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Have you ever wondered just why people who don’t exercise gain weight? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates in 2017 were at an all-time high with the highest in the south-eastern states of the U.S. in spite of Michelle Obama’s national Let’s Move campaign.
A sedentary lifestyle without a fitness routine makes people fat for the following seven reasons:
1. Slow Metabolism
As we age our metabolism naturally slows down, which means our body burns less calories although we continue to consume the same amount of food. As a result we keep gaining weight, unless we counter-act our biological clock with workouts that rev up our metabolism.
2. Bad Mood
Lack of physical exercise leads to a lack of the happiness hormones (a.k.a. endorphines). Many people try to cheer themselves up with comfort food instead of jumping on the treadmill or going for a walk. Needless to say, as the pounds keep creeping on the mood goes from bad to worse fueled by dissatisfaction with our physical appearance.
3. Boredom Food Binge
Yes, it’s true, some people eat when they are bored. Go work out instead to keep your hands away from the fridge and the pounds off your hips!
4. Less Energy
The less we move our body the more tired we get. Why? Because our metabolism slows down even further. Unfortunately, we make even worse food choices when we are tired because our body is craving sugar as survival mechanism. This leads to a vicious circle of sugary foods consumption due to ever-eroding energy levels. But once the sugar high subsides your cravings will be back with a vengeance leaving you feeling even worse than before.
5. Poor Health
A slow metabolism cannot support bodily functions too well, including your immune system. As a result, people who don’t work out tend to get sick more frequently. Needless to say, sick people don’t care too much about what they eat which in turn leads to more poor food choices and weight gain.
6. More Sleep
People who don’t work out sleep more because their slow metabolism makes them feel tired all the time. Too much sleep leads to more weight gain.
6. High Stress Level
Since physical exercise relieves stress, people who don’t work out tend to have higher stress levels. The response to stress can be increased food consumption and/or storing more fat.
The best way to avoid weight gain if you absolutely don’t want to work out is to stick to clean nutrition while limiting your daily calories according to your height, age, and activity level. Nutritional health shakes and fitness exercises offer an easy way to boost your immune system and control your calorie intake without starving yourself. Thoroughly cooked food also helps adjust your eating habits by assigning points to food in order to prevent over-eating.
