When the Hy Vee opened at the front of our subdivision, we might have gone and taken pictures. Some people take their kids to Disneyworld...I mean really, look at that beautiful artwork of veggies at the grocery store!
Today I decided to do something unprecedented, to prove one of my claims. The one where I claim that I'm getting a workout while grocery shopping. I keep trying to explain to the trainers at my gym, that the way I do grocery shopping, it's a workout. So, I decided to prove it. My pre-game warm up was a shower, coffee and stretch. I put my Nike + chip on my flip flop (I figured my running shoes was a bit overkill) and with lists in hand, and planned my 2 hour happy mommy time for giant grocery shopping. The Nike+ chip, magically calculates your pace, your calories burned, and the distance you went.
If you must know - giant grocery shopping day consists of venturing to three separate stores. I know, it's a little excessive, but once all the groceries are in my house, it's extremely efficient. Really. Don't judge, you who goes to the grocery store 4 times a week.
My first trip was to Walmart. I park, and the guy next to me in an off-white Cadillac Escalade backs out of his space. I collect all of my stuff, get my ipod touch in the arm band, turn it on and head into the store. My point is, once I put the car in park, and that other car left, it had been a while. As I'm walking in, the Escalade is just sitting there waiting to turn out of the parking lane. He has opportunity, but does not. And as I walk past the Escalade, the window goes down and some redneck who apparently left his diesel truck and teeth at home says, "Hey thar, you always smile so perty like that?" Uh, yes I do, until creepy people acknowledge it. Look mister, I love food, and I love cooking, and I love that I have the time and money to fill my fridge. So, move along. And welcome to Walmart.
I actually went to Walmart just to get a cheap blender. I busted my other cheap blender - you know - from blending. One day I'll figure out that with appliances, you get what you pay for. You can keep paying for the cheap, or you can drop more coin less frequently and get a billy bad ass blender. But not today. Today, I'm grabbing another cheap blender. But I decide to grab as much as I can on the list while I'm here. I weave in and out, dodging the unhelpful workers blocking the aisle while they stock shelves and when I get to the check out lane, I assess my mileage. I've gone 1 mile in 30 minutes, and I've burned 160 calories from walking. Sweet!
The next stop is Sam's Club. My walk into the store is much less eventful. But when I show my card, the friendly greeter says, "Hi Leslie." Okay y'all, it's food in bulk. What could possibly make me happier? And yes, I go there and buy happiness. It's possible. I do it every week. They know me here. It's a smaller list at Sam's today. I do my walk through, and walk .9 miles and burn 140 calories in 27 minutes.
Intermission - it was too hot to leave the groceries in the car and go to my last stop, the higher order of all grocery stores - HyVee. "Where there's a helpful smile in every aisle."
So, I went home, unloaded all the stuff, replenished my electrolytes (lunch), and went back out.
I heart HyVee. The aisles are wider, the people are friendlier, even the moms beating their kids and screaming No! at them. They're doing it in a nicer tone. The employees have actual answers and are helpful. And they have woopie pies in the bakery. I get to the check out, piss off the sacker guy with the announcement that I want paper, not plastic. And I check my ipod to find I've burned 155 calories, gone another mile and at the same 30 minute pace. The checker chick is not amused at the smile on my face like the Escalade guy was. And I'm okay with that.
Granted, I averaged a 30 minute mile pace, but I just did 3 miles and burned 450 calories. And that's just from the walking, that's not from all the lifting into the cart, out of the cart on to the conveyor belt, back out of the cart into the car, out of the car into the house. None of that.
So, I skipped my workout and had an ice cream.
That's how I roll.
Song of the day: Delight (Something New Under the Sun)- Court Yard Hounds
Thank you so much for burning 450 calories for me.