Best Ally in Overcoming Cravings: We all know that to achieve the desired BMI, it is necessary to combine physical activity and a balanced diet. And this is good in theory, but in reality, it is not so easy to maintain regular physical activity and a balanced diet.
The number one enemy of a balanced diet is food cravings. Fortunately, nature has given us hormones that work together. This means that if you exercise regularly and make your brain secrete certain chemicals, you will be able to fight your number one enemy. Below, we explain why physical activity is your best ally to beat food cravings.
Excessive intake of Processed Foods: the Root cause
Let’s start at the beginning. Most of us know that consuming excessive amounts of sugary foods and drinks is bad for our health. These highly processed foods contribute to obesity because they are high in calories and lack nutritional value. They also make your daily wellness quite difficult to maintain. But it’s so hard to say no to them!
The Food you Crave is Designed to Trick your Brain
These ultra-processed snacks are designed to be as delicious and satiating as possible. The areas of the brain involved in reward processing become more active when we are exposed to media advertisements or real food products.
When a certain area of the brain (a dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) is active, we feel compelled to eat even when we are not hungry because of the pleasure we get from it.
To limit our consumption of highly processed foods, part of our prefrontal cortex reduces the activity of the reward areas of the brain. In doing so, it reduces food cravings and triggers the cognitive processes needed to exert volition over food choices.
Regular Exercise Reduces Hunger
The brain’s ability to reorganize its operations in response to new stimuli is called “brain plasticity.” To improve it, you need to engage in physical activity. Greater brain plasticity facilitates changes in behavior and lifestyle. Regular exercise can improve cognitive abilities by increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex.
Improving prefrontal cortex function and cognition through exercise makes it easier to control or reduce unhealthy food consumption. And even 20 minutes of moderate exercise produces results.
The most important thing to remember is that regular physical activity improves brain function and cognition. This helps reduce cravings for junk food and increases the willingness to say “no” to these tempting foods. Therefore, it is less complicated to cut out certain foods to be healthier and have a slimmer figure.
External factors only add to the cravings when you’re under pressure
Stress can hamper your brain’s ability to function. According to studies, looking at pictures of food increases the activity of the brain’s reward system while decreasing the activity of the prefrontal cortex. This makes it harder to say “no” to unhealthy foods that look delicious.
Exercising helps you stick to your resolutions to eat healthy or cut back on junk food. This alleviates the negative effects of stress on your prefrontal brain’s functioning. You can help your prefrontal cortex’s ability to recover from brief fluctuations in activity, such as those seen in anxious people, by simply walking briskly for 20 minutes. If it helps, you can do this with a friend. It can help your mental health a lot, but it’s also a fun social activity.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that exercise helps you curb your unwanted food cravings. Your brain works with your entire body through various neurotransmitters and hormones to maintain balance. Balance is key, because when you don’t get enough physical activity, your cravings increase and vice versa.
Now you know why physical activity is your best ally in overcoming your cravings. The question is: will you use this knowledge? If you decide to take this brave step, rest assured that we will be here to guide you along the way.