Can Being Happy Make You Lose Weight?

Everyone becomes happy on losing those extra pounds. But can being happy make you lose weight? For decades, exercises meant burning calories and losing weight. But actually, exercise offers many more benefits than just weight loss. Exercise must be a part of weight loss for happiness plan. People do get happier when they lose weight; but it is also a rare known truth that people lose weight when they are happier. When one feels happy, they have a better self-image and more confidence. They tend to show up differently in social situations, at work, and most likely at places where they need to make choices about what’s good for their health and goals. Happy people have a greater drive toward self-preservation and away from self-sabotage. Happy people are less likely to seek mood-boosting foods, which are high in fat and sugar; and thus the weight loss the indirect result of happiness.

What is the Science Behind Happiness and Weight Loss?

Serotonin is the feel-good hormone, which plays a large part in the neurochemistry that creates happiness. One can boost their serotonin levels by venting with friends, being outdoors in sunlight, or exercising. Surprisingly, not just an easy stroll in the neighbourhood, but even a killer exercise regime like boot camp, can make a person happy and lead burning lot of calories along with making you happy. This happiness resulting from physical activity is potentially more responsible for weight loss than the number of calories one burns or the amount of fat they use as fuel for energy production during and after exercise. For example, a person desperate for losing weight participates in boot camp to torch 700 calories in an hour. They do it even when they hate it. Another individual goes for a walk around the lake with a couple of friends, only exerting hard enough to get breathless because they are laughing hard. This happy person ends up losing more weight than the former individual who exercises with a negative mindset. A lot of factors can surely come into play, but there is plenty of evidence which proves that loving what one does is good for their health and their waistline as well. Also, when a person is happy, they are more likely to stay committed to things which they know they must do. By choosing to do an exercise which they enjoy, whether it burns the most calories or not, one can improve the hormone balance in their body to create an environment conducive for weight loss. So it proves that being happy does make you lose weight.

People, who have significant weight to lose, are usually not happy about the current status of their weight and health. But if they are happy overall with who they are, it makes it easy for them to stay on track of following a healthy lifestyle and ultimately losing weight. Being happy with themselves and committed to healthy habits can lead to effective weight loss. However, the result is not the same in case of other people who feel overwhelmed and consumed with stress over changes in their life. Even when they have much less weight to lose, they tend to stay focused on the problems and challenges rather than the opportunities. They are quick to eat out, skip the gym for work, and choose something which in not favourable for their body and unhappy people find it difficult to lose weight. So this is the ultimate truth that being happy makes you lose weight.

How to Boost Happiness, So Weight Loss Becomes Easier?

To lose weight, it is essential that a person keeps feeding their happiness by regularly expressing gratitude and opting for exercise which they love to do. Some simple measures which a person can follow in their daily life to fight off negative emotions and boost happiness are:

Drinking Water. People cannot be drained of energy and feel happy at the same time. So, one should stay hydrated to keep their energy levels high and this habit also helps with metabolism and weight loss.

Eating Dark Chocolate and Healthy Fats. Going for high fat food is not always bad. In fact, avocados and walnuts are known for supporting brain-boosting chemicals, which trigger the feeling of happiness and reduce anxiety and the same goes for eating dark chocolate.

Getting a Hug. Oxytocin is the cuddle hormone, which is another feel-good catalyst which will help you lose weight. Sex can surely help one feel good, but even hugging another person or slight petting can aid in reducing anxiety and increasing happiness which helps in losing weight.

Get Lost in Nature. To increase their sense of calm and peace, a person can meditate, do yoga, or simply get outdoors. Even forest bathing, i.e. taking a walk in a green space, can prove helpful. Reducing stress and increasing focus can help the individual regain the happiness factor, which can in turn make them take better care of themselves.

Improving Oxygen Circulation. Happiness can be boosted by improving the flow of oxygen and blood in the body. Oxygen can be delivered to all the extremities of the body by regularly practising deep breathing. Doing exercises like headstand, stretches and walking increases happy feeling and also helps you maintain your weight.

Conclusion

So now that you are aware, thanks to this article, that happiness or being happy will make you actually lose weight, then this becomes an additional reason for all those pessimists out there to be more positive and happy. So do invest in your happiness and try to be happy and positive for not only losing weight, but your overall health.

Always remember, laughing and smiling burns more calories than frowning. So laugh, be happy, healthy and stay slim…..always.

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Can Being Happy Make You Lose Weight?