Eating well and being active go hand-in-hand. We need to eat a certain amount of food just to perform basic bodily functions such as breathing, digesting food, maintaining body temperature and keeping the heart beating.
Any extra food we eat above this daily requirement needs to be burnt off by being physically active, or it is stored as fat. So it's really a matter of finding the right balance.
The 'Burn it off' chart
Most people are surprised to learn just how much physical activity is needed to burn off that extra fuel, particularly high fat food and sugary drinks. The table below shows the amount of activity required for an adult male to burn off the energy contained in selected food and drinks.
|
If you consume. . .
|
Burn it off by:
|
|
Sitting still for
|
Slow walk for
|
Brisk walk for
|
Jog for
|
|
A glass of water (375ml)
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
1 apple (150g)
|
1 hr 10 min
|
35 min
|
17 min
|
10 min
|
|
A glass of wine (150ml)
|
1 hr 15 min
|
43 min
|
21 min
|
12 min
|
|
1 full-strength beer (375ml stubbie)
|
1 hr 52 min
|
56 min
|
28 min
|
16 min
|
|
An ice cream cone (80g)
|
2 hrs 6 min
|
1 hrs 3 min
|
32 min
|
18 min
|
|
1 chocolate bar (60g)
|
4 hrs 5 min
|
2 hrs 15min
|
1 hr 8 min
|
39 min
|
|
1 can soft drink (375ml)
|
2 hrs 13 min
|
1 hr 7 min
|
33 min
|
19 min
|
|
A large juice-bar juice (650ml)
|
4 hrs 16 min
|
2 hrs 8 min
|
1 hr 4 min
|
37 min
|
|
2 rashers bacon, (60g grilled, fat trimmed) and 2 poached eggs
|
4 hrs 18 min
|
2 hrs 9 min
|
1 hr 5 min
|
37min
|
|
2 rashers bacon (60g fried, with fat) and 2 fried eggs (100g)
|
5 hrs 46 min
|
2 hrs 53min
|
1 hr 27 min
|
50 min
|
|
1 meat pie (200g)
|
6 hrs 9 min
|
3 hrs 5 min
|
1 hr 32 min
|
53 min
|
|
Flavoured milk (500ml)
|
6 hrs 14 min
|
3 hrs 7 min
|
1 hr 34 min
|
53 min
|
|
2 slices takeaway pizza (240g)
|
10 hrs 6 min
|
6 hrs 3min
|
2 hrs 32min
|
1 hr 27 min
|
|
1/4 chicken (110g) and chips (170g)
|
10 hrs 53 min
|
5 hrs 27min
|
2 hrs 44 min
|
1 hr 33 min
|
|
1 serve fish (165g, battered and fried) and chips (170g)
|
11 hrs 45 min
|
6 hrs 53min
|
2 hrs 57 min
|
1 hr 40 min
|
*Calculated from Food Standards Australia New Zealand food composition tables, based on average energy expenditure for a 70kg, 40-year-old male.
Eating well and being active go hand-in-hand. We need to eat a certain amount of food just to perform basic bodily functions such as breathing, digesting food, maintaining body temperature and keeping the heart beating.
Any extra food we eat above this daily requirement needs to be burnt off by being physically active, or it is stored as fat. So it's really a matter of finding the right balance.
The 'Burn it off' chart
Most people are surprised to learn just how much physical activity is needed to burn off that extra fuel, particularly high fat food and sugary drinks. The table below shows the amount of activity required for an adult male to burn off the energy contained in selected food and drinks.
|
If you consume. . .
|
Burn it off by:
|
|
Sitting still for
|
Slow walk for
|
Brisk walk for
|
Jog for
|
|
A glass of water (375ml)
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
1 apple (150g)
|
1 hr 10 min
|
35 min
|
17 min
|
10 min
|
|
A glass of wine (150ml)
|
1 hr 15 min
|
43 min
|
21 min
|
12 min
|
|
1 full-strength beer (375ml stubbie)
|
1 hr 52 min
|
56 min
|
28 min
|
16 min
|
|
An ice cream cone (80g)
|
2 hrs 6 min
|
1 hrs 3 min
|
32 min
|
18 min
|
|
1 chocolate bar (60g)
|
4 hrs 5 min
|
2 hrs 15min
|
1 hr 8 min
|
39 min
|
|
1 can soft drink (375ml)
|
2 hrs 13 min
|
1 hr 7 min
|
33 min
|
19 min
|
|
A large juice-bar juice (650ml)
|
4 hrs 16 min
|
2 hrs 8 min
|
1 hr 4 min
|
37 min
|
|
2 rashers bacon, (60g grilled, fat trimmed) and 2 poached eggs
|
4 hrs 18 min
|
2 hrs 9 min
|
1 hr 5 min
|
37min
|
|
2 rashers bacon (60g fried, with fat) and 2 fried eggs (100g)
|
5 hrs 46 min
|
2 hrs 53min
|
1 hr 27 min
|
50 min
|
|
1 meat pie (200g)
|
6 hrs 9 min
|
3 hrs 5 min
|
1 hr 32 min
|
53 min
|
|
Flavoured milk (500ml)
|
6 hrs 14 min
|
3 hrs 7 min
|
1 hr 34 min
|
53 min
|
|
2 slices takeaway pizza (240g)
|
10 hrs 6 min
|
6 hrs 3min
|
2 hrs 32min
|
1 hr 27 min
|
|
1/4 chicken (110g) and chips (170g)
|
10 hrs 53 min
|
5 hrs 27min
|
2 hrs 44 min
|
1 hr 33 min
|
|
1 serve fish (165g, battered and fried) and chips (170g)
|
11 hrs 45 min
|
6 hrs 53min
|
2 hrs 57 min
|
1 hr 40 min
|
*Calculated from Food Standards Australia New Zealand food composition tables, based on average energy expenditure for a 70kg, 40-year-old male.