Do shopping marathons qualify as exercise? I think so. They both require planning, goals, motivation, comfortable shoes, strategy, selectivity, focus, competition, stamina, strength, resilience, aggression, and great eye candy.
Planning makes it easier to focus and get down to business. Without a workout plan, I spend too much time deciding which exercises to do. The same is true with shopping marathons. Planning where I'm shopping and what I'm shopping for saves me. Important note: plan flexibility is required for deviation, detours, and impulsive behavior. See my post about the little black dress at Kohl's.
Motivation is a direct link to making workouts and shopping marathons successful. Something clicks in my head. It pushes me to kick-ass on the track. When I get my shopping groove on, I wake up feeling the rush of adrenaline in my veins. I know achievement is at hand.
Comfortable shoes are critical for sprinting and getting to all the must-have deals before my competition does. Marathon shopping is not for the weak and feeble. Proper foot attire is necessary for speed walking, standing for long hours, kicking competitive shoppers in the shins — just kidding — and avoiding fashion faux pas.
Strategy is different from a plan. I define strategy as a methodology for ensuring plan success. When I play tennis, it involves opponent assessment, shot placement, and skill inventory. Shopping marathons require store layout assessment, merchandise knowledge, wish list prioritization, time management, competitive shopper analysis, personal shopper recruitment, checkout line comparison and exit preparation.
Selectivity or prioritization enables me to complete timely workouts and saves me from overworking muscle groups. This ideology saves time and money on shopping marathons.
Focus means unwavering drive to achieve or acquire. When I bike the Clinton-Macomb trail, I am driven to ride a minimum of 12 miles. During a shopping marathon, I am focused on acquiring items from my ever-changing wishlist. I do my best not to exit the store until my list is maxed out. But, my children often cause my memory to shortcircuit. This means I forget stuff and repeat visits to fave stores are often necessary.
Competition is a healthy part of any fitness regimen or shopping marathon. It is expected. A competitive fitness program makes exercising fun. At Rochester's Dragonfly Boutique, there are only so many silky jewel-purple ruffly jackets on deep-discount sale racks. Hesitation to grab one-of-a-kind treasures is sure to kill a shopping marathon before it even gets started.
Stamina builds over time. For example, I was huffing and puffing after five minutes on my elliptical machine 10 years ago. Yesterday, I made 4.75 miles in just 30 minutes. At Parisian's Labor Day Sale, I entered the store at 10 am and exited at 3:30 pm. I could have lasted another five hours. But, my children's day with Grandma was ending at 4 pm.
Strength also gains when exercise is consistent, practiced and frequent. Shopping marathons are labor intensive and may require heavy lifting. A strong physique makes it easier to carry shopping bags, push carts and lug anticipated purchases to fitting rooms.
Resilience is especially important during DVD workouts with Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, Biggest Loser trainers. Shopping marathons — especially ones involving bathing suits — require a tough, resilient attitude. I keep looking and trying stuff on. In the end, I usually find something dazzling. If not, I try again on a different day or after a few 7-and-7s.
Aggression fuels my workouts. I translate daily stress into positive interval and weight-training sessions. Stress and aggression need healthy outlets. Shopping marathon survival requires some aggression. Blocking competitive shoppers, keeping a place in the checkout line, and asking for store assistance all take some finesse. Important note: Stampeding retail employees, injuring/killing others, and fighting for merchandise are not considered retail therapy. Participation in these and other violent crimes while shopping calls for a jail cell.
Great eye candy makes any workout better. I burn hundreds of extra calories while watching movies starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, or Leonardo DiCaprio. The time and intensity of my workouts increase when I watch these guys. Whatever works, right? Shopping marathons are all about great eye candy. The more the merrier. After taking a few moments to take in all the must-have goodies, my mind clears and I am on-task to accomplish my mission.
