Shopping As Exercise? It Burns 50k Calories A Year

This weekend, lace up your most comfortable pair of shoes and head out for a killer workout, but instead of stopping at your gym, head to your nearest mall. A survey reported in the Daily Mail found that women can burn up to 48,000 calories a year just looking for the perfect pair of shoes. On average, ladies make 132 shopping trips a year, which adds up to nearly 160 hours of walk time. That kind of activity can really add up, which is probably why 50 percent of women said shopping was more exhausting than a session at the gym.

But don’t quit your gym just yet. For a 150-pound woman, two hours of light walking will burn around 350 calories, and you can increase that number if you add a couple of heavy bags to the mix. Sure, that’s a pretty good workout, but it’s not exactly something us regular women can – or will – do several times a week, right? Done only once every two weeks or so, this kind of workout won’t exactly whip us into killer shape.

Nonetheless, a shopping workout is better than no exercise. If the choice is between hitting up the January sales for a new dress or spending your Saturday on the couch with some DVDs, choose shopping. Just steer clear of the food court.