Thanksgiving is here! Hurray — family and comfort food! Growing waistline? The tryptophan haze from last year’s turkey almost made us forget — what we eat, we must burn off.
We’ve joined forces with the Virtual Reality Institute of Health and Exercise to come up with a helpful food and VR fitness guide that will help you keep fit instead of packing on pounds during the holidays.
Turkey
At Thanksgiving, the turkey is the main event for most families. Its spent hours slowly cooking, being basted to golden brown perfection, and is now ready to be eaten. Will you eat the dark meat or the light meat? The dark meat has tons of flavor but can have lots of excess calories when compared to the healthier light meat. These turkey calorie stats are based on a 3 ½ ounce portion or the size of a card deck.
Dark Meat (no skin): 192 calories
Dark Meat (with skin): 232 calories
Box VR burns 8 to 10 calories per minute
Play Box VR for 24 to 19 minutes (no skin) and 29 to 23 minutes (with skin) to burn it off
Light Meat (breast, no skin): 161 calories
Light Meat (breast, with skin): 194 calories
Box VR burns around 8 to 10 calories per minute
Play Box VR for 20 to 16 minutes (breast, no skin) and 24 to 19 minutes (breast, with skin) to burn it off
Mashed Potatoes
Whipped potatoes are a golden and carby side dish that goes perfectly with turkey. You’ve got your protein and carb, right? Check. Mashed potatoes also come with milk, butter, and depending on who’s making it, salt. Still sounds delicious. Well, eating a mound of mashed taters may complement your dinner but it will make you feel uncomfortable later. But, you can always look at the bright side and see that you’re getting a good helping of potassium as well.
Mashed Potatoes (½ cup): 100 to 200 calories
Hot Squat burns 6 to 8 calories per minute
Play Hot Squat for 16 to 12 minutes or 33 to 25 minutes to burn it off
Mashed Potatoes (1 cup): 200 to 400 calories
Hot Squat burns 6 to 8 calories per minute
Play Hot Squat for 33 to 25 minutes or 66 to 50 minutes to burn it off
Stuffing
Fluffy stuffing is warmth literally stuffed in and baked inside a turkey. It’s also the ultimate rival of mashed potatoes. Dun, dun, dun. Who are we kidding, why do you have to choose? It’s the holidays, you exercise and work hard, so why not indulge a little? Stuffing made with bread crumbs have carbs, some protein, and depending on the recipe can have a lot of sodium and salt.
Stuffing (¾ cup): 169 calories
Knockout League burns 8 to 10 calories per minute
Play Knockout League for 21 to 16 minutes to burn it off
Pecan Pie
Whoever invented pecan pie needs an award. This delicious, buttery, sugary and nutty confection is what some people refer to as — what they’re saving room for. We feel you. There’s nothing like your mom’s, grandma’s, auntie’s, friend’s pecan pie! There’s nothing sweet about guilt, so enjoy every bite (and the vitamin E, K, and folate) before you challenge your family to a round of VR games.
Pecan Pie (5 oz. slice): 541 calories
Thrill of the Fight burns 9 to 15 calories per minute
Play Thrill of the Fight for 60 to 36 minutes to burn it off
Pumpkin Pie
The idea of fluffy pumpkin whip inside a golden crust with a dollop of low-calorie whipped cream on top is making my mouth water. This dessert is a family favorite that debuts in October and lasts until the end of the year. Pumpkin pie goes great with coffee, tea, and milk but can be a sugar trap. If you’re like me, you’re going to need to wear some stretchy pants after your meal to digest, rest and then get back up to play a round or two of Holopoint.
Pumpkin Pie (1/12 of pie): 310 calories
Holopoint burns 13 to 15 calories per minute
Play Holopoint for 28 to 20 minutes to burn it off
Stay Motivated!
Grab a friend or family member to have fun and work off that Thanksgiving meal. This is the perfect time to show anyone who hasn’t experienced VR what it’s all about. Check out our growing selection of VR fitness games and experiences to keep you focused on your goals during the holiday season.