‘Tis the season of Christmas shopping. Have you left it all to the last minute? A mad rush might not be a bad thing after all...

Here are some great tips and ideas on how to utilise your time at the mall to create your very own shopping mall workout!

Walk to the mall
Is it really that far away? Surely on a nice sunny day you could make the trek and get that heart rate going to burn some calories. You could always catch a bus back if you manage to wear yourself out shopping - which is the key to our workout.

Make several trips back to the car
If you can’t bring yourself to walk to the mall, then how about unloading your purchases as you go? This will help you cover more ground and have the added bonus of keeping your arms and hands free so you can try things on and better inspect your potential purchases.

Spend, spend, spend
Don’t feel like hanging out in the car park for half of your shopping trip? Then buy lots and laden your arms with bag after bag. The bigger the gifts, the better for working out those biceps and triceps! Keep swapping arms as you want to avoid uneven weight on each arm for too long - you don’t want to have lopsided ‘guns’, now do you?

Keep moving
Don’t loiter wondering what to buy next. Keep moving to keep that heart rate up for an effective workout. Don’t stand still on travelators and escalators. If everyone is keeping left like they’re supposed to, you should be able to speed by.

Try somewhere new
Try a mall you’re not really familiar with so you can’t go directly to the places you need. Exploring a new place will hopefully take longer and require lots of backtracking so that you can keep moving.

Shop in town
Shops in malls are concentrated under one roof, which is convenient but not good for workout purposes. Take a shopping trip to somewhere like Newmarket if you're in Auckland where shops are spread out over a larger area. Ditch the car and take public transport to allow for more walking.

Be thorough
Think you’ve got everything you need? That can’t be right. What about getting some spare little gifts just in case you receive something unexpected? You need to be doing several laps of the mall for a more effective workout.

Thirst or hunger
Avoid sitting down in the food court for a well deserved fast food meal. Refuel with a delicious fresh juice from a juice bar. They contain vitamins and minerals to replenish and nourish.

The main thing to strive for is to shop ‘til you drop! That way you’re getting your shopping done and don't have to feel guilty about skipping the gym.

Stephanie Whyte