Shop for Groceries to Burn Calories

Calorie burning can be a daunting task if you aren’t a huge fan of exercise. But burning calories doesn’t have to always be accomplished through killer complex workouts. There are several things that most people do on a regular basis that burn calories, and you don’t even have to think about them! For example, grocery shopping is a task that nearly everyone participates in, on a regular basis. Why not turn a grocery shopping trip into an opportunity to burn calories? Now there are people out there who already feel like going to the supermarket is a huge chore, but maybe if you look at it as a form of burning off unwanted calories, it won’t be quite so horrible.

This will be helpful for those who don’t like traditional workouts, because on shopping days, you can skip the workout without feeling bad at all! Here are a few tips for making the most out of your shopping trip, in terms of burning away the excess pounds.

• Get one of the largest grocery carts available to put your items in. The bigger your cart, the more weight you will be pushing. Even if you aren’t going to be picking up very many items during your shopping trip, a bigger cart will still help you out with your workout goals, so always opt for the largest one available.

• Put your bigger (non-perishable) items in the cart as soon as your arrive at the store. If you know that you will be picking up a 50 lb. bag of food for Fido, grab that first. By placing more weight in the cart and pushing it around for longer, you will burn way more calories than if you didn’t add weight at the beginning. And if you aren’t expecting to get anything that will bulk up your cart, you can always place a large item (like dog food) under your cart when you arrive, and then put it back on the shelf right before you go to check out! As long as it’s not a perishable item, it will be just fine after taking a little trip around the store with you!

• Map out your grocery store and plan the trip ahead. It will help if you draw a little diagram showing where all of the different sections of the store are (dairy, produce, frozen, etc.) After you have your map, match up what is on your shopping list, with the section of the store that you need to visit to pick up that item. Then create a plan for picking up your items, intentionally mapping out the longest route possible to get to each item. Order the items on a list, in the sequence that you will be picking them up, and don’t get all of the items next to each other while you are at that side of the store. But you should always save your perishable items for last, so that they don’t spoil as you spend your time walking around the store. 
   

While some people would hate the idea of getting a workout while they shop, because they hate shopping altogether, there are those who would much prefer an extended shopping trip to running correctly! If you fall into this category, just look for ways to extend your shopping trip, and by following the tips above, you will be burning even more calories than you would if you were just walking around outside. And don’t forget that you will continue to burn as you load the groceries into your car, and then take them into your house and put them away! The key to weight loss is to burn the excess calories that your body won't utilize right away, so by following these tips, you will be well on your way to good health!

About the Author

Emma Green Emma Green is a resident of Southern Utah. She is passionate about dogs and health. You can visit Emma on her blog at treadmillreview.com, or on Google+. Feel free to contact her with any questions at emmagreenie@live.com