Have you repeatedly tried to lose weight and eat better, only to find yourself falling off the wagon? Many of the most potent weight-loss barriers to success start in the home.
TV trouble: Sitting
A TV series binge can equate to a lot of sitting hours. If you’re just a one TV show a night kind of person, your hours sitting down can add up too. Add that to a desk job and you’ve got yourself an unhealthy lifestyle habit. To combat your bad screen time habit try going for a walk, run or gym session with your loved ones in the evening. Kill two birds with one stone by stretching, or even working out in front of the screen.
Catch up on your shows while you’re kicking goals on the treadmill or bike!
Temptation
We all know that TV advertising is full of tempting food! Adverts for every fast food restaurant under the sun to sweet treats and everything in between!
Our favourite cooking shows are hell bent on enticing us to ‘indulge’ and ‘treat ourselves’ with delicious looking recipes that have no place in our weekly meal plans.
How to cope? Advertising is easily overcome by muting, fast forwarding or skipping commercials or completely steering clear of television (opt for a movie, or purchase the series instead).
If your favourite weekly TV indulgence happens to be a cooking show, that’s okay. But be prepared:
– Watch your show on a full stomach.
– If you like a meal, see if you can make it healthier. Look at ways to replace bad ingredients with healthy ones.
Stress release
After a long day’s work, it’s only natural to want to unwind and enjoy a peaceful end to your evening. Stress can push anyone to have an unhealthy snack, extra meal, or drink a beer.
Rather than snacks or alcohol, it’s helpful to stay out of the kitchen entirely when it’s not time for an actual meal.
Just being around the fridge or pantry can be tempting.
Instead, find another way to unwind! Hang out with your loved ones, read blogs, listen to music while stretching or performing relaxing yoga. Take a bath or engage in a hobby that keeps your hands busy.
When you’re home from work, relax in a healthy way.
Stop temptation before it starts
If it’s not on your diet, don’t buy it. Period.
Even your children don’t need the chips, candy, or sweet treats. If you feel you must, give them money to buy junk food at school.
Hit the grocery store after a meal (never when you’re hungry) and remember to make a shopping list before you do so. If it is not on the list, then it does not go home with you.
Ask your spouse or partner if they would be willing to help keep a ‘clean pantry’. Agree on what types of foods are allowed in the house. It’s easier to prevent temptation than it is to resist it once it’s sitting in your kitchen.
If your housemates bring indulgent items home, keep them well out of sight (and reach), and even try getting your partner to hide his/her treats or keep them elsewhere, like at work, or in their office space.
You can do it
Deal with the negative triggers present in your home. You are opening up the potential to create an environment that spurs you on to achieve your goals. When temptation or laziness strikes you’ll be prepared.
