Is shopping leading you to get fit?
Shopping may not be good for our bank accounts, but it's certainly doing us good fitness-wise.
New research has found that shopping mad British women walk more than 200 miles, the equivalent of eight marathons, each year simply by hitting their favourite stores.
The study, by PromotionalCodes.org.uk discovered that women walk two miles over a three-hour period during a twice weekly average shopping trip.
Over a year, that equates to walking 208 miles and burning off 14,844 calories, or 67 bars of chocolate.
A spokesperson for PromotionalCodes.org.uk said: “Most of us see popping to the shops as a leisurely pastime. However, over a three hour shopping trip you can easily cover off a couple of miles, more if you’re striding out from one end of town to the other, so you get a bit of a workout as well as indulging yourself.
“I think most of us would agree a trip to the shops beats the gym every time. The results might not be the same, but think of the fun you’ll have.”
During a lifetime, shoppers can expect to walk over 12,000 miles a little more than walking from London to Sydney (10,557miles) as the crow flies.
One of those who took part commented: “I love to shop and can easily waste hours pottering around stores over the weekend. While I’m out I don’t give a lot of thought to how far I’ve walked, but by the time I get home my feet are killing me so I know I’ve gone some distance.”
The study was carried out with a group of 20 shoppers who were asked to wear a pedometer when out shopping over a four week period to measure the distance they walked.
Small trips to buy everyday essentials were not included in the study which instead focused on the weekly supermarket shop and visits to shopping centres, the high street and city centre retailers.
Another participant added: “I can easily walk from one end of town to the other a couple of times during a shopping trip. I always end up buying the first thing I saw which is inevitably at the opposite end of town to where I end up!”
A female shopper said: “It never crossed my mind I was exercising while out shopping – it’s certainly more fun than going to the gym. There’s the walking which is great cardio exercise, stretching by picking things off high shelves and racks, and a work out for the arms carrying all those heavy bags of goodies home.”
Tagged in fitness tips Workout