You always want a slimmer and trimmer figure, right? There are many benefits that come with having a slimmer body. For one, you know that you just look better and so you feel more confident. Confidence is always attractive and people are going to see your best traits when you are more self-assured. When you are overweight, it can really deteriorate your sense of self-esteem. Having extra belly fat can really feed into your insecurities and make you feel worse about who you are.
On top of the emotional and mental anguish that comes with being overweight, it’s also very bad or your health. The higher the body fat you have, the more prone you are to heart disease. That’s why you always want to be doing whatever you can to stave away those unnecessary pounds. And a bulk of that lies in your daily habits.
Sometimes, you can make really good dietary choices throughout the day and then you start to slip late at night. You don’t want to undo all of the disciplines that you have during the day by engaging in these bad habits during nighttime. You might think that a lot of things that you do at night are just harmless and that they don’t really do anything to affect your weight gain. You couldn’t be more wrong. Here are a few nighttime habits that could be causing you to gain more weight.
1. You have some late-night snacks.
This is it. You have been so good with your diet all throughout the day. You said no to that extra serving of bacon this morning. You said no to that piece of cake that was staring you right in the face while you had your coffee. You refused a second helping of mashed potatoes during dinner. You’ve done a great job so far. But then as night time rolls around, you find yourself sifting through your fridge for a snack. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t reward yourself. You would only be undoing all of your progress by doing so.
2. You take in caffeine very late at night.
Studies have shown that people who sleep later at night tend to be people who have a slower metabolism. And this is mostly attributed to the fact that your body metabolizes your nutrients more efficiently while you sleep. That is why you should stay away from caffeine late at night so that you can have better quality sleep. However, you should take caffeine late in the morning for that extra energy boost. Caffeine is also known to be a natural stimulant that can help boost your body’s metabolism.
3. You don’t get enough sleep.
When you don’t get enough sleep at night, it can really cause severe damage to your weight loss journey. When you don’t get enough sleep, you tend to feel more stress – and stress increases the cortisol levels in the body. When you have increased levels of cortisol, your body tends to burn less fat. In facts, it keeps all the fat and stores it. Eliminate stress in your life as much as possible. Get some quality sleep every single night.
4. You go to sleep without exercising during the day.
Exercise is always a very important aspect of losing unnecessary body fat. You will want to engage in vigorous physical activity at least once a day to really maximize the weight loss process. If you engage in regular aerobic and anaerobic activity for at least 30 minutes every day, then it puts your body’s metabolism on overdrive. Your muscles will look for fuel and it will burn your stored fats to convert them into calories for energy.
5. You use a lot of your computer gadgets at night.
Studies have already shown that making use of cell phones, laptops, or tablets late at night can make it difficult for a person to fall asleep. The blue light that is emitted from computer screens is absorbed by the eyes and it sends signals to the brain. This blue light can act as a form of stimulant which can keep you awake even when you should already be sleeping.
6. You set your alarm clock way too late.
Science has also revealed that 20-30 minutes exposure to early morning sun can actually boost a body’s ability to burn fat. So if you can, try to go for a run early in the morning and don’t want too long to get a workout in for the day. Your body is going to thank you for it afterward.
7. You drink alcohol because you think it helps you sleep better.
Alcohol might help you sleep better but it’s not going to help your weight loss goals at all. For one, drinks like beer, whiskey, and wine have calories – and calories aren’t good for weight loss. On top of that, alcohol can impair the metabolization of your nutrients and it slows down the fat-burning process.
