Its 10.30pm, you had dinner a couple of hours ago and should
be preparing to shut down for the night. Except you can’t, there’s this voice
coming from your belly “you can’t sleep yet! I still need something, feed me!” We’ve
all had to battle this scenario at one time or the other, that gnawing feeling,
that craving for carbohydrates. It’s known as late night snacking or as I prefer
to call it, the midnight munchies.
The midnight munchies are caused by a wide variety of
reasons and if not properly understood it has the potential to derail all the
good work you are doing i.e. your exercise and dieting, as you struggle to
achieve a sound body and mind. Today I would like to talk about the triggers of
late night snacking and the solutions to each.
Please do apply the solutions to any of the triggers that affect you;
they have been of immense help to me. I promise you that if apply them you will
have the munchies defeated and be on your way to a fitter, healthier you.
BUSY WORK SCHEDULE:
Not getting time to eat a proper meal due to a packed work
schedule makes you more vulnerable to night time eating. Try to eat more
regular and balanced meals during the day, skipping meals might impress your
boss, but it will play havoc with your hormones and you will pay the price in
the long run as your body will crave that skipped meal at the worst possible
time. My tip for the day: always buy fruits like apples and bananas, as they
are filling and you can snack on them throughout the day.
EMOTIONAL EATING:
Stress, lack of job satisfaction and other unpleasant emotional
issues can cause you to crave food at night. Emotional eating makes you crave
foods high in fat and carbohydrates as your mind craves comfort from the
pleasant sensations you get from eating these foods. Giving in to these
cravings can set you back in your health and fitness goals. My fix for this is
to distract yourself, if you can do some chore or read an interesting book for
15 minutes these cravings can dissipate and if that fails seek solace in a
trusted friend i.e. your spouse and discuss the emotional issues bugging you
and watch your “hunger” melt away.
AVOIDING BREAKFAST:
This is a major culprit in late night eating. Not eating a
well balanced breakfast sets you up for hormone fluctuations throughout the day
and the craving for foods high in sugar at night. I have been on a personal
crusade against skipping breakfast; it is not a badge of honour! If I had one
Naira for each time I have heard “I don’t take breakfast, I am too busy” I would
be a very wealthy man! Of course you don’t “take” breakfast, that’s why you
feel the urge to overeat at night! Please eat breakfast!
LACK OF EXERCISE:
If you do not have some form of exercise in your life, you
are likely to suffer from hormone imbalance, mood swings and stress. They are
all triggers for late night eating. Please do try to get some exercise , as
little as 15 minutes of skipping, sit ups and press ups a day are enough and
you can do them morning or evening( but not too close to bed time!).
NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP:
Failure to get enough sleep the night before sets you up for
a stress filled day and a night of binge eating and little sleep and so the
cycle continues. To break this cycle you need to get as much sleep as you can,
aim for a minimum of seven hours. I know this is not easy given the stress of
work and family, but if you can get to sleep by 10.45pm and wake by 5.45am you
would have got 7 hours. Aim for this at least 5 days a week to reduce stress
and the late night munchies.
Do have a wonderful day and a great week ahead.
P.S. : I am really sorry to have vanished for the last few
weeks, but I had personal things to take care of. it’s great to be back! Please
keep on following and pass the message.
Thank you
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