible colleagues showing off their embarrassing moves to cheesy music. However, among all that entertainment, you could actually be burning an astonishing amount of calories. After all, who’s to say exercise can’t be fun?
Remember – the amount of dancing required to burn off the Christmas kilos will differ from a high-intensity activity, so expect to be dancing for long periods. Swing dancing for one hour can burn 300-550kcal, which is equivalent to three roast potatoes; while the more intensive break dancing will burn 400-650kcal per hour, amounting to three glasses of mulled wine.
Unfamiliar with these highly skilled routines? Try the running man to burn 475-600kcal after 30 minutes or the robot to burn 60-75 kcal after 30 minutes.
Alternative ways to burn calories at your Christmas party
When it comes to burning calories, we usually indulge in a form of high-intensity exercise followed by post workout snacks. Aside from this, there are surprising ways you can shed calories without hitting the gym – even at your Christmas party. Naturally the numbers won’t be as high but every calorie lost counts!
Kissing a colleague under mistletoe: Things could not possibly be more awkward after this, especially if it’s someone you are not close to or have never spoken to before. Look on the bright side though – kissing a colleague for 30 minutes can burn 120kcal! Maybe you can explain these benefits when you return to work and face the dreaded embarrassment?
Laughing at Christmas cracker jokes: Christmas dinner would not be complete without crackers, despite their cringe-worthy jokes and disappointing gifts. Thankfully, all the hysterics will pay off, 15 minutes of laughter will burn 10-40kcal. Laughter is the best medicine after all.
Singing classic Christmas hits: Murdering Christmas songs on karaoke is a great source of amusement for all, even if your voice is left strained afterwards. Surprisingly, singing for 30 minutes can burn 68kcal, so start practising your favourite Christmas hit!