It was not so long ago that eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia, were thought to be purely the result of mental conditions. More recently, though, some physical factors have been attributed to these conditions. It is now thought that eating disorders can be triggered by a multitude of factors, in combination, including those of a psychological, behavioural, social, or biological nature.
As with many conditions, eating orders can better be dealt with through a calm and focused mind. Depression and low self esteem are problems often associated with eating disorders, and Yoga can help with both.
It has been proven that Yoga can reduce depression, restoring a state of balance and well being in the individual. Also, there are different yoga practices which encourage heightened levels of self esteem, and promote a positive view of your own body. These are crucial factors with eating disorders, and it has been shown that the application of yoga can significantly increase recuperation and healing. Through the elimination of self judgment, yoga establishes a strong connection between mind and body. This, of course, is the natural state of wellness. By re-establishing this strong connection, mind and body will work in harmony to repair the damage.
Regular yoga practice will increase the overall fitness level of the human body, improving the immune system and giving it a good chance of fighting illnesses. This is helpful with Anorexia, for example, because the sufferer's body will experience lower energy levels, and the condition reduces bone density.
In dealing with eating disorders, the yogic system identifies them as a problem related to the first chakra. There are different yoga poses that can be used to balance t: eg. staff, crab, full wind, and pigeon. By using grounding postures (eg mountain, goddess, standing squat and prayer squat) strength and courage can be increased. What these postures do is to re-establish the strong mind-body connections, and through that connection help overcome many physical obstacles. For anorexia sufferers, most of the yoga back bending poses help reduce depression, while forward bends can calm the spirit and reduce anorexia's effects.
Because the mental state has an important role in eating disorders, meditation can be used successfully to reduce negative and harmful thoughts and feelings. An active, well targeted, meditation practice should prove to be very effective. The yoga poses work best when external factors are shut out, and concentration is allowed to focus on your inner self. Giving special attention to breathing, and also to inner sensations, will transport you to a state of greater awareness and calmness. This new state will allow you to go on further to explore new concepts, and hopefully pursue new goals that may have been impossible before.
As with many medical conditions, being aware of the bulimia or anorexia problem, and showing a constant and strong desire to defeat it, is a great method to reduce their effect. It is likely that an early adoption of yoga practices would make the patient more aware of the problem, thus making a positive contribution to an early cure. However, these yoga techniques are more usually used in the recuperative stages of the illness. That is a pity because, as with all illnesses in which it can be beneficial, yoga works best in the prevention stage, when the negative effects are still low and easier to over come.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Increase Your Metabolism By Yoga
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and physical well being . It promotes a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and yoga techniques can be applied also to removing excess weight, thus bringing you an extra benefit, that is if being overweight is a problem to you.
Practicing yoga will increase your metabolism. An increased metabolism leads to an increase in the calorie burning process, so combining yoga with a calorie burning program may bring you excellent results. Of course, the use of yoga is no rapid weight loss method. Used over a period of time, though, it can bring good results. If you keep to the rigours imposed by yoga discipline, you should gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and help you reduce and prevent any surplus weight. In addition to losing weight, you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors, and overall a healthier way of life.
Your metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. The thyroid is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism. This in turn burns more calories, and reduces your body weight. Improved local blood circulation is another direct effect of the use of yoga postures, which leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output, your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further, and you may well see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.
To stimulate metabolism, various back bends and forward bends are used. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situaed, are particularly helpful if the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. To those who are well overweight, some of the bends may prove to be a difficult. If you fall into that category, don't despair. You should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until you have the confidence to go to more complex exercises. This is not a test or a competition; you need to be relaxed and at ease, and just do what you can. Each time, you will probably find it that much easier, and you can do a little more.
To strengthen muscles, you use standing poses, such as the warrior. The use of standing poses will aid a higher level of endurance, and an increased caloric output. You may energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.
A good diet should also be followed to support this holistic weight loss system. You should try to eat foods that are rich in fibre, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, while eating less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all matters concerning your diet. variety is good, as is modest consumption.
