Burn it to earn it

Breakfast foods

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day. There are many options that will leave you full (and happy), but they aren’t all created equal. Find out which options will require the most steps to work off.

All conversions are based on a 2,000 steps/mile average for a person weighing 150lbs.

Pancakes

A long-time favorite: Pancakes. Topped with chocolate chips, strawberries, or butter and syrup, there are so many ways to enjoy a stack of pancakes. On average, three buttermilk pancakes contain about 430 calories, meaning you would have to take 10,059 steps to work them off.

ways to work it off

10,059 steps

  • • 60 minutes on the elliptical
  • • 50 minute run at 6mph

Waffles

The perfect waffles are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. It’s another breakfast item that you can customize however your heart desires. All that flavor comes at a price: one Belgian waffle has about 590 calories, which requires 13,802 steps to work off!

ways to work it off

13,802 steps

  • • 45 minute run at 6.5mph
  • • 45 min full body HIIT workout: 4x circuit of 20 reps of push-ups, chin-ups, burpees, squats, dips, squat jumps, bar rows and jumping lunges

Bagels

Bagels with cream cheese…lots of carbs and lots of love. A plain bagel with regular cream cheese contains about 320 calories. These calories add up to 7,486 steps.

ways to work it off

7,486 steps

  • • 60 minute aerobics class
  • • 60 minute dance class (like Zumba)

Avocado Toast with a Sunny-Side Up Egg

A sunny-side up egg on a slice of avocado toast is all the rage these days. Unsurprisingly, avocado toast was one of the top ten most Instagrammed foods of 2017. Depending on how much avocado you pile on, this popular food has about 229 calories, which translates to 5,357 steps.

ways to work it off

5,357 steps

  • • 45 minutes on the stair machine
  • • 30 minutes of circuit training

Cheerios

Everyone loves cereal. Depending on which cereal is your go-to, the calories will differ, especially because of the added sugar in most. We’ll pick a childhood classic: Cheerios. One cup of Cheerios with one cup of skim milk has only 189 calories, which would take 4,422 steps to burn off.

ways to work it off

4,422 steps

  • • 15 minutes jumping rope
  • • 15 minutes of rowing

French Toast

Fun fact—French toast is known as “pain perdue” in French which translates to “lost bread”. It is a breakfast dish soaked in eggs and milk and then fried. Delicious, but maybe not-so-healthy. Two slices of French toast with syrup has around 424 calories. It takes 9,919 steps to burn off this breakfast item.

ways to work it off

9,919 steps

  • • 30 minutes of spinning
  • • 30 minutes of rock climbing

Donuts

Donuts are clearly everyone’s guilty pleasure seeing as there are over 10 billion (!!!) of them made in America each year. A chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles contains around 280 calories. It would take 6,550 steps to burn this sweet treat off.

ways to work it off

6,550 steps

  • • 30 minutes of cycling
  • • 15 minute circuit of planks, burpees, and kettlebell swings
a sunny side up egg

With so many delicious options for breakfast, keep in mind you may have to do a lot of stepping later that day to burn off your choice!

More Calorie Comparisons

Nothing tastes as good as 10K steps a day.