The word “home” is synonymous with happiness. If you’re like most mortals, there could be some things in your home that are threatening your health.
Scientists have studied the causes of obesity, chronic diseases, and found that the way we arrange and relate to our spaces can make them worse. We can change our bad habits by making small changes at home.
Here are some ways your home might be causing you harm. Also, here are tips to help you reorganize your home to improve your health.
Christine says that ice cream, cookies and candy can all be fattening. M. Palumbo is a dietitian and nutrition communication consultant. This is particularly true between 3 and 6 pm, when cravings are strongest.
A great way to conquer a craving is not to eat the tempting food in your home. You can’t imagine removing your favorite cookies from the house forever. Leah Kaufman is a New York City-based registered dietitian who suggests serving food you tend to overeat individually. Knowing that each bag of cookies contains 150 calories will make it less likely that you’ll eat them again later.
Studies are increasing showing the importance of getting a good night’s rest for healthy weight. New research in American Journal of Epidemiology shows that those who slept at night in the darkest rooms were 21% less likely than those who slept in lightest rooms to become obese. This is due to melatonin, the main sleep hormone that our bodies produce. You will lose more weight if you get better sleep.
According to a study published in Pediatric Obesity, children who spend their nights watching TV or surfing the internet tend to have poorer lifestyles and get less sleep. Researchers found that children with electronic devices in their bedrooms were 1.47 times more likely than those without them to be overweight.
You can put the same amount of food on both a large and medium-sized plate. You will likely perceive the larger plate as having less food because there is more food on each side. We subconsciously want to fill the space between plates so that we can eat more food. Cornell research found that children and adults poured 44% more cereal into their larger bowls, and ate 44% more calories.
Another Cornell study found that the color of your plate can have an impact on how much pasta is served. Participants who received pasta on a white plate had 22% more pasta than those who received it on a red plate. Scientists say the goal is to make the food and plates you eat more contrastive.
Healthy foods are more likely to be eaten if they are out of reach. Why are they hidden from your view? Fruits don’t need to be kept in the refrigerator. They are also very attractive and can be stored outside. Fill a fruit bowl with colorful and healthy fruits like oranges, pears, and apples.
Recent research published in Diabetes shows that proper temperature regulation at home can help you lose weight while you sleep. Cooler temperatures can subtly increase the effectiveness of our brown fat stores, which is the fat that keeps us warm. This helps you lose the belly fat. Participants spent several weeks in different temperatures and slept in them for a few weeks. The subjects nearly doubled their brown fat after four weeks of sleeping at 18 degrees for four weeks.
Bad sleep can cause hormones to go off-track and lead to cravings for junk food. It’s terrible, but it can become worse if there isn’t enough light first thing in the day. A study published in The International Journal of Endocrinology showed that adults who don’t sleep well or are not exposed to bright light in the morning have lower levels of leptin, a hormone that makes us feel full.
According to the study, people who used blue light in their homes (the kind that energy-efficient light bulbs emit) had higher levels leptin. Open the curtains as soon as possible and, if it is still dark, switch on the energy-saving lights.
Science has confirmed it: The more TV you watch, the higher your chance of becoming obese. You should move the TV from the kitchen. It will only invite you to eat. Reduce the number television shows that you are watching once you have reduced your television collection.
It’s tempting after a long day at the office to curl up on the couch and stay put until bedtime. You are still sitting no matter what you do, whether you’re reading, shopping online, or working. Scientists are still trying to understand why sitting is so harmful for your health. However, one obvious explanation is that if we sit down, we use less fuel. Excess blood sugar floods our bloodstream, which can lead to diabetes and other weight-related problems.
If dumbbells, stationary bikes and treadmills aren’t in your sight, you can lose weight. You don’t need to store your exercise equipment in the basement. Instead, place it where you enjoy using it.
