It's official: Shopping is good for your health

Feel free to shop 'til you drop as research reveals women burn up to 48,000 calories a year bargain hunting

Who needs the gym, as retail therapy can now officially be counted as exercise according to new research.

Experts who carried out the study for Debenhams, discovered that the average woman walks a staggering 154 miles a year bargain hunting, and can burn off an astonishing 48,000 calories in the process.

Pounding the pavements whilst carrying heavy bags has been declared as effective as hiking or weight lifting in the gym according to the latest findings.

The national department store tested their ‘healthy shopping' theory by attaching pedometers to ten participants (five men and five women) and surveying a further 2,000 shoppers.

They discovered that the average women walks 2.6 miles every time she shops, over approximately 2.5 hours, burning off a respectable 385 calories.

Men however reject the ‘shop till you drop' mentality and only spend approximately 50 minutes shopping, covering just 1.5 miles.

‘Shopping can be great exercise,' said Ruth Attridge, a Debenhams spokeswoman. ‘As well as walking, there are stretching benefits gained while reaching for that must-have pair of shoes and strengthening arm muscles by carrying heavy shopping bags

‘The added benefits we have discovered mean that exercise and losing weight are also easily achievable through everyday activities.'

Further to this, the survey revealed that 84 per cent of women ditched their heels in favour of sensible shoes, and half of all women skipped food or rest breaks in order to keep shopping.

Do you think shopping counts as exercise? Will you be swapping your gym for the mall? Let us know your thoughts below.

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