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Work Off What You've Eaten Up On Thanksgiving

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 28, 2008

TAMPA - You overate. You sneaked some skin off the turkey, piled the whipped cream on your pumpkin pie, headed back for seconds.

Now, you don't feel so hot.

It's like a hangover, said Ty Pena, owner of Club BodFit in Carrollwood. Maxing out on carbohydrates can make you feel lazy and bloated. The best way to fight a food coma - besides not overindulging in the first place - is to drink a lot of water, have a light meal and get off the couch.

The average Thanksgiving meal packs 3,000 calories, according to the American Council on Exercise. You would have to run a marathon to burn that off.

Use common sense, though, Pena said. If you're normally sedentary, try a 30-minute walk, a light jog or a bike ride. If you exercise regularly, add an extra 10 or 15 minutes to your workouts for a week.

"An extra 15 minutes over a seven-day period would work to try to burn it off, instead of killing it all off in one day," Pena said.

You Had … ? You'd Have To …!

To get rid of those extra calories that come with holiday means, you have to get off the couch. If you ate these foods, you'd have to do these tasks to burn off their calories:

Turkey (3 ounces of white meat, 132 calories) = Shop for an hour (147 calories)

Stuffing (half a cup, 177 calories) = Walk for an hour (183 calories)

Mashed potatoes (one cup, made with whole milk and margarine, 237 calories) = Bowl for an hour (219 calories)

Canned cranberry sauce (1 slice, 86 calories) = Play board games for an hour (73 calories)

Rolls (one, with a tablespoon of butter, 189 calories) = Cook for an hour (196 calories)

Red wine (one glass, 88 calories) = Rake leaves for 15 minutes (96 calories)

Pumpkin pie (1 slice and two tablespoons of Cool Whip) = Golf for an hour (329 calories)

Source: Calorie counts from U.S. Department of Agriculture. Number of calories burned varies based on weight, gender and intensity. Estimates are based on a 160-pound man and come from the Mayo Clinic, WebMD and Fitness Magazine's Web sites

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