Habits that Make You Gain Weight
A general principle of life that perhaps all of us understand is the principle of how something small can become big over time. A tomato seed, when planted in the ground, produces a plant with hundreds more seeds. Money deposited into an interest-bearing account and left to sit for years will grow into a much larger amount of money that compounds on itself. A snowball rolling down a snowy hill will gradually gather more snow and become a big snowball – at least in theory. 😉
When it comes to matters of body weight, the same principle applies. The little things you do on a regular basis tend to have the biggest effect on your fat levels. Of course, depending on what you do, the effect could be good or bad. In this post, I’d like to discuss some common habits that we adopt that cause us to gain weight.
Skipping the stairs and finding close parking spaces
When you skip the staircase at your job or at the store and opt for the escalator or elevator instead, you skip a great chance to burn a few extra calories.
The same goes for those of us who spend 15 minutes burning gas trying to find a good parking spot. Who doesn’t like a closer parking space? I definitely do, but by parking just a little further away at work and at the store and taking maybe 20 extra steps, that could mean approximately 26,000 extra steps every year. It might not seem like a big deal, but something as small as habitually skipping walking opportunities adds up over long periods of time.
Drinking sugary beverages every day
Many of us have a daily habit of sipping on our favorite sugary beverage everyday (and sometimes all day), whether it’s coffee, tea, or some other sugary liquid. This adds up to a TON of empty calories from white sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
The average cola contains 32 grams of sugar and 130 Calories (according to Calorie King), providing opportunities for you to upset your blood sugar levels (and raise your insulin levels) and consume way too many calories. Both contribute to weight gain.
Staying up late to watch your show
Sleep has a profound effect on regulating our hormones. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the amount of sleep we get has a direct effect, for example, on secretion of ghrelin and leptin, both of which affect our appetites. So when you skip sleep consistently for the sake of watching your favorite show, or to finish some work, you greatly increase the chances that you eat too much, thus causing you to gain fat.
These are but a few examples of little bad habits that can make you gain major weight. Don’t discount the effect that small bad habits can have on your weight and overall health!
I pray that this post is not simply something for you to read for pleasure reading. In contrast, I hope that it really helps you to pay attention to whatever your daily habits are, so that you can improve your ability to maintain a healthy weight and live a healthier life.
Oh, and remember this: Just as bad habits can lead to weight gain, good habits can lead to weight loss. If you need help developing good habits that will lead to weight loss, my fat loss workbook might help you.
What little habits do you personally know you have that are causing (or have caused) you to gain weight? Please share!
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