9 Ways Your Job Is Making You Gain Weight
Have you gained five pounds or more in weight since starting your job? According to a survey hosted in 2014 in the United States, over 40 percent of workers admit to gaining weight since starting their current job. Sound bad?
This is only half of the picture! Also, nearly 60 percent who took the survey admit to gaining more than 10 pounds. This is followed by over one-fourth of the participants stating they have gained more than 20 pounds!
What are the top nine ways your work is unhealthy?
1. Most companies do not care. Most companies do not care about the welfare of their employees. They do not make any efforts to help their employees gain “healthy” habits. Many do not offer discounts for joining the gym or health insurance discounts for being at the proper weight, not smoking and more.
2. Starting early, staying late. For individuals who start their day early and end it late at work, they are more likely to eat unhealthy foods during the day and to eat closer to bedtime. According to Nutrition Research, individuals who eat closer to bedtime have an increased chance of consuming more calories for the day. The quality of sleep for these individuals can also be lacking in quality.
3. Sitting for longer periods. Sitting at work for longer periods of time can significantly impact your overall health. Sitting for long periods of time causes the metabolism to slow down and contributes to weight gain. For most individuals who work sitting 45-65 hours per week, they only move around 25 percent of the time. One way to counter the ill effects of sitting all day is to work in as many two-minute walking breaks as possible.
4. Eating take out foods regularly. Fast food is easily convenient, especially when working full-time in a busy society. It is so easy to order takeout food and eat less healthy foods on a regular basis when working 40 hours or more per week. One study found the more takeout options that are available close to work, the more likely a person will gain weight.
5. Skipping nutrition. On the flip side, skipping lunch due to the workload can also have a negative effect on health. Individuals who skip meals likely eat huge meals later in the day to make up for their huge hunger. During the times of skipping meals, muscle mass can be affected (decreased). During times of eating large amounts of calories, the body will ship the extra calories to the hips and abdomen.
6. Giving in to stress. Work can be very stressful for the body. According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, individuals who experience high levels of work stress are more likely to be inactive during non-working times. The University of Rochester also found people who have high levels of stress at work are more likely to do activities such as watching television and other relaxing undertakings after a long day.
7. Working elevators. Elevators are a great option for those who are running late! But taking the elevator on a regular basis does not in any way improve health. Accomplishing so many errands up and down elevators is great for the mental health, but lacking for pure physical health.
8. Working nights and weekends. Working nights and weekends is not healthy for individuals. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy Of Sciences, employees who work evening hours are more likely to gain weight as compared to those who work daytime hours. Other studies suggest evening workers burn fewer calories overall.
9. Afternoon coffee break. Many workers hit a slump in the day after 2 p.m. The first thing many tend to think of is drinking a cup of coffee. Coffee can provide a great pick-me up, but beware taking in too much caffeine can cause increased fat storage, according to the Journal Of Agriculture & Food Chemistry. Increased amounts of caffeine can also create insulin resistance within the body. {eoa}
Don Colbert, M.D. has been board-certified in Family Practice for over 25 years and practices Anti-Aging and Integrative medicine. He is the New York Times best-selling author of books such as The Bible Cure Series, What Would Jesus Eat, Deadly Emotions, What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You and many more, with over 10 million books sold. He is the medical director of the Divine Health Wellness Center in Orlando, Florida, where he has treated over 50,000 patients.
For the original article, visit drcolbert.com.
