Strategies to Prevent Weight Gain
During the pandemic, we have found ourselves restricted to our homes, with many of us spending long hours in our home offices for the workday. While this has altered our lives in various ways, one of the less welcome changes is weight gain. You may have found that while your favorite pair of jeans once zipped up easily, it is now difficult to barely get them over your hips. If you’re like the many people that have noticed weight gain during the pandemic, it is likely that you’re interested in strategies that you can use to prevent weight gain.
Adding Muscle to Stop Gaining Weight
One of the best ways to prevent weight gain is to boost your metabolism by increasing muscle mass. In fact, experts recommend strength training a few times a week to both retain and build muscle over time. Due to the fact that muscle is metabolically active, you should be physically active every day with additional resistance training two to three times a week.
Eliminating Bad Habits That Cause Weight Gain
One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight or halt weight gain is neglecting to eliminate the bad habits known for causing weight gain. If you want to prevent weight gain, you should consider cutting back on these bad habits which include:
- Not taking time for physical activity
- Skipping breakfast
- Mindless eating
- Drinking too many sweetened drinks or alcohol
- Eating on an irregular basis
- Reaching for second helpings
- Eating too many simple carbs
Think about your daily habits carefully and try to identify areas where you can make a positive change. It’ll pay off in the long run!
Get Enough Sleep
Believe it or not, getting an adequate amount of sleep significantly impacts weight control. Sleep deprivation, studies suggest, appears to be a major risk factor for weight gain in adults and may even interfere with weight maintenance in your efforts to prevent weight gain. This is, in part, due to the fact that inadequate sleep seems to lead to higher levels of a hormone known as ghrelin. Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone” because it increases appetite.
Stay Hydrated to Prevent Weight Gain
Finally, when it comes to strategies to prevent weight gain, one of the most impactful is staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is helpful in preventing weight gain for a few different reasons. For one, staying hydrated promotes fullness, which can go a long way in helping you keep your calorie intake in check, especially if you drink a glass or two of water before each meal. Secondly, drinking water has been shown to slightly increase the number of calories that you burn throughout the day, effectively increasing your metabolism. Drinking plenty of water is central in the battle to prevent weight gain!
Prevent Weight Gain with Optimum!
Now that you know a few of the most effective strategies for preventing weight gain, it’s time to put one of those strategies into action with Optimum! At Optimum, we offer bottleless water systems with a 5-stage filtration process that removes sediment, chlorine, bacteria, and more. This keeps your water fresh and pure for drinking. Drinking plenty of water has never been easier with an Optimum bottleless water system! Browse our selection and find the perfect system for your office today! Clearly. Pure. Water.