Unhealthy Habits
These everyday mistakes secretly make you gain weight
© kustvideo / Adobe Stock
Sometimes we don’t know any better, but often we turn a blind eye to everyday habits that are not good for our fitness and health. These four typical mistakes, for example, have a negative effect on our weight.
Suddenly your pants pinch and you can’t even explain how that could have happened. After all, you’ve completed your normal exercise routine and haven’t eaten more sweets than usual. It may be due to some habits that you didn’t realize could have a negative impact on your weight. And so you not only increase your risk of being overweight, but also of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure or some types of cancer. But don’t worry, you can easily do something about these errors. This way your trousers will soon fit again and, above all, you will stay fit and healthy.
4 unhealthy habits that may make you gain weight
1. Too much time in front of the TV
Have you ever heard that sitting is the new smoking? Sounds a bit overdramatic, but there’s a little bit to it. Because in our modern Western world, we spend far too much time sitting. Our body is simply not made for this, and therefore lack of exercise can cause massive damage to us in the long term.
For most people, of course, this starts at work. If you have a classic office job, you probably spend a lot of time in a sitting position just because of that. But it doesn’t get any better after work, because we also spend a lot of time on the couch in our free time – especially watching TV. One University of Minnesota study was able to calculate that 1.5 hours of television increases our waist circumference by 3.5 cubic centimetres. So instead of turning on Netflix right away, walk around the block first.
2. Irregular meals
Our health benefits massively when we eat regularly. If we skip meals and eat at different times all the time, it can have negative consequences, including on our weight. One Ohio State University study has revealed that people gain weight, especially in their stomachs, if they don’t establish regularity in their diet and keep skipping meals. This usually causes ravenous appetite attacks and causes us to eat unnecessarily much at once at the next meal. This increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels – and can increase the risk of heart disease.
3. Beware of hidden sugars
Sugar is unhealthy and makes you fat – you probably realize that. But what many people, and maybe you too, underestimate is how much sugar they really eat in a day. Because not only sweets are full of it, but also many other foods, including supposedly healthy ones. Because there is a lot of sugar in fruit, fruit juices and other beverages such as soft drinks, but also in ready meals, sauces, muesli and protein bars.
And when we consistently consume too much sugar, not only does it make us gain weight quickly, but it also increases inflammation in the body and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The recommendation of the German Society for Nutrition is that adults should consume around 50 grams of sugar per day. However, this amount is already in a glass of cola or orange juice.
4. You like to drink wine and co.
For many people, drinking is simply part of it. We like to ignore the well-known negative consequences for our health. Because alcohol not only damages our brain and can promote the development of Alzheimer’s and dementia, regular drinking also makes you fat.
Did you know that a 0.2 liter glass of wine contains around 150 calories? A 0.3 liter bottle of beer even contains around 300 calories. If you drink a few glasses in the evening, you will quickly have the amount of energy from an average meal.
Sources used: eatthisnotthat.com, health.com, healthline.com, dge.de