Shopping counts as cardio?Who knew?The benefits of shopping are truly impressive when you add fitness to the list. We bet you didn't realize that all that time you spent at the mall trying to find the perfect new piece for your wardrobe, you were actually working hard to improve your health and fitness level. We're only half joking here. According to a study conducted by Wall's Solero Exotic, British women walk an average of 180 miles shopping every year.
According to Daily Mail, that's equivalent to seven marathons and 15,000 calories burnt for simply choosing brick and mortar stores over the keyboard. We knew that trying on clothes for just 15 minutes is enough to burn 100 calories, but we never realized how things really add up. Now, before using the study to justified intense weekly retail therapy sessions in the name of health you should know that according to the same study, a third of the calories burnt are wasted with snacks.
For 31% of the women interviewed, shopping sessions included treats like crisps, chocolate and biscuits that amounted to over 250 calories and one in ten women consumed over 1000 calories during those visit, canceling out most of the fitness benefits. We hate to be buzz killers. But not all is lost. It turns out that framed in this pleasant and a bit self-serving light, the idea that shopping could count as a workout would encourage 58% of those interviewed to eschew the modern convenience of online shopping for the not-so-old fashioned way of shopping.
Maybe pack a few baby carrots as a low calorie snack next time you indulge in a bit of retail therapy? Well, all jokes aside, including even the smallest amount of physical activity in your daily routine is crucial for everyone, even for those who describe themselves as 'active' to diminish the risk of serious life-threatening diseases later in life, so don't overlook any chance to make your lifestyle more active.
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