Cause And Effect Of Exercise

The exercise equation

Our daily lives don’t offer many opportunities for activity. Children don’t exercise as much in school, often because of cutbacks in physical education classes. Many people drive to work and spend much of the day sitting at a computer terminal. Because we work long hours, we have trouble finding the time to go to the gym, play a sport, or exercise in other ways.

Instead of walking to local shops and toting shopping bags, we drive to one-stop megastores, where we park close to the entrance, wheel our purchases in a shopping cart, and drive home. The widespread use of vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, leaf blowers, and a host of other appliances takes nearly all the physical effort out of daily chores.

Other causes of obesity

But in some people, drug side effects, illnesses, and genetic disorders can also play a role.

Drug side effects

Several prescription drugs can cause weight gain as a side effect of increasing appetite or slowing metabolism. These include corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone (used for a variety of conditions to reduce inflammation); estrogen and progesterone (used in oral contraceptives); anticonvulsants such as valproic acid (Depakote, others)making them useful as a therapy for weight disorders.

Much more needs to be learned in this area; the relationship between weight regulation and serotonin (a key chemical communicator in the brain and elsewhere in the body) is obviously complex.

Illnesses that affect weight

A few illnesses that are characterized by an imbalance or an abnormality in your endocrine glands can also affect your weight. These include hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and certain unusual tumors of the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, or the

Eat enough protein, fruit, vegetables, and fiber. Get at least 80% of your calories from whole, minimally processed foods, and the rest of whatever you want.

Become more aware of your eating habits.

Pay attention to how much you’ve eaten throughout a meal. Eat at your own pace. Experiment with eating out of smaller bowls, using smaller utensils, and serving smaller portions.

Weigh yourself.

At least once a week, preferably more often. Record your weight so you can track your progress over time. If it goes in a direction you don’t want — make some changes.

Count calories.

Even if you only do it for a week or two. This gives you a much better understanding of what foods are contributing to your calorie intake, and where you may need to cut back. Even if you aren’t deliberately restricting calories, recording your food intake generally helps people eat less.

Exercise more.

Find a sport or activity you like, and start doing it consistently. It doesn’t matter what you do — just do something. Start small with a few workouts per week at a low intensity, and increase it gradually from there.

Move more throughout the day.

Stand more.

Sit less.

Walk as much as possible.

Fidget or bounce your leg while you’re sitting.

Take the