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(NaturalNews) Eating too much means excessive caloric intake. Sitting too much, on the other hand, reduces caloric usage. It is thus simple common sense that both of these dietary and lifestyle habits can cause weight gain. However, two recent studies have separately shown us different aspects of how sitting and eating can be linked to weight gain. One of them adds another reason why sitting for too long can cause weight gain, while the other suggests that besides the amount we consume, eating too fast can also contribute to weight increase.

Sitting Too Long

In a study which was published in the journal Diabetes, researchers suggested that when we remain seated for too long, chemicals in the body which play a part in burning fat actually stop functioning. And, the problem is, even if we exercise later in the day, there may be no guarantee that the harm done by being seated for too long can be fully reversed.

As it is, lack of exercise and an overly sedentary lifestyle are already having an enormous impact on the health of the population as a whole. Worse still, technological advancement and availability – more elevators and escalators, power steering and electronically operated windows in cars, remote controls and what not, as well as modern day comforts and luxuries, such as computers and cable TV with a thousand channels, have greatly reduced the amount of non-exercise physical activity for most people, too. These factors are leading to massive spikes in obesity, heart disease and other lifestyle and diet related conditions.

The fortunate thing is that just getting off our seats and onto our feet, even for brief but frequent moments, can once again trigger the fat-burning mechanism.

A possible solution? If your job or whatever reasons require you to be seated for long hours at a stretch, try using computer software which reminds to you get up, stretch or just walk around a little bit, every 30 to 45 minutes or so. This may not seem like much, but in the very long run, this simple measure is probably going to have a profound impact on your health.

Further, try creative ways to walk a little more and climb a little more stairs each day. Again, every little bit done every day helps a lot in the long run.

Eating Too Fast

Then, there is a Japanese study, published in the British Medical Journal, which has found that people who eat quickly are more likely to put on weight. Thus, it is not just about how much one eats, but also the manner in which one devours his or her food.

Having looked at the eating habits of more than 3,000 volunteers, who were aged from 30 to 69 years, the research team found that those who ate until full as well as ate quickly had three times the likelihood of becoming overweight, as compared to those who neither ate until full nor ate quickly.

Once again, the current state of society and life today plays a big part. Many of us no longer sit at the dining table at home and have a slow and deliberate meal. Life is often rush-rush and meals are often seen as something to 'get out of the way'. We thus often gorge down our fast food.

A possible solution? As part of their conclusion, the study team said that parents should encourage their children to eat slowly, as well as eat in calm surroundings. That, for sure, is something which can be extended to apply to us all.

Mindful eating is a habit, and a health-promoting one at that. Further, it helps us to savor and be thankful for every mouthful of our food. Once again, this is a little habit which will have a great impact on our health in the long run.

Main Sources

Role of Low Energy Expenditure and Sitting in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease (http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.or...)

Study links eating fast & weight gain (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glea...)

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