Adopting a healthy lifestyle involves integrating a series of habits into our routine that we apply from morning to night. While eating foods that prioritize nutrients over calories helps with weight loss, certain behaviors do not contribute to weight loss.
Therefore, it is not enough to eat healthy in the first hours of the day, when we have more time to digest what we consume. It is equally important to take a look at our nightly routine to discover the habits that prevent us from losing extra pounds.
It seems obvious that a healthy lifestyle rejects any form of sedentary lifestyle. Just as it is better to exercise than to sit for long hours on the couch, it is not advisable to spend too much time in front of the television. Watching our favorite series or program for a long time limits calorie burning.
Five kilos less in a year
“Not only is watching television associated with a more sedentary lifestyle, but watching it too long before bed can contribute to weight gain and disturbed sleep.“Dr. Macklin E. Guzmán told She Finds.
According to her, a study reveals that “Halving the time spent watching TV burns about 120 extra calories per day. Many of you probably think that this is not much, but spread over a year.“, this would be equivalent to “about five kilos“.
How is it possible ? The TV screen emits blue light, which disrupts your circadian rhythm and makes it difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, sleeping less reduces humans’ ability to make healthier choices during the day.
Watching too much TV before bed can also affect your sleep quality.
Guzmán remembers that “Watching too much TV before bed can also affect sleep quality“. According to her, this can “It takes your body longer to fall asleep and reduces your deep sleep cycles, and can even contribute to insomnia.“.
Therefore, if being in front of a screen interferes with your rest, you may feel exhausted in the mornings and opt for a more sedentary lifestyle. This not only undermines the goal of losing extra pounds, but is also detrimental to your health.
Don’t just think about food
People who spend most of the day in the office often take advantage of the afternoon to watch their favorite series. Guzmán advises not to completely avoid watching television late at night. However, he recommends not spending more than an hour in front of the screen and trying to get some exercise before bed (brisk walking or yoga). This will prepare the body for sleep.
Until now, “It was thought that exercising before bed could interfere with good sleep.“explains the doctor. Gold, “A study published in Sports Medicine suggests that it is possible to exercise later in the day by avoiding vigorous activity for at least 60 minutes before bed.“. The researchers found “that people who exercised before bed fell asleep faster and spent more time in deep sleep“.
If you replace your bad habits with light exercise or other activities like reading, listening to a podcast, or journaling, you’ll have more success reaching your weight loss goals, regardless of food.
Therefore, while it is essential to take care of your diet, creating a rest routine that reduces screen time will help you feel better the next day and lead a more active lifestyle. This will help you burn more calories and lose extra pounds.
Show Hide summary
My name is Sophie and I am the editor of contrepoint.info, a website dedicated to news, culture and lifestyle. I have always been passionate about writing and decided to make it my career by becoming a web editor. I work at contrepoint.info and I mainly deal with the lifestyle section. I like to share my discoveries and favorites with readers, whether in terms of fashion, beauty, decoration or gastronomy.
