The average person weighing 180lbs burns 197-214 calories per hour while shopping, depending on the specific shopping activity such grocery shopping, with or without a grocery cart, Non-food shopping, with or without a cart and carrying packages.
Who would have thought that shopping could be a great form of exercise? Burning calories while doing your grocery shopping or shopping for clothes or other things can have great health benefits.
There are so many different things that you can go shopping for, and no matter what you need to buy, you can still burn plenty of calories while running your errands.
If you think about it, your body does a lot of moving around when you are shopping. There is bending, twisting, climbing steps, walking and moving your arms. There’s no doubt about it, shopping can be great exercise, but exactly how many calories can you burn?
The number of calories that you will burn from going shopping depends on a number of factors, including your height, weight, time spent shopping, whether you are shopping with or without a cart and whether you are putting items away like groceries. Read on to find out how to determine how many calories you’ll burn by going shopping.
How To Use The Calculator
Using the shopping calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while you are shopping is very easy to do.
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To calculate the number of calories you’ll burn, just add your weight and the time you’ve spent or plan to spend shopping. Then select whether you are shopping with or without a cart or whether you are carrying your packages and hit “CALCULATE”. It’s as easy as that.
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the specific type of shopping that you are doing. You can choose from shopping with or without a cart or putting away items that you purchased.
- Enter the number of minutes you are shopping for
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
Our shopping calculator uses MET (metabolic equivalent of task) values in order to find out the number of calories that shopping will burn for you. This value is determined by a convention of 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of each minute while doing the specific activity [1].
The calculator has pre-set levels corresponding to the intensity that shopping gives you. Using this calculator will give you a realistic idea of how many calories you will burn while shopping with or without a cart.
MET
The primary purpose of using MET is to figure out your body’s energy output, and we do that by using this calculator. A MET value is the number that determines the energy it takes to perform various activities, such as shopping. The MET value is the ratio that shows the relationship between your active metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate.
The active metabolic rate (AMR) determines the calories you continue to burn. At the same time, you conduct your daily activities, while the resting metabolic rate (RMR) measures the number of calories you are burning when your body is at rest and not actively digesting.
Activities with a MET of 1 burn as many calories as your RMR, but exercises with a MET of 7 will burn seven times as many calories as your RMR. It means you have the opportunity of burning seven times as many calories.
Formula
Our shopping calculator’s formula to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
An individual weighing 120 pounds will burn approximately 131 calories from shopping with or without a cart. This activity has a MET of 2.3, which means that it burns 2.3 times as many calories as your resting metabolic rate [2].
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while shopping with or without a cart will look like for a 120-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (54.43 x 3 x 3.5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 19 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 131 calories per hour
What about putting away packages or carrying packages around the mall?
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Carrying packages or putting away packages burns slightly more calories than simply shopping. It also has a higher MET value, which is at 2.5, being the most active shopping activity that you can perform. This time, we are going to calculate the number of calories burned per hour for a 120 pound individual who is carrying shopping packages.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = (54.43 x 5 x 3.5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 38 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 143 calories per hour
How many calories are burned while shopping for one hour? (weighing 180 pounds)
| # | Activity Name | Met | Time Spend | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food shopping with or without a grocery cart, standing or walking | 2.3 | 60 Min | 197 Cal |
| 2 | Non-food shopping, with or without a cart, standing or walking | 2.3 | 60 Min | 197 Cal |
| 3 | Putting away groceries, carrying packages | 2.5 | 60 Min | 214 Cal |
What is Shopping?
We all know what shopping is, whether you love it or hate it. There is now a new reason to go out and start shopping and that’s because it can get your heart pumping.
Since shopping can burn calories, it’s not surprising to think that shopping can actually benefit your physical and mental well-being. Shopping can boost your immune system, keep your brain sharp, release mood-lifting endorphins and even fulfill your basic social needs [3].
Getting the Most From Your Shopping Experience
Walk, Don’t Ride
Why drive to the mall when you can walk? Riding on public transportation or sitting in traffic can be a drag. Why not skip that by taking a walk instead. If you live close to the grocery store or the mall, this is the perfect option. If you have a lot that you need to purchase, you always have the option of carrying a backpack.
While you are at the mall, it’s good to avoid escalators and elevators when possible. Using the stairs can also be faster and allow you to burn more calories.
Always Take the Long Route
When you’re shopping in a mall or grocery store, it’s a good idea to take the long route to get to your destination. If you know the store you’re looking for is on the other side of the mall, don’t be afraid to take the long route to get some extra steps in and burn some more calories.
Take A Moment to Stretch
Since shopping does use your lower body, it’s important to stretch before you hit the mall or grocery store. You may not think that stretching is necessary before shopping, but it can be extremely beneficial to get a good stretch in before doing any physical activity.
Use the Shopping Cart
Using the shopping cart when you’re shopping at place like the grocery store can help you burn some extra calories as well. When you’re pushing the shopping cart, you’re using your upper body strength, and if there is a lot of groceries in the cart, this can actually be a pretty good workout.
Skip the Assistance
If anyone offers to help you carry your groceries to the car, you should politely decline and take your items to the car yourself. Whether you need a cart to take your groceries to the car or just plastic bags, doing this will allow you to burn more calories.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do you exercise while shopping?
The best way to get exercise while doing shopping is to shop in-person. Online shopping may seem very easy to do in the comfort of your own home, but shopping in real life allows you to get some exercise while shopping.
Is shopping at a mall exercise?
Yes! We might not think about it, but we do a lot of twisting, bending, walking, climbing steps and moving our arms while shopping. Since shopping is primarily done by walking, you can burn a significant amount of calores just from shopping at a leisurely walking pace.
Is shopping a form of exercise?
While shopping itself may not be a form of exercise, many different muscle groups are worked while shopping, such as your calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and even some of your upper body if you are using a cart or holding a basket.
The Bottom Line
Shopping is a fun and enjoyable way to run some errands and also get some exercise in the process. There are many ways that you can find to burn calories by simply shopping with or without a cart.
How active you are while shopping will determine how many calories you burn. Shopping with a cart can be a great way to burn some extra calories as well as taking the stairs instead of the elevator when possible.
Be sure to check out all of the other calculators that we have to offer to get an idea of how many calories you can burn while doing any activity!
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- Arizona State University Healthy Lifestyles Research Center – Compendium of Physical Activities – Home Activity – Provides MET values for home activities, including shopping.
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, Meckes N, Bassett Jr DR, Tudor-Locke C, Greer JL, Vezina J, Whitt-Glover MC, Leon AS. The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Healthy Lifestyles Research Center, College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University. Retrieved May 11, 2015, from the World Wide Web.
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