Those who like chocolate like it a lot.
A lot, a lot.
When the chocolate craving strikes, they need to get their hands on it ASAP. Especially if they’re stressed out. (And you’d better not be there if they don’t.)
Thankfully, new research suggests that a chocolate craving can be crushed simply by taking a walk. A study revealed that acute exercise reduces the cravings for chocolate in people of normal body weight – even if they’re stressed out.
After three days of refraining from chocolate, 47 sugary snack lovers were assessed in two randomly ordered conditions: a 15-minute brisk walk or passive control by sitting quietly.
After sitting quietly, participants (who had an average age of 28) were administered a Stroop test, whereby a series of letters that spell out one colour are presented in a different colour. The objective is to distinguish between the colour of the text and the colour the word spells out.
If it sounds annoying, that’s the point. The task is shown to provoke high levels of stress.
And stress leads to those cravings.
Afterwards, the subjects were offered a selection of high caloric, sugary snacks and asked to handle it for 30 seconds without putting it in their mouths. The researchers measured their levels of craving and emotional stimulation throughout, in addition to their blood pressure and heart rate.
The researchers found that the Stroop test did increase stress and food cravings, but the craving wasn’t as intense for those who had just taken a walk. They also found that opening and handling sugary snacks increased cravings as well, but that the walk lessened this.
The key is to detect triggers for the craving in the first place – as in, know what stresses you out.
Then, the next time the craving strikes, reach for your walking shoes rather than a Wunderbar.
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