Adopting a healthy lifestyle involves integrating into our routine a series of habits to be applied from morning to evening. While eating foods that prioritize nutrients over calories helps with weight loss, certain behaviors do not contribute to weight loss.
Therefore, it is not enough to eat healthily in the early hours of the day, when we have more time to digest what we consume. It’s just as important to take a look at our evening routine to discover the habits that are preventing us from shedding excess pounds.
It seems obvious that a healthy lifestyle rejects any form of sedentary lifestyle. Just as it is better to exercise than to sit on the couch for long hours, it is not recommended to spend too much time in front of the television. Watching our favorite series or show for a long time limits calorie burning.
Five kilos less in a year
“Watching TV is not only associated with a more sedentary lifestyle, but watching it too long before bed can contribute to weight gain and disrupted sleep,” Macklin E. Guzman, MD, told She Finds.
According to her, a study reveals that “cutting the time spent in front of the television in half allows you to burn around 120 additional calories per day”. Many of you probably think that this is not much, but spread “over a year”, it would be equivalent to “around five kilos”.
How is it possible ? The television screen emits blue light, which disrupts the circadian rhythm and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. Thus, less sleep reduces human beings’ ability to make healthier choices during the day.
Watching too much TV before bed can also affect sleep quality.
Guzman reminds that “watching too much television before bed can also affect the quality of sleep.” According to her, this can “take longer for your body to fall asleep and reduce your deep sleep cycles, and can even contribute to insomnia.”
Therefore, if being in front of a screen interferes with your rest, you may feel exhausted in the morning and opt for a more sedentary lifestyle. Not only does this undermine the goal of shedding excess pounds, but it is also detrimental to your health.
Don’t just think about food
People who spend most of the day at the office often take advantage of the evening to watch their favorite series. Mr. Guzman advises not to completely avoid watching TV late at night. However, he recommends not staying in front of the screen for more than an hour and trying to do a little exercise before going to bed (brisk walk or yoga). This will prepare the body for sleep.
Until now, “we thought that exercising before going to bed could interfere with good sleep,” explains the doctor. However, “a study published in Sports Medicine suggests that it is possible to exercise later in the day if you avoid vigorous activity for at least 60 minutes before bedtime.” Researchers found “that people who exercised before bed fell asleep more quickly and spent more time in deep sleep.”
By replacing your bad habits with light exercise or other activities such as reading, listening to a podcast, or journaling, you’ll be more successful in reaching your weight loss goals, no matter what. food.
So while it’s essential to take care of your diet, creating a rest routine that reduces screen time will help you feel better the next day and lead a more active lifestyle. This will help you burn more calories and shed excess pounds.
I was an intern at the editorial office. When I saw their ad for a freelancer, I decided to come back. I’m a fan of series and movies, I spend my weekends at the cinema and my nights in front of Netflix