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What's the 'sweat index' for your favourite Easter treats?

by ABC Health & Wellbeing

How much walking does it take to work off those tiny Easter eggs? And what about that hot cross bun you ate for morning tea? You might be surprised at the activity you'll need to work off your favourite Easter treats.



[Image source: iStockPhoto | Tuned_In ]

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, there is one thing on which exercise and nutrition experts agree: your "energy in" needs to equal your "energy out".

When you consistently consume more energy through your food and drink than your body burns up with activity and in maintaining essential functions, you will gain weight, says Alex Lawrence an exercise physiologist with Exercise Sports Science Australia. (Bear in mind that factors like your age, how much muscle you have, and your gender also influence how much energy you expend.)

Yet despite this simple equation, many of us struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Experts say many of us don't realise how much energy (or kilojoules) is contained in the foods we eat, as well we fail to appreciate how much physical activity it takes to 'work off' these kilojoules.

"It's a lot more efficient to manage your energy consumption, than to try and work off the energy after you've taken it in," Lawrence says.

So with Easter coming up this weekend, we've come up with a sweat index to help you understand just how much exercise you'd have to do to work off your favourite Easter treats. (Who knows it might even inspire you to eat a little less in the first place. It's certainly a lot less work.)

1. 4 solid mini eggs (25 grams) = 30 to 40 minutes walking

You might not even remember eating those four solid chocolate mini eggs, but they were around 550 kilojoules. You could try walking the eggs off; a 67 kilogram woman (our average for this purpose) would need to walk for about 40 minutes, while an 80 kilogram bloke could manage it in 30 minutes.

2. 1 medium chocolate bunny (200 grams) = 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours kayaking

These cute little critters contain around 4420kjs. So while it might have only taken you about 15 minutes to eat the bunny, you're going to have to put in several hours of exercise to keep it off your waist. If you were to go kayaking, you'd definitely need to paddle for several hours  ladies you'll need to keep going for more than 3 hours and gents you can paddle back to shore after about 2 ½ hours. If cycling is more your thing, you'll be peddling for close to two hours (guys you can do a little under this time, but sorry ladies you'll need a little more).

3. 2 hot cross buns (144 grams) = 40 to 50 minutes running

You might have chosen the good old fashioned fruit hot cross buns (without butter or jam) for morning tea. But two of these still contain about 1800 kj, which means you'll be out running for around 40 to 50 minutes to work them off. (Take heart. If you'd had the butter and jam you would have been pounding the pavement for another 30 minutes or so.)

But Lawrence isn't suggesting you should bolt out the door for a run every time you eat a treat. He says it's better to make eating well and being active part of your normal routine, so the blips from things like Easter will have less impact.

"What we're trying to encourage people to do is make better lifestyle choices; to eat treat foods in moderation and to make sure they are physically active most of the time. That way when holidays, like Easter, come around they don't have to feel like they have to deny themselves."

Workout needed Treat Kilojoules 67kg Female 80kg Male Hollow egg 9cm long (1)/50g 1106kj 30 minute run 25 minute run AFL football egg (1)/300g 6636kj 3 hours 5 mins cycle 2.5 hours cycle Small bunny (1)/100g 2212kj 1 hour 10 minute swim 57 minute swim Large bunny (1)/500g 11060kj 3.5 hours squash 2.75 hours squash Fruit hot cross buns (2) with total 1.5 tbsp butter/144g + 30g 2757kj 1 hour 17 mins run 1 hour run Chocolate chip hot cross buns (1)/67g 1030kj 1.5 hours yoga 1.25 hours yoga

*Calculated from information contained in the Compendium of Physical Activities. For more information about the workout you get from different activity forms see our Exercise Guide.