How Much Karate Will It Take?
Pass the mashed potatoes and pour on the gravy! Be sure to save room for pie!
Once you’re done stuffing your face, cleaning your plate, and sleeping it off in front of the TV, you’ll eventually (hopefully) be headed back to your dojo. If you’re looking to work off all that festive feasting, we’ve done the math to find out exactly how many hours of karate you’ll need to do in order to burn off Thanksgiving dinner.
According to ABC News, the average American will consume up to 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, including appetizers, dinner, drinks, and dessert. (Pro tip: gi pants have elastic waists). Of course, the most delicious dishes — like sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and pie — are the worst offenders. But, never fear. What is done can be undone!
Fitness for Weight Loss tells us that a 150 lbs. person will burn approximately 360 calories for every 30 minutes of martial arts performed at an intermediate intensity. So, let’s assume you weigh 150 lbs. (for now. Don’t forget: there’s still Christmas feasting to be done), and you’re not a slouch in class.
But wait! We’re not taking into consideration how many calories someone burns in a day by just existing. The basal metabolic rate can be calculated to find that number. (This rate is different for men and women).
A 150 lbs. woman will burn about 1,400 calories at rest each day.
A 150 lbs. man will burn about 1,600 calories at rest each day.
Busting out the old trusty calculator, we find that:
(4,500 – 1,400) ÷ (360 x 2) = 4.3
(4,500 – 1,600) ÷ (360 x 2) = 4
(We multiply by two to get the answer in terms of hours).
That means a 150 lbs. woman will need to practice martial arts for 4.3 hours, and a 150 lbs. man will need to practice for 4 hours, to reverse the caloric intake of Thanksgivng. Our conclusion? Worth it. Happy Thanksgiving!