Debenhams Claim Shopping Is Good For You

Carrie Bradshaw once said that shopping was her cardio, and a new study by Debenhams appears to show that she may have been right. The press release reads as follows:

“LOSE WEIGHT BY SHOPPING

Most British women cover an estimated 154 miles a year and burn an estimated 385 calories weekly, just by shopping, a new study by fashion store Debenhams revealed today.

As strict January fitness regimes grind to a halt with the wintery weather, this is the news British women will be delighted to hear. As well as searching out those last few sales bargains, they can also justify a post-shopping treat of a packet of crisps and two glasses of white wine with the calories lost.

Debenhams tested 10 shoppers (five female and five male) with calorie-counting pedometers and surveyed 2,000 female shoppers to gain an understanding of the health benefits of the nation’s favourite past time.

The average woman covers a respectable 2.96 miles every time she shops and spends approximately 2.5 hours browsing the shops each week. In contrast, men spend only 50 minutes shopping and cover just 1.5 miles.

Women take an average 7,305 steps each time they pound the pavements, almost attaining the NHS recommended 10,000 steps per day.

Ruth Attridge, spokesperson for Debenhams said, “The distance walked by an average British woman each year while shopping is the same as walking from London to Hull.

“This mileage is in addition to the stretching benefits gained while reaching for that must-have pair of shoes and strengthening arm muscles by carrying heavy shopping bags”.

There are no surprises that women like to shop socially, with 80 per cent spending longer on the High Street when they bring along a ‘partner in crime’.

However, while 84 per cent took shopping seriously enough to wear comfortable shoes, almost 50 per cent of women admitted they ‘shop till they drop’, walking for hours without taking a break to search out those purchases.

Perhaps accounting for the variances in male and female shopping duration and mileage, 62 per cent of women labelled themselves a ‘browser’ with 80 per cent regularly buying on impulse.

Ruth Attridge concluded, “Our research has shown that Britons love to shop and will happily while away the hours browsing the High Street. The added health benefits we have discovered mean that exercise and losing weight are easily achievable through everyday activities”.

“As 63 per cent of people surveyed did not regard shopping as adequate exercise, we encourage our customers to wear pedometers on their next shopping trip to see the results for themselves”.”

Although I have jokingly claimed that shopping was also my cardo, in reality I would have previously put myself in that 63% of people, as I didn’t really regard it as proper exercise. However, I can see how a brisk walk around a city centre could benefit you, especially if you park a little way out of town like I tend to do. Perhaps I will have to get a pedometer and check it out for myself.