When it comes to fall treats, everyone has their favorite. From leftover Halloween candy to apple pie, there’s something sweet and delicious for everyone — and one of the most popular indulgences from the last few years is certainly the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This creamy autumn beverage is full of warming spices, sweet syrups for flavor, and typically topped with whipped cream. Unfortunately (and unlike black coffee), a Pumpkin Spice Latte is certainly not a near calorie-free treat. And it may require you to spend more time on the treadmill to burn it off than you’d expect.
What’s in a Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte | Starbucks via Instagram
A Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has an espresso base mixed with milk to make up the bulk of the beverage. Along with that are flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin pie spices along with a Pumpkin Spice Sauce for sweetness. The Pumpkin Spice Sauce primarily contains sugar, condensed skim milk, and pumpkin puree. And of course, on top of the drink is a heavy dollop of whipped cream and Pumpkin Spice Topping to complete the look.
As delicious as the drink is, it’s certainly heavy on the calories and sugar. One grande Pumpkin Spice Latte made with 2% milk with whipped cream is 380 calories, 14 grams of fat, and a whopping 50 grams of sugar. By changing the 2% milk to almond and getting rid of the whipped cream, however, one of these grande beverages comes down to 230 calories and 38 grams of sugar. Not great — but better than it was.
Exercises you can do to burn it off
Happy young friends running together | Jacoblund/iStock/Getty Images
If you’re going for a decent-sized traditional PSL with all the toppings, burning off could prove to be quite a task. Here are the exercises you can do to burn off those 380 calories:
30 minutes of jump rope: It’s time to dust off your jump rope and get ready for a cardio workout. A 150-pound person can burn around 135 calories after just 10 minutes of this exercise, which means after 30 minutes, you’ll blast through those 380 calories in your PSL and a little extra.
76 flights of stairs: Urbansome says research has found the average person burns about 15 calories for every three flights of stairs. This means that to burn off your whole drink, you’ll have to climb 76 flights total.
35 minutes of rowing: For a person who’s around 155 pounds, 30 minutes of rowing will burn a little over 300 calories. If you push that time up to 35 minutes, you’ll be able to knock out those PSL calories. This exercise can be quite taxing for both your upper and lower body, however, so 35 minutes is no easy feat.
38 minutes of burpees: Sound difficult? We can’t imagine doing 38 minutes of pure burpees, but since 10 minutes of burpees equals around 100 calories burned in a person around 155 pounds, that’s how long you’d need to do this exercise for. If you do want to give this a go, try switching off with a burpee variation every five minutes or so, or simply add them into your next high-intensity interval workout for that extra push.
36 minutes of running intervals: If you love going for a jog, try amping up your workout with sprint intervals to keep that calorie burn high (it also makes the workout more challenging). After 30 minutes of intervals, a 150-pound person can expect to burn around 320 calories, so a few extra minutes here will burn off that PSL completely.
33 minutes of swimming: If you’re looking for exercises that are easier on the joints, then swimming is a great way to go. A 155-pound person can burn around 350 calories after 30 minutes of vigorous swimming, so keep this in mind.
35 minutes of spinning: If you love the intensity of a spin class, you can rest easy knowing you’re definitely going to burn off your PSL completely within an hour-long class. In fact, a 150-pound person can burn up to 500 calories in just 45 minutes on their stationary bike. This might be one of the most efficient calorie-burning exercises of all time.
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