Fitness over 50: Combating Night-time Eating
Our body burns fuel at the highest capacity during the morning hours. Our metabolism and hormones are designed for us to consume and burn calories at regular intervals throughout the day. Eating enough of the right kind of foods regularly helps us maintain a healthy weight. However, many of us succumb to night-time eating causing us to ingest a significant number of calories when our metabolism is at its lowest. This is often the result of using food to curb feelings of hurt, anger or anxiety, combat boredom, or compensate for not getting enough of the right foods throughout the day.
What to do? If your night-time eating is triggered by negative emotions, ask yourself what you are feeling that is causing you to overeat. Get emotional support from friends or seek professional help to develop more effective coping strategies.
If overeating is the result of boredom, get busy around the house. Distract yourself with home improvement projects or do something physical like take a walk, attend an exercise class, or work out at the gym.
If your night-time hunger signals are physiological in nature, review your intake of fats, proteins, carbs and fiber to be sure you are getting adequate amounts of each. If for example, when hunger strikes you realize that you didn’t get enough fiber, rather than consuming whatever junk food is on hand, eat a healthy, high-fiber snack.
In all cases, planning your meals and prepping healthy snacks can go a long way toward curbing unnecessary eating. Check out my Short Video about this!
If you want to boost your body’s calorie-burning capacity, decrease after-hours eating, and improve overall fitness, call or text me today at (831)236-6199, or you can meet me at my brand new 7000 sq ft gym at 120 Country Club Gate Ctr, Pacific Grove, California, available everyday from 4am-10pm.
