Proposed Purpose

Everything and everyone has a purpose, but most have more than one.  My Orpington hen just went broody- she wants to hatch some eggs.  But her eggs aren’t fertile, so I have been sliding my duck’s eggs under her.  She’ll hatch and raise them like they were her own and after that, she'll continue to lay eggs that we eat for breakfast.  You could consider activity in the same way, multipurpose.  In my 20’s and 30’s, I would spend hours at the gym on the elliptical and lifting weights- mostly for my physique.  My exercise regimen was purposeful- build muscle and burn calories.  Now, my activity has purposes that serves the mind, body, and community in a permaculture way.  Gardening puts food on the table and connects me with nature, taking care of my mini-farm of chickens, ducks, rabbits, and turkey also fills the plate with nutritious food and is a stress reliever.  Yoga aligns my mind, body, and breath, getting me ready for a great day or releasing tension from work, and helps me connect with others.  Walking my dog gets me out and about, connecting with nature, neighbors, and my furry companion.  Here’s my point.  Pick activities that serve more than one purpose, especially ones that relieve stress and connect you with nature. 
​Researchers show that the obesity epidemic is related to a few things:

1. Stress: long-term, chronic stress affects your brain and can increase hunger as well as contribute to poor eating habits like stress eating.
2. Environmental toxins: modern homes and household products are full of toxins, such as BPAs, PCBs, agricultural pesticides and fire retardants, which affect the human body.
3. Food quality: additives and preservatives are more widespread in foods today versus years ago when locally sourced, or homegrown foods were more plentiful.
4. RX drugs: some common prescription drugs, such as steroids or antidepressants, have a known side effect of weight gain.
5. Gut microbes: highly processed meats and foods, a staple of many modern diets, create an intestinal imbalance in which unhealthy intestinal bacteria are in abundance.

If you look at the list above, you could get rid of a few if not all of them by gardening and raising your food.  What’s your purpose for your activity?  It might be worth considering.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-graphs-that-show-why-people-get-fat
http://theheartysoul.com/weight-gain-ancestors/
https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html
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