The Gym or Kingsbury Garba Hall…which would you choose?
The energy is electrifying from start to finish as soon as the music plays its first note. And there are plenty of you who start Garba from that note and continue till the last! Without stopping!!!!
Ask me to do an hour on the treadmill or exercise class – and I’m already thinking of excuses not to go yet when Navratri comes along – the prospect of getting involved in what is, a cardiovascular activity, phases only a select few.
So it got me thinking…have you ever wondered how many calories are shredded each night of Navratri?
It’s something that has intrigued me since I started to take on a healthier lifestyle. I wanted to know on average how many steps were taken, distance covered and calories burnt. All I needed were two eager volunteers who were happy to accessorise their attire with a small gadget – the pedometer. They came in the form of Bansi Sagar – our very own 12-step tutor and Praful Mama (as he’s known to the community), our Garba legend over many decades.
On suggesting the pedometer, it was described as being too “ugly” to wear and so understandably I was asked “please bootify for me….I’m wearing green”.
A trip to Hobby Craft was necessary to purchase green glitter and PVA glue!
Here are the results…
Bansi:
Total steps – 12,293
Distance covered 4.9km (equivalent from Wembley Stadium to Kingsbury High School)
Calories burnt – dependent on stride/distance covered and weight.
Praful Mama
Total steps – 8200
Distance covered 3.1km
Calories burnt
Now, we didn’t want to leave calculations unturned so we estimated weights to give you some idea. This is what our findings came up with but please note, these results are dependent on weight
Conclusion
A female, weighing on average 135-140Ilbs moving at about 3mph (average speed at Garba) and covering the distance Bansi covered will burn between 218 and 230 calories
A male, weighing on average 168Ilbs, moving at an average (Praful Mama speed) of 4mph, covering the distance he did, will burn 183 calories
The heavier you are, and the faster you go, the more calories you burn even if steps achieved are less.
Combined, this means on average an individual, male or female will lose 206 calories per day if they achieved an average of 10,247. The number of steps recommended are 10,000 daily.
Over 9 days, you can burn 1854 calories. That is equivalent to:
- A day’s intake of food (3 meals a day) for women.
Men’s recommended calorie intake is 2500 a day
Women’s recommended calorie intake is 1800 a day - 8 bars of Snickers chocolate
- 9 pieces of Jalebi
- 350 grams of Home made Ganthia
It’s Sunday – how many of you had Jalebi Ganthiya this morning!!!!! - 8.5 cups of Muthiya Dhokla
- 104 Rotlis (home made)
Bansi commented: “It’s insightful knowing how many steps I took and in fact was already 4km round the Garbo. But to be honest, I only wore it because it was green and glittery”
So wouldn’t you rather attend Garba all 9 days and Sharad Poonam
to lose those calories and have fun whilst doing so…let us know your thoughts below.
