We all love those movies and TV shows where our hero or heroine is an underdog overcoming adversity. It seems like the world has it out for them, and they’re fighting against impossible odds. In real life when you’re trying to lose weight or stay in shape, it may seem like our environment is the nemesis that is trying to set us up for failure in our weight loss and fitness efforts. Does modern society have it in for us? Let’s take a look at some of our more common environmental saboteurs, and some easy, clever ways we can turn the tables in our favor…
The Enemy In Plain Sight At Home
You may think it’s all a part of happy homemaking, but your cookie jar display and coffee table candy bowls are setting you up!
A new study from Ohio State University shows a correlation between home food storage and obesity. Researchers interviewed 100 participants (50 normal weight and 50 obese) about their food consumption and assessed layout and food storage in their homes. The study found that in the homes of obese individuals, more food was kept visible throughout the house, and distributed in more places outside the kitchen. Their home environments were arranged in a way that made it harder to avoid eating food.
How To Fight Back: Limit the number of rooms where you eat around the house, such as keeping it to the kitchen and dining room. When it comes to the temptation of food, out of sight is out of mind. Rather than having food visibly lying around, store it away to avoid the lure of eating out of boredom.
Tied Down At Work
Many people have jobs where they’re sitting for long periods of the day. And with stressful jobs filling every minute, it’s extremely common for workers to eat lunch and snack at their desks. Add the accessibility of convenient soda and snack vending machines, and it’s no wonder that 42% of 3000 workers surveyed in a CareerBuilder poll reported weight gain in their current job. Yes, your job is setting you up!
How To Fight Back: If you’re going to snack at your desk, choose the healthy kinds, like protein-rich nuts or a nutritious, juicy apple. To avoid sitting for too long, get up and stretch frequently. You may even want to consider a standing workstation and/or schedule a brisk walk each afternoon. The activity will also help you to reduce stress levels and mental fatigue. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found that regular 30-minute lunchtime walks helped workers to relax and cope with stress. On top of improving their moods, these workers noticed health improvements from walking after the 10-week study.
Captive In Your Car
“No, it can’t be my car,” you say. “I love my car!” But we’re sorry to tell you that your car may be one of the biggest backstabbers there is when it comes to weight loss. One study out of the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that your risk of developing obesity increases 3% with every 30 minutes you spend each day in your car. Ninety-percent of people in the study reported they don’t walk to their destinations.
How To Fight Back: Using your car can be a real time saver, but may make you less active if you rely on it too much. If the places you need to go are within are only 10 or 15 minutes away, try leaving the car at home in favor of going for a walk. You’ll be able to save money on gas and burn off extra calories. That’s a double win!
Even though we may find weight loss challenges at every twist and turn in our everyday lives, it’s very possible to get our Hollywood ending. We just need to know how to outsmart our foes.
The End
