Yes, you read that correctly. And to live up to the promise in the headline, we’re going to get right to it.
Have You Ever Heard of the Following as Ways to Promote Weight Loss?
The main reason we’re making the claim that you’ve never heard any of the following in terms of helping you lose weight is that, generally, their weight loss benefits are the result of relatively recent research.
- Floss Your Teeth Regularly – Ugh. Not your Mom, dentist or anyone could ever get you to floss. But how about if it could help you shed the pounds?
Of course, flossing helps keep your teeth healthier. But it’s how flossing does so that’s the important part for losing weight.
Flossing removes bits of food and plaque from between your teeth. But, more importantly, it removes the bacteria that grows on that food and plaque. Recent research suggests that, without flossing, the bacteria in your mouth can get into your stomach and/or bloodstream.
The bacteria can lead to a number of health complications, including raising your blood sugar levels and exacerbating symptoms of diabetes, which can make it more difficult to lose weight.
- Maintain A Healthy Gut Microbiome – First, “gut microbiome” refers to all the living (and dead) microorganisms in your stomach (mostly your large intestine actually). Wait! What? What’s living in your stomach?! Just trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other tiny organisms.
As shocking as that may sound, their existence isn’t the problem. But their health is crucial to your health, or at least how many healthy bacteria are in your gut, versus unhealthy bacteria.
When you unintentionally trigger the growth of unhealthy gut bacteria, by doing things like eating lots of sugar, eating lots of processed foods, and even not getting enough sleep, you not only make it more difficult for you to lose weight, you can actually promote obesity.
- Be Happy – If only it was that simple. The truth is we focus on the wrong connection between depression, stress and unhappiness and our weight. It may be true that being overweight can make us depressed and unhappy. But we should try to work the connection from another angle; that improving our emotional state, and levels of happiness, can help us lose weight.
Everything you do to improve your mood, from practicing gratitude and calling a friend, to improving your inner voice and watching a comedy, will help keep you motivated to lose weight, help you celebrate the smallest weight loss gains, and help you better deal with the setbacks.
If you’re ready to healthily lose weight for the long term, the nutritional consultants at your local Herbal One location are ready to support and guide you all the way.
Find out more about losing weight healthily, check out our post “This is Where Healthy Weight Loss Begins”.