As January came around, many people’s thoughts turned with vim and determination to sales shopping. Off half the nation trotted, sharp elbows out, to battle their way through the department stores to get that discounted magimix or the perfect pair of boots.
Whether or not you managed to find the perfect buy or came home with a top three sizes too small you’re planning on ‘dieting into’, just the act of shopping could be good for your health. It has been worked out that walking between shops and lifting heavy shopping bags is like doing a workout, burning 385 calories a week for the average British woman.
The figures come from Debenhams, who tested 10 shoppers, half of whom were women and half who were men, and then carried out a further survey of 2,000 shoppers. They discovered that women browsing the shops cover an average of nearly 3 miles during a standard 2.5 hour shopping session.
Men however are less determined when they shop, spending just 50 minutes in the stores and covering only 1.5 miles.
The NHS recommends that people should take 10,000 steps everyday and a vigorous buying session comes close to meeting this target, with women taking an average of 7,300 steps per trip. The large number of steps is explained in the results of the shopper questionaire, where nearly half of the women who took part said that they ‘shop till they drop’, not stopping for a rest until they have found that they are looking for.
Debenhams said that the survey shows that not only that Britons ‘love to shop’ but that the health benefits mean that exercise and weight loss are easily achievable through everyday activities. Admittedly the statement is slightly flawed as unless you are a millionaire with no job, a 2.5 hour shopping session is not exactly an ‘everyday’ (or even ‘every week’) activity, but it’s still nice to know that searching for the perfect outfit is making you healthier!