How Many Steps Does It Take To Burn Off A Pint Of Ice Cream?

The number of steps it takes to burn off a pint of ice cream is at least partly based on the calories in the ice cream. Different flavors often contain different amounts of calories. The more calories in a pint, the more steps it'll take to burn it off. This, however, is only a fraction of the equation. You also need to account for your body weight and the intensity of your pace, which both affect the energy you expend, and thereby the calories you burn.

Ice Cream

The amount of calories in a pint of ice cream varies from flavor to flavor. A pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, for example, can contain almost 1,100 calories, whereas a pint of vanilla ice cream may contain close to 925 calories. On average, you're probably looking at anywhere between 900 and 1,200 calories per pint to burn off.

Steps

According to estimates by the University of Oregon, the average person takes about 2,000 steps in a mile. The number of calories burned with these steps isn't the same for everyone. The more you weigh, the more energy you expend with each step and, in turn, the more calories you tend to burn. The pace of your stride also affects your energy expenditure. The faster your pace, the more calories you burn at any given time.

Body Weight

Walking at a pace of 3.5 mph, someone weighing 185 lbs. burns roughly 6 calories per minute, whereas someone weighing 155 lbs. burns close to 5 calories per minute. At 185 lbs., you'd need to walk 183 minutes --- or almost 11 miles --- to burn off a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. This equates to more than 21,550 steps. At 155 lbs., on the other hand, you'd need to walk at least 220 minutes --- or close to 13 miles --- to burn off the same pint of ice cream. In this situation, you're now looking at almost 25,900 steps.

Intensity

Increasing the pace of your stride to 4.5 mph boosts the number of calories burned per minute. Someone weighing 185 lbs. now burns close to 7.5 calories per minute, while someone weighing 155 lbs. burns just over 6 calories per minute. At this new pace, you need to walk almost 150 minutes --- or just over 8-½ miles --- at 185 lbs. to burn off the calories in a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. That's equal to about 17,500 steps, so you're cutting 4,500 steps by increasing the pace.