Imagine coming home to a spotless home that has just been cleaned to the max. No dishes to be washed, no clothes to be washed, and everything put in its proper place. And not only is everything clean, but it is organized in a sensible fashion. Sounds pretty awesome right? Well, according to a recent book, it might even help you lose weight!
ABC News interviewed Peter Walsh, author of “Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down” and discussed a couple case studies as well as shared a preview of the book. Apparently he didn’t think slimming down the title of his book was necessary, but we won’t hold that against him. The core concept behind the book is that there is a link between three things: A messy home, stress, and weight gain. I don’t know about you, but this makes a lot of sense to me. I’m probably the messiest person alive, so when I come home to a clean house it feels amazing! I definitely feel less stress when coming home to a spotless house and I could see how that could lead to losing weight. A. I wouldn’t be stressed and as likely to eat crap food to deal with that stress and B. I would have more time to work out or cook a healthy meal, and much more likely to as well.
The ABC News article details a case study that Waslh went through with a woman who had tried a bunch of diets, but was unsuccessful in losing weight. They completely organized the refrigerator and pantry:
The refrigerator was divided into zones for storing different types of products. This makes it easier to cook at home, rather than order take-out, Walsh said.
“When you step in here I want you to feel like every single thing in here I love, it fits me and people compliment me on it,” Walsh told Rothschild.
The woman reported feeling significantly less stress after her house and kitchen was overhauled into a simple organized system.
The book isn’t just about losing clutter and organizing your house. Walsh goes into detail about eating plans, workouts, and of course the overall decluttering plan. He wants you to get away from living your life in a rote fashion, i.e. doing things like buying random junk or watching TV almost without thinking.
I’m going to be experimenting with this plan over the next six weeks and will report back with my successes and failures. I already know that it will lead to lower stress levels, so let’s see if it also helps with weight loss! Have you experienced less stress thanks to a clean house? Or are you super stressed because your house is a disaster area and you have no organization in it at all? Join the discussion and let’s help each other out!