How long does it take to burn off Halloween candy?
It’s hard to Reese-ist indulging in candy, especially on Halloween.
Despite their “fun-sized” proportion, calories from those popular holiday confections can add up frighteningly fast.
The average American child eats more than 16 times the daily recommendation of sugar on average on Oct. 31, according to the National Retail Federation.
In fact, kids consume anywhere between 3,500 and 7,000 calories on Halloween, public health expert Donna Arnett previously said.
Parents, too, are consuming a scary amount of sugar — sneaking in a few morsels while doling out to trick-or-treaters, or picking up their kids’ candy-eating slack in the days that follow.
Americans overall are known to gobble down three to four pounds of candy during Halloween and about three cups of sugar, which is equivalent to 220 sugar packets.
To burn off that much of the sweet stuff, Cell Stress Research Laboratory found that adults would need to spend 720 minutes (12 hours) walking, cycling or dancing; 360 minutes (6 hours) running or swimming; or 1,008 minutes (nearly 17 hours) sweeping or vacuuming.
So don’t be spooked by phantom calories — read on to learn just how much you’ll sacrifice after being seduced by sweetness.
Mini candies and chocolate bars
Assorted bags from major candymakers, including shrunken versions of classics like Milky Way, Twix, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Kit Kat Wafers and more, are a Halloween mainstay — along with the calories they leave behind.
Each 2-piece serving of “fun-sized” treats (slightly larger than “minis”) is between 130-150 calories, which can add up quickly as part of the standard 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Someone who devoured 10 of the minis would have to do 3,500 jumping jacks to burn them off, Today reported.
But there are many options if you want to shed 150 calories, according to a medically reviewed article by Everyday Health.
For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds could walk at a medium pace for 38 minutes, bike at a moderate pace (12-14 mph) for 17 minutes, rake leaves for 33 minutes or vacuum for 53 minutes.
Simply existing works, too; reading for 103 minutes, watching TV for 132 minutes or sleeping for 147 minutes could also burn up to 150 calories — though you may get hungry again while you wait.
Candy corn
Some think of candy corn more as a trick than a treat. One 15-piece serving of Halloween’s most polarizing snack costs 110 calories, per Brach’s Candy Corn.
According to the Philadelphia-based organization Family Food, an adult female who weighs 144 pounds and noshed on 20 pieces — or 150 calories — of the tricolor candy would need to schedule a 17-minute jog to burn it off.
Skittles
You can taste the rainbow with these fruity snacks, but to burn off a fun-size pack of Skittles — which is about 60 calories — you’d need to jog 6 minutes, according to Family Food.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
This one’s the mother of all Halloween handouts: Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins and Bats are just like your favorite cups, with even more peanut buttery filling.
Just one of these hefty confections is 85 calories.
For a 125-pound person, weight lifting for 30 minutes will burn 90 calories, as will 30 minutes of other sports and training activities such as bowling and volleyball, according to Harvard Health.
As for everyday activities, spending 30 minutes grocery shopping with a cart will on average burn 85 calories.