Sounds like a stupid question doesn't it? We all know the answer. Exercising in and of itself will not make you fat. However, the side effects of exercising can encourage behavior that will make you gain weight. Unless you understand how you mentally react to exercising, it is easy to get in a situation where your rituals around exercise can make you put on the pounds instead of shedding them. Self-control Most people tend to treat self-control as a finite commodity. In other words, if they exercise self-control in one area, they will lessen the self-control they apply in another area. Some of this is a mentality of trying to reward yourself for good behavior. So if you exercise for … [Read more...] about Can Exercise Make You Fat?
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A Culture of Obesity
I hadn't heard of Kevin Smith until reading in the news that he had been asked to deplane a Southwest flight because he was too big. Evidently, he directed and acted in some movies I haven't seen. For those of you who missed all the "excitement," here is what happened. Due to his ample girth, Mr. Smith buys two Southwest tickets when he flies. (Correction: Kevin says this is the first week he bought two tickets and he does it because he is shy. Southwest says he routinely buys two tickets. Doesn't matter for the point of this article, but I thought I'd be clear.) That way, it guarantees him an open adjacent seat. If the flight sells out, Southwest keeps the price of the empty seat … [Read more...] about A Culture of Obesity
Making Bad Things Hard
In high school I had braces. During college, my retainers broke and I didn't get them replaced. Over time, my teeth shifted and became crooked again. About a year ago, I decided to do something about it and went with Invisalign braces. They are a type of clear plastic mold that fits over all of your teeth. Every two weeks, you switch them out with a set that is slightly closer to the final position for your teeth. One of the side effects of having your teeth encased in plastic is that you have to plan out your eating a bit more. You have to take them out before you eat. When you are finished, you have to wash them and then brush your teeth really well before putting them back. … [Read more...] about Making Bad Things Hard
10 Articles on Exercise
Plan Your Meals and Exercise in Advance-The Office Diet Sometimes it is easy to fall out of a routine that requires daily effort to continue. For those that are trying to cut back on calories, it is no different. This article gives readers some helpful tips on how to stay organized with their meal and exercise planning on the road to success. Why Exercise Can Reduce Anxiety-Overcoming Social Anxiety For those of us that feel stressed in crowded places or even around a few people, perhaps regular exercise would be a valid option to help eliminate those feelings of anxiety. In this article the author speaks about how exercise has been a proven method for dealing with social anxiety. 5 … [Read more...] about 10 Articles on Exercise
Add Cucumbers to your Diet
If you are wanting to reduce your daily calories, consider eating a few cucumbers for their high mass, low calorie benefits. An entire pound of cucumbers will only give you 50 calories, so they are a simple way to get full without adding calories to your diet. … [Read more...] about Add Cucumbers to your Diet
The Promise of Sleep — Book
Sometimes we focus on the wrong things. For example, it is easy to focus on trying to do more during the day while short changing our sleep at night. This book looks at how and why we sleep. It is based on a lot of sleep research, but the writing style is very accessible and makes for an interesting read. For example, the author explores the right balance of sleep to let you fall asleep quickly and wake up without feeling worn out. He talks about situations where people sleep too much and then suffer from insomnia until their body gets tired enough to fall asleep again. One of the more interesting concepts in the book is the idea of a "sleep debt". This theory basically says … [Read more...] about The Promise of Sleep — Book