Can a Trip to the Mall Keep You in Shape?

When most of us think about exercise, we think about going to the gym and sweating behind some piece of equipment that hundreds of other people have sweated behind before us.  The thought of doing this is rather unsavory to most of us and to others it is simply a matter of being inconvenient.  There are some ways that you can get out and lose a little bit of weight along with staying physically fit while you are doing things that you would normally do anyway.  A good example of this is spending a day at the mall.  How can shopping at the mall help you to exercise and stay in shape?

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One of the main reasons that it is able to help you stay in shape  is because you will be moving around instead of sitting still.  If we are not at the mall shopping whenever we have some free time we may end up just sitting on the couch and watching TV.  At least when you're at the mall you will be walking around to a certain extent and stopping and starting.  You will not be burning calories as if you were running a marathon but it certainly will go a long way in helping you to stay in shape.  There are some things that you should look out for, however, so that you do not destroy any effort that you make in this regard.

First of all, you need to make sure that you are not giving into the temptation of the bad food that is available in many of these locations.  One meal at a restaurant can have enough calories that would completely blow any dieting that you have done for a couple of days.  As a matter of fact, an appetizer, hamburger and onion rings along with the soda can have two days of equivalent of calories in it if it is bought at the wrong restaurant.

That being said, there are some ways that you can increase your exercise while you are at the mall. Park your car a little bit further away so that you have to actually walk into the mall and make sure that you are taking the stairs, not the escalators.  If you don't have an option but to take the escalators, make sure that you walk up and down them instead of just standing still.  Remember, little things add up to a lot and the exercise that you get will pay off in the long run.