How Many Calories Do Dancers Burn During THON?
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Dancing in THON has always been a huge honor for those who have been chosen to represent their respective orgs, or those who were lucky enough to win the independent dancer lottery. But, staying on your feet for the full 46 hours its quite a difficult task.
Not only do the dancers battle drowsiness. They also must fight against the physical fatigue that will inevitably add up over the course of the weekend. Tired legs, sore feet, and numb backs are side affects that all dancers will likely deal with in some capacity.
The physical toll on the dancers’ bodies is undeniable. But it raises the question: Roughly how many calories do the dancers burn during the 46 hour dance marathon?
According to Livestrong.com people burn anywhere between 100-200 calories while standing. Factors that weigh into the total calorie burn are individual activity level, and how much the individual weighs.
We had two of our writers who danced in THON 2017 wear FitBits during the weekend. They took an average of more than 55,000 steps during the weekend.
For the sake of simplicity let’s just say the average dancer burns 170 calories per hour during THON. If that were the case the average dancer would burn a total of approximately 7,820 calories over the course of the weekend.
To put that in perspective 7,820 calories is equivalent to roughly 240 Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, 174 Oreo cookies, 49 bags of Skittles, 14 Big Macs, nine Philly cheesesteaks, or five large pizzas.
So while the dancers are doing their best to remain on their feet this weekend, at least they won’t have to worry about their calorie intake for a couple of days.
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