We all know that a healthy diet and regular physical activity are the keys for losing and maintaining weight. However, they are not the only factors that influence our health – in fact, there are many habits we do every morning that are making us gain weight without being aware of it.
Here are the morning habits sabotaging your weight loss goals:
Not Drinking Warm Water In The Morning
Drinking a tall glass of warm water in the morning will get your digestion and metabolism working and help your body work properly. Implementing this habit into your morning routine will also prevent you from overeating later in the day and boost your energy levels, so why not try it?
Getting Ready For Work In The Dark
Do you wake up in a dark room and start preparing for work without opening the blinds? This is a big mistake. As soon as you get up, you need to open the blinds to let the sunshine in in order to get your energy levels up and improve your mood.
Not Stretching
Not stretching in the morning is a big mistake, as stretching allows your muscles to loosen up and prevents cramps and soreness. Of course, you need to go gentle in order to avoid injuries but stretching in the morning will surely boost your energy levels during the day.
No Meditating
Did you know that meditation can actually help you lose weight? It reduces our cortisol levels and blood pressure thanks to the deep breathing. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone and whenever it’s up, you’re definitely going to gain some weight.
Consuming The Wrong Carbs
Reduce the consumption of simple carbs in the morning if you want to lose weight. Instead of them, go for complex healthy carbs such as oatmeal, quinoa, apples, bananas, blueberries, chocolate milk or Greek yogurt for breakfast. Fruit smoothies work great as well.
Choosing Uncomfortable Clothes
When you’re getting ready for work, you should choose loose fitting clothes. This will help you motivate yourself to go for a walk on your lunch break more than if you’re wearing uncomfortably tight outfit.
Checking Your Phone First
If the first thing you do in the morning is checking your phone first, you’re only burning time for stretching, exercise or breakfast. The e-mails from work can get you distracted, resulting in skipping breakfast which is detrimental for your weight loss goals.
Skipping The Scale
According to a new study, people who weight themselves every day are more successful in their weight loss goals. Track your weight every day and you’ll be able to follow your progress easier.
Skipping Breakfast
As we already said, this is about the worst thing you can do for your weight loss goals. Skipping breakfast can harm your digestion and metabolism and will definitely make you gain weight instead of losing it. Not eating in the morning will raise your cortisol levels and when they’re up, you’re likely to end up eating more during the day.
Oversleeping
Another unhealthy habit is oversleeping in the morning. Lack of sleep is definitely harmful, but so is oversleeping. A number of studies have related it to diabetes and heart problems, so make sure not to hit the snooze on your alarm and skip breakfast.
Article and image source: http://globalmedicinehouse.com