A short walk can alleviate cravings for and reduce the tendency to notice and focus on chocolate.
Common sense would tell us that getting up for a walk is a better choice than reaching for a chocolate bar, in terms of avoiding weight gain. Recent research has shown that walking does more than to serve as a temporary distraction from temptation. Acute exercise, such as a brisk fifteen minute walk, has been shown to help reduce the tendency to notice and focus on this snack food (Taylor & Oliver, 2009).
In practical terms, this is hugely helpful. Maintaining decisions which run counter to learned behaviours (habits) can be exhausting and where this is necessary over prolonged periods of time, the habit behaviour often prevails. For example, this might be making a decision to avoid eating between meals, and then facing a struggle to resist the chocolate you normally eat with your tea after lunch. Getting up for a walk could actually lessen this struggle by reducing your attentional bias, that is, your inclination to seek out or notice the stimulus, in this case chocolate, in your surroundings. It could be the difference between the sense that you are striding confidently towards your goal rather than climbing towards it.
So, next time you feel your eyes wandering over to that chocolate bar, get up and go for a stroll. A quick walk will alleviate your cravings, then you can return to your desk and feel quietly smug, not to mention unaffected by the insulin spike your snack-chomping peers will soon be facing.
Lauren Hull
Sevenoaks Personal Trainer
Blackheath Personal Trainer
