It’s autumn, and that means one thing: pumpkin spice everything. From pumpkin spice muffins to oatmeal, poke bread, cookies, bread pudding, yogurt and — of course — the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte. If you love this delicious orange gourd, then fall is definitely your season.
But there’s one drawback to your favorite seasonal flavor. Those tasty pumpkin spice treats are almost always packed full of sugar, carbs and fat. If you’re trying to watch your weight, grabbing a PSL on your way to work several mornings a week isn’t doing you any favors.
One Grande (16oz) Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte with whole milk contains 420 calories, 18g of fat, 52g of carbs and 50g of sugar. Of course, there are a few tweaks you can ask your barista to make that will soften the blow: non-fat milk, no whip, etc. But you’ll still end up consuming about 260 calories and nearly the same amount of both carbs and sugar.
If you just can’t say “no” to a Pumpkin Spice Latte — or your favorite pumpkin spice treat — you’ll need to make time for extra exercise to burn off those calories. Here are six ways you can burn 400 calories in an hour.
Walking
No matter your starting weight, walking is a heart-healthy exercise you can do nearly anytime, anywhere. A walking pace of 4.5 to 5 miles per hour is enough to burn about 400 calories every 60 minutes.
Dancing
Get your groove on and have some fun with a fat-blasting dance workout. Most gyms offer dance classes from hip-hop to Jazzercise, salsa and Zumba. If you can’t make it to the gym, turn up some tunes and practice your moves at home for an hour.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of bursts of all-out effort followed by short recovery periods. HIIT is designed to get your heart rate up and burn fat more efficiently. An intense 20-minute HIIT workout can torch as many as 300 to 400 calories.
Swimming
Swimming at a moderate pace for about an hour will burn at least 400 calories. Swimming is also low-impact and easy on your joints. If you suffer from knee or back pain, opt for a swim rather than pounding the pavement on a run.
Biking
Even a leisurely 60-minute ride should help you work off the calories poured into your PSL. Kick it up and increase your speed or intensity to drastically increase your calorie burn.
Clean house
Think you don’t have time for exercise? Turn your daily duties into an aerobic workout. Spend an hour tidying up, sweeping, dusting and mopping and you’ll easily burn at least 400 calories. Just be sure you don’t spend too much time standing around. Have a plan of attack and stick to it.
Remember, no matter how much you love pumpkin spice, enjoy everything in moderation. To keep those PSLs from going straight to your waistline, be prepared to put in some extra fitness time.
