Do you need prescription medication? Ask Your Dr for confidential and convenient access to certain medications. Enter your postcode to find your nearest pharmacy that can help.Why walking could help curb your chocolate cravings
If you've found yourself surgically attached to that box of chocolate Brazils or the family-sized tin of Celebrations this Christmas, you may be understandably reluctant to step on the scales when the festivities are finally over. And who could blame you? Most people gain 2kg (5lb) over the Christmas and New Year season, and a lot of that excess weight – at least in those of us who have a sweet tooth – is down to the fact that it's so hard to say no to another piece of chocolate.
But – weather permitting – there could be a way to curb those cravings. According to experts from the University of Exeter, going for a brisk walk could help you cut your chocolate consumption by as much as a half.
The researchers, whose study is to be published in the journal Appetite in the New Year, took 78 people who regularly ate chocolate and asked them to give up their favourite treat for two days.
Half of the chocoholics were told to take a brisk 15-minute walk before being going back to work, while the other half were instructed to rest instead of walking. Then afterwards, while they were working, a bowl of chocolates was placed within easy reach of each of them.
But the volunteers who walked instead of rested ate, on average, almost half the amount of chocolate while they were working compared to those who didn't do any exercise (the walkers ate about 15g of chocolate, which is about the size of a small fun-size chocolate bar, while the resting volunteers ate on average 28g).
As a result, the experts suggest that exercise – even a short, 15-minute walk – may help people resist their chocolate cravings. Or at least if not completely resist their cravings it could help them reduce the amount of chocolate they eat by about a half.
Using exercise to cut down on the amount of Christmas treats you eat sounds a whole lot easier than exercising after overindulging when you realise just how much you have to do in order to burn the calories associated with many Christmas foods.
For instance, according to exercise equipment maker York Fitness, you'd have to do 15 minutes of press-ups to burn the calories found in a single mince pie, or 18 minutes of skipping to burn the calories in just six Quality Street or Roses chocolates. And if you're fond of Christmas cake, bear in mind that to burn the calories found in a single slice you'd have to go for a 23-minute jog.
Is your family taking lots of long walks over the festive season? Or will you all be glued to the sofa watching TV?
Add new comment