A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Do not expect results to be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss, you can also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors through your improved immune system and sense of well being. Hopefully, too, you will feel an inner peace that will assist you in losing weight without succumbing to all the pressures and temptations
Practicing yoga will increase your metabolism. An increased metabolism leads to an increase in the calorie burning process, so combining yoga with a calorie burning program may bring you excellent results. Of course, the use of yoga is no rapid weight loss method. Used over a period of time, though, it can bring good results. If you keep to the rigours imposed by yoga discipline, you should gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and help you reduce and prevent any surplus weight. In addition to losing weight, you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors, and overall a healthier way of life.
Your metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. The thyroid is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism. This in turn burns more calories, and reduces your body weight. Improved local blood circulation is another direct effect of the use of yoga postures, which leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output, your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further, and you may well see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.
To stimulate metabolism, various back bends and forward bends are used. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situaed, are particularly helpful if the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. To those who are well overweight, some of the bends may prove to be a difficult. If you fall into that category, don't despair. You should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until you have the confidence to go to more complex exercises. This is not a test or a competition; you need to be relaxed and at ease, and just do what you can. Each time, you will probably find it that much easier, and you can do a little more.
To strengthen muscles, you use standing poses, such as the warrior. The use of standing poses will aid a higher level of endurance, and an increased caloric output. You may energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.
A good diet should also be followed to support this holistic weight loss system. You should try to eat foods that are rich in fibre, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, while eating less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all matters concerning your diet. variety is good, as is modest consumption.
A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Do not expect results to be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss, you can also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors through your improved immune system and sense of well being. Hopefully, too, you will feel an inner peace that will assist you in losing weight without succumbing to all the pressures and temptations
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Yoga, Mindfulness, and Weight Loss
Being mindful of what you eat is a point that the masses have lost. Eating nutritionally dense food, in moderation, and being mindful at the dinner table is a recipe for a lifetime of weight control.
Meals should be for nutrition, bonding, and thanks. Meals should not be ?wolfed down,? while watching television or while driving in the car.
One of the aspects of Yoga, which is covered in a typical Yoga class, is that of mindfulness in every part of life. You become more conscious of your breathing, posture, speech, what you eat, and much more. Through steady Yoga practice, you learn to live life in the present moment and to appreciate what you have.
Making the most out of simple pleasures is living life to its fullest potential. So, instead of ?shoveling? your food away, Yoga students should take the time to enjoy the finer things in life. This is not to say that we should engage in gluttony, but instead to connect with your inner being at mealtime and be mindful of everything. Eat with your family, when possible, and make it a pleasant experience, together, at the kitchen table.
Your inner self or self is sometimes called ?atman? or ?jiva.? This is the ?creature? imprisoned within all of us. We all enjoy eating and want to savor every earthly pleasure to its fullest, but mindfulness makes us aware of much more than consumption of food and earthly pleasures. Therefore, mindfulness can be a natural dieting tool at mealtime.
When you see food - give thanks and tune into your senses. You do not have to give thanks verbally, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, but you should make it a mental exercise, before every meal. This will help your spiritual health and slow the pace of eating down.
The senses of sight, and smell, come into play long before your first bite, so take the timeto be mindful of them after you have given thanks. Eat for the right reasons. Those reasons should be: your health and your life.
Eating should be nutritionally dense, in moderation, and in the best possible frame of mind. Be mindful of every bite, your digestive process, and all your senses. This pace will slow you down.
Thoroughly chew each bite and sip water during your meal. Yogis, and Yoginis, learn to pace their breath in Pranayama practice. Therefore, you should pace yourself in regard to eating and breathing at mealtime. You should not be short of breath while eating. If you are, you make eating into a stressful situation. You learn to breathe in Yoga class, and you should continue proper breath control at every possible moment.
If you work in a company that doesn?t allow time for eating, eat small nutritionally dense snacks, and look for another job. Companies that function, in this way, are killing their employees with stress. This is not a harmonious atmosphere, and the stress will get you too.
Lastly, remember that weight control is not a mathematical formula. There are many intangibles that ?fly under the radar.? Science cannot yet accurately measure the power of your mind, commitment, and spiritual health.
Yoga is much more than an exercise class. At present, Yoga is the most complete health system known to humankind. Yoga encompasses mental, physical and spiritual health.
There is so much to learn about Yoga that none of us will be able to learn everything in one lifetime. The results of regular Yoga practice, and the lessons in mindfulness taught by a competent Yoga teacher, will help you control your weight and so much more.
Meals should be for nutrition, bonding, and thanks. Meals should not be ?wolfed down,? while watching television or while driving in the car.
One of the aspects of Yoga, which is covered in a typical Yoga class, is that of mindfulness in every part of life. You become more conscious of your breathing, posture, speech, what you eat, and much more. Through steady Yoga practice, you learn to live life in the present moment and to appreciate what you have.
Making the most out of simple pleasures is living life to its fullest potential. So, instead of ?shoveling? your food away, Yoga students should take the time to enjoy the finer things in life. This is not to say that we should engage in gluttony, but instead to connect with your inner being at mealtime and be mindful of everything. Eat with your family, when possible, and make it a pleasant experience, together, at the kitchen table.
Your inner self or self is sometimes called ?atman? or ?jiva.? This is the ?creature? imprisoned within all of us. We all enjoy eating and want to savor every earthly pleasure to its fullest, but mindfulness makes us aware of much more than consumption of food and earthly pleasures. Therefore, mindfulness can be a natural dieting tool at mealtime.
When you see food - give thanks and tune into your senses. You do not have to give thanks verbally, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, but you should make it a mental exercise, before every meal. This will help your spiritual health and slow the pace of eating down.
The senses of sight, and smell, come into play long before your first bite, so take the timeto be mindful of them after you have given thanks. Eat for the right reasons. Those reasons should be: your health and your life.
Eating should be nutritionally dense, in moderation, and in the best possible frame of mind. Be mindful of every bite, your digestive process, and all your senses. This pace will slow you down.
Thoroughly chew each bite and sip water during your meal. Yogis, and Yoginis, learn to pace their breath in Pranayama practice. Therefore, you should pace yourself in regard to eating and breathing at mealtime. You should not be short of breath while eating. If you are, you make eating into a stressful situation. You learn to breathe in Yoga class, and you should continue proper breath control at every possible moment.
If you work in a company that doesn?t allow time for eating, eat small nutritionally dense snacks, and look for another job. Companies that function, in this way, are killing their employees with stress. This is not a harmonious atmosphere, and the stress will get you too.
Lastly, remember that weight control is not a mathematical formula. There are many intangibles that ?fly under the radar.? Science cannot yet accurately measure the power of your mind, commitment, and spiritual health.
Yoga is much more than an exercise class. At present, Yoga is the most complete health system known to humankind. Yoga encompasses mental, physical and spiritual health.
There is so much to learn about Yoga that none of us will be able to learn everything in one lifetime. The results of regular Yoga practice, and the lessons in mindfulness taught by a competent Yoga teacher, will help you control your weight and so much more.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Benefits Of Yoga for Weight Loss
Physical Benefits: Creates a toned, flexible, and strong body...yes, it helps to build muscle which will also help to improve your metabolism. It also promotes cardio and circulatory health.
Mental Benefits: Helps you relax and handle stress more easily. Teaches you to quiet all that chatter in your mind so you can focus on how you want to direct your energy. Encourages positive thoughts and self-acceptance. This alone can do a lot for those emotional/stress eaters out there.
Spiritual Benefits: This is a nondenominational value that helps to build awareness of your body, your feelings, and the world around you. It also helps you to learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. We all could use some regular reminders of this!
Yoga is probably not an obvious choice of activity when it comes to weight loss but despite the speed of the movements it is deceptively effective and here's why.
1. Yoga strengthens and streamlines your muscles
During yoga practise you work your whole body, stretching and toning your muscles, streamlining and firming them. This gives you a lean firm body shape as opposed to the bulkier, short muscles you might get from weight training. With yoga you build strong lean muscle tissue which burn calories even while you are at rest.
2. Yoga calms you and clears your mind
If you are someone who eats due to stress and tension, then yoga will help you reduce comfort eating. The slow stretching movements and deep breathing in every yoga movement calm and relax you. The balance postures in particular necessitate that you clear your mind of all your every day cares and worries and use all your powers of concentration and focus. With regular yoga practise you will find that you become naturally more relaxed and able to cope with everyday problems.
3. Yoga normalises sluggish glands
The toning movements in yoga work not only on the muscles but also on the internal organs of the body stimulating them and normalising their function. Twisting poses, forward and backward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system and postures like the shouder stand and the fish help regulate the mechanism of the thyroid gland in the neck, all of which help boost your metabolism.
4. Yoga gives you energy and increases flexibility
By calming you and gently working on your muscles and increasing the levels of oxygen in your blood and to your brain, you finish a yoga practise (once you are used to the movements) feeling more energetic than when you began. This means that you tend to put more energy and movement into your day rather than sitting around feeling exhausted. And you build flexibility in your muscles and joints so that you enjoy a full range of movement your whole life. Witness the difference between the movements of a young girl and a stiff 80 year old woman. The young girl is bound to move so much more because muscles and joints are less restricted.
5. Yoga uses calories
This is where people believe that yoga is not helpful when it comes to weight loss and it's true that aerobic exercise may very well burn more calories. However you will still use about 240 calories in an average 1 hour classic hatha yoga class and burn many more (about 400) with some highly physical forms such as astanga yoga. And you can practise yoga every day without over-exercising your muscles which is not the case for many forms of aerobic exercise.
6. Yoga offers psychological benefits.
Yoga strengthens and streamlines your muscles. During yoga practise you work your whole body, stretching and toning your muscles, streamlining and firming them. This gives you a lean firm body shape as opposed to the bulkier, short muscles you might get from weight training. With yoga you build strong lean muscle tissue which burn calories even while you are at rest.
2. Yoga calms you and clears your mind
If you are someone who eats due to stress and tension, then yoga will help you reduce comfort eating. The slow stretching movements and deep breathing in every yoga movement calm and relax you. The balance postures in particular necessitate that you clear your mind of all your every day cares and worries and use all your powers of concentration and focus. With regular yoga practise you will find that you become naturally more relaxed and able to cope with everyday problems.
3. Yoga normalises sluggish glands
The toning movements in yoga work not only on the muscles but also on the internal organs of the body stimulating them and normalising their function. Twisting poses, forward and backward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system and postures like the shouder stand and the fish help regulate the mechanism of the thyroid gland in the neck, all of which help boost your metabolism.
4. Yoga gives you energy and increases flexibility
By calming you and gently working on your muscles and increasing the levels of oxygen in your blood and to your brain, you finish a yoga practise (once you are used to the movements) feeling more energetic than when you began. This means that you tend to put more energy and movement into your day rather than sitting around feeling exhausted. And you build flexibility in your muscles and joints so that you enjoy a full range of movement your whole life. Witness the difference between the movements of a young girl and a stiff 80 year old woman. The young girl is bound to move so much more because muscles and joints are less restricted.
5. Yoga uses calories
This is where people believe that yoga is not helpful when it comes to weight loss and it's true that aerobic exercise may very well burn more calories. However you will still use about 240 calories in an average 1 hour classic hatha yoga class and burn many more (about 400) with some highly physical forms such as astanga yoga. And you can practise yoga every day without over-exercising your muscles which is not the case for many forms of aerobic exercise
6. Yoga offers psychological benefits
Through yoga practise you tend to retune into your body and increase your self-acceptance and self-esteem. You build positive body confidence and help quiet any negative messages that may arise in your mind. Yoga teaches us to respect our bodies and this helps us when choosing our food and avoiding junk food and alcohol.
7. Yoga is for everyone
Most people can take up yoga even if they have been inactive for a while although you should always get your doctor's approval before beginning an exercise program if there is any doubt about your health. While jogging and working out at the gym might seem too much to contemplate you can start wherever you are with a yoga class and make steady progress.
Through yoga practise you tend to retune into your body and increase your self-acceptance and self-esteem. You build positive body confidence and help quiet any negative messages that may arise in your mind. Yoga teaches us to respect our bodies and this helps us when choosing our food and avoiding junk food and alcohol.
7. Yoga is for everyone
Most people can take up yoga even if they have been inactive for a while although you should always get your doctor's approval before beginning an exercise program if there is any doubt about your health. While jogging and working out at the gym might seem too much to contemplate you can start wherever you are with a yoga class and make steady progress.
Mental Benefits: Helps you relax and handle stress more easily. Teaches you to quiet all that chatter in your mind so you can focus on how you want to direct your energy. Encourages positive thoughts and self-acceptance. This alone can do a lot for those emotional/stress eaters out there.
Spiritual Benefits: This is a nondenominational value that helps to build awareness of your body, your feelings, and the world around you. It also helps you to learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. We all could use some regular reminders of this!
Yoga is probably not an obvious choice of activity when it comes to weight loss but despite the speed of the movements it is deceptively effective and here's why.
1. Yoga strengthens and streamlines your muscles
During yoga practise you work your whole body, stretching and toning your muscles, streamlining and firming them. This gives you a lean firm body shape as opposed to the bulkier, short muscles you might get from weight training. With yoga you build strong lean muscle tissue which burn calories even while you are at rest.
2. Yoga calms you and clears your mind
If you are someone who eats due to stress and tension, then yoga will help you reduce comfort eating. The slow stretching movements and deep breathing in every yoga movement calm and relax you. The balance postures in particular necessitate that you clear your mind of all your every day cares and worries and use all your powers of concentration and focus. With regular yoga practise you will find that you become naturally more relaxed and able to cope with everyday problems.
3. Yoga normalises sluggish glands
The toning movements in yoga work not only on the muscles but also on the internal organs of the body stimulating them and normalising their function. Twisting poses, forward and backward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system and postures like the shouder stand and the fish help regulate the mechanism of the thyroid gland in the neck, all of which help boost your metabolism.
4. Yoga gives you energy and increases flexibility
By calming you and gently working on your muscles and increasing the levels of oxygen in your blood and to your brain, you finish a yoga practise (once you are used to the movements) feeling more energetic than when you began. This means that you tend to put more energy and movement into your day rather than sitting around feeling exhausted. And you build flexibility in your muscles and joints so that you enjoy a full range of movement your whole life. Witness the difference between the movements of a young girl and a stiff 80 year old woman. The young girl is bound to move so much more because muscles and joints are less restricted.
5. Yoga uses calories
This is where people believe that yoga is not helpful when it comes to weight loss and it's true that aerobic exercise may very well burn more calories. However you will still use about 240 calories in an average 1 hour classic hatha yoga class and burn many more (about 400) with some highly physical forms such as astanga yoga. And you can practise yoga every day without over-exercising your muscles which is not the case for many forms of aerobic exercise.
6. Yoga offers psychological benefits.
Yoga strengthens and streamlines your muscles. During yoga practise you work your whole body, stretching and toning your muscles, streamlining and firming them. This gives you a lean firm body shape as opposed to the bulkier, short muscles you might get from weight training. With yoga you build strong lean muscle tissue which burn calories even while you are at rest.
2. Yoga calms you and clears your mind
If you are someone who eats due to stress and tension, then yoga will help you reduce comfort eating. The slow stretching movements and deep breathing in every yoga movement calm and relax you. The balance postures in particular necessitate that you clear your mind of all your every day cares and worries and use all your powers of concentration and focus. With regular yoga practise you will find that you become naturally more relaxed and able to cope with everyday problems.
3. Yoga normalises sluggish glands
The toning movements in yoga work not only on the muscles but also on the internal organs of the body stimulating them and normalising their function. Twisting poses, forward and backward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system and postures like the shouder stand and the fish help regulate the mechanism of the thyroid gland in the neck, all of which help boost your metabolism.
4. Yoga gives you energy and increases flexibility
By calming you and gently working on your muscles and increasing the levels of oxygen in your blood and to your brain, you finish a yoga practise (once you are used to the movements) feeling more energetic than when you began. This means that you tend to put more energy and movement into your day rather than sitting around feeling exhausted. And you build flexibility in your muscles and joints so that you enjoy a full range of movement your whole life. Witness the difference between the movements of a young girl and a stiff 80 year old woman. The young girl is bound to move so much more because muscles and joints are less restricted.
5. Yoga uses calories
This is where people believe that yoga is not helpful when it comes to weight loss and it's true that aerobic exercise may very well burn more calories. However you will still use about 240 calories in an average 1 hour classic hatha yoga class and burn many more (about 400) with some highly physical forms such as astanga yoga. And you can practise yoga every day without over-exercising your muscles which is not the case for many forms of aerobic exercise
6. Yoga offers psychological benefits
Through yoga practise you tend to retune into your body and increase your self-acceptance and self-esteem. You build positive body confidence and help quiet any negative messages that may arise in your mind. Yoga teaches us to respect our bodies and this helps us when choosing our food and avoiding junk food and alcohol.
7. Yoga is for everyone
Most people can take up yoga even if they have been inactive for a while although you should always get your doctor's approval before beginning an exercise program if there is any doubt about your health. While jogging and working out at the gym might seem too much to contemplate you can start wherever you are with a yoga class and make steady progress.
Through yoga practise you tend to retune into your body and increase your self-acceptance and self-esteem. You build positive body confidence and help quiet any negative messages that may arise in your mind. Yoga teaches us to respect our bodies and this helps us when choosing our food and avoiding junk food and alcohol.
7. Yoga is for everyone
Most people can take up yoga even if they have been inactive for a while although you should always get your doctor's approval before beginning an exercise program if there is any doubt about your health. While jogging and working out at the gym might seem too much to contemplate you can start wherever you are with a yoga class and make steady progress.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Yoga For Weight Loss
Yoga was invented to bring the human being to the same goal of achieving fitness as by cardiovascular methods through a different approach. The word Yoga means joining in Sanskrit. The science of yoga aims to join the disparate body, mind and spirit into an integrated human being who is better able to interact with the outside world in a more efficient manner. The practice was invented in India, 5000 years ago and was developed into a science by observing the effects of various body and mind states on the overall human being. In yoga, one must be focussed or the effects are simply not there. The mind acts on the physical body and it responds in turn. In order to improve the state of the being, then, both body and mind must be focussed or joined to an integral viewpoint.
The beauty of yoga is its absolute dependence on nothing but the human being. No external equipment is necessary. However, it is important to focus the body and mind in an integrated way. Ultimately, ones spiritual energy is awakened. The person is better able to interact with the world in a more efficient way. This is the goal of yoga.
Yoga is very low impact - in comparison to many aerobic exercise routines, and can be practiced for longevity. Your knees, spine, hips, and shoulders, will thank you for the condition Yoga will keep them in. Many of today?s ?standard? forms of exercise do not have the same ?bragging rights,? as Yoga.
It is much more likely that the positive factors of yoga and meditation have on your mind and body impact your self-image, nutrition choices, and overall stress level which are major factors in weight control.
Stress not only results in unhealthy binge eating and poor nutritional choices, but actually has physiological impacts on your body that often result in craving foods that can result in greater weight gain such as sugars, starches and carbohydrates
Interestingly, though yoga is a great weight loss measure, it?s also used to treat girls with eating disorders such as anorexia. There are several reasons why that approach is effective. First, anorexic girls feel anxious if they can?t exercise, as many of them used over-exercising as a means of weight control. Once they are in treatment, of course, they can?t be allowed to jog or do other exercise that might prevent them from making progress with weight gain. Gentle yoga is different, though. Practiced in a low-impact setting, it can provide some exercise without making an already emaciated girl thinner. Yoga also eases the anxiety of these girls, and it makes them more conscious of their bodies.
In fact, it does the same thing for people with the opposite type of eating disorder ? binge eating or compulsive overeating. As a matter of fact, that condition and anorexia are not as different as you might assume. Yes, one causes overweight and the other can bring on starvation, but both stem from a fundamental discomfort with the body and underlying emotional issues. Yoga can help with all of these issues, and if you are looking to lose weight, it can be a great choice for you.
With respect to eating, take the time to identify hunger and cravings. You will notice that they are not the same thing. Being a chocolate lover, it is much better to eat a piece of chocolate, now and then, than to buy a dozen chocolate donuts. This is not to justify, or surrender, to chocolate, but to eat it in moderation, and not every day.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
How Acupuncture Helps To Lose Weight
Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders.
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient?s weight loss program.
When coupled with a healthy diet and exercise, acupuncture is an effective weight loss agent. Acupuncture facilitates the weight loss process in three significant ways:
- Acupuncture regulates appetite and tames cravings.
- Acupuncture gently adjusts the body?s metabolism to initiate weight loss.
- Acupuncture, when locally applied to targeted fat deposits, increases blood flow in the area. This increased vascular activity carries away deposits from clusters of fat cells. Targeting fat deposits of specific areas can help to actually reshape the body.
It is important that acupuncture modulates a responsible regimen for weight management to prevent the negative effects of dramatic weight loss on the body?s immune system, muscle strength and tone. Acupuncture can control cravings, so whichever diet you choose, it will be easy for you.
Acupuncture treatment raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.
Acupuncture can help you lose weight by strengthening your digestive system. Doing this helps control your appetite and therefore weight loss is achieved. Some theories suggest that acupuncture improves metabolism causing you to burn calories at a faster rate.
Acupuncture for weight loss involves poking the skin with thin stainless steel needles that are moved by hand or by electric stimulation. Sometimes the needles are combined with lasers. The needles are left in place for about 30 minutes.
You can expect to feel heat, tingling and perhaps numbness. In addition to the weight loss that can be achieved with acupuncture, you can also regulate your menstrual cycle, alleviate mood swings, and eliminate fatigue.
Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders.
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient?s weight loss program.
When coupled with a healthy diet and exercise, acupuncture is an effective weight loss agent. Acupuncture facilitates the weight loss process in three significant ways: - Acupuncture regulates appetite and tames cravings. - Acupuncture gently adjusts the body?s metabolism to initiate weight loss. - Acupuncture, when locally applied to targeted fat deposits, increases blood flow in the area. This increased vascular activity carries away deposits from clusters of fat cells. Targeting fat deposits of specific areas can help to actually reshape the body. It is important that acupuncture modulates a responsible regimen for weight management to prevent the negative effects of dramatic weight loss on the body?s immune system, muscle strength and tone. Acupuncture can control cravings, so whichever diet you choose, it will be easy for you.
Acupuncture treatment raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.
Acupuncture can help you lose weight by strengthening your digestive system. Doing this helps control your appetite and therefore weight loss is achieved. Some theories suggest that acupuncture improves metabolism causing you to burn calories at a faster rate.
Acupuncture for weight loss involves poking the skin with thin stainless steel needles that are moved by hand or by electric stimulation. Sometimes the needles are combined with lasers. The needles are left in place for about 30 minutes.
You can expect to feel heat, tingling and perhaps numbness. In addition to the weight loss that can be achieved with acupuncture, you can also regulate your menstrual cycle, alleviate mood swings, and eliminate fatigue.
Here is how it works:
1. A doctor gives you an herbal prescription that is to be taken weekly.
2. You visit the doctor for a series of treatments. After the fourth treatment the electric stimulation is increased. The doctor may revise your prescription.
3. After a few treatments, you should begin to feel full more quickly than you used to.
4. After the 10th treatment you should take a two-week break to focus on your diet and exercise plan.
It takes time for the body to adjust to acupuncture for weight loss. But patients have reported that with patience, food cravings and overeating do disappear.
The cost for weight loss acupuncture treatment varies. Your first visit can cost between $50-$125. Subsequent visits range from $30-$80. Physicians charge more than general practitioner and not all insurance companies cover treatment.
Common side effects from acupuncture weight for loss include dizziness, headaches and nausea.
TCM physicians often stress that to achieve good weight loss results from your program and maintaining your weight, acupuncture treatment alone is not enough. To lose weight effectively and keep the fats off permanently, acupuncture treatment must be combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercises.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Acupuncture Treatment Procedure and Points for Weight Loss
The exact mechanism by which acupuncture works is unknown but we know that acupuncture needles inserted into specific points on the body and in the ear release endorphins which have a calming and relaxing effect that makes it easier to deal with stress, frustration and anxiety that can trigger overeating and bingeing on fattening foods. Also endorphins affect the digestive and hormonal systems so acupuncture can help rebalance the organ systems that are running too fast- or in this case too slow?i.e., the metabolism and the will power.
The Acupuncture Treatment
In order for the acupuncturist to choose the correct points for you, you must first come in for a consultation to discuss your particular pattern of overeating, and let the practitioner know in your intake form if there are any real digestive difficulties. Then the acupuncturist would check your pulse to discern the general state of your energy and measure the health of your stomach energy in particular, and then they would look at your tongue to check for cracks, peeling or puffiness on the stomach area, or a suspicious yellow or thick white coating that might indicate troublesome heat or coldness in the stomach and would provide some clues as to why the person was gaining weight.
The Acupuncture Points
Then the acupuncturist would devise a treatment protocol using a combination of ear and body points. Although the Chinese developed the system of auricular (ear) acupuncture a long time ago, as one of the various Microsystems of the body containing all the points relating to the major organs and body parts, a Frenchman by the name of Nogier, discovered many more acupuncture points on the ear that pertain to Western medicine such as points called Adrenal, Pituitary, FSH, Ovary, Thyroid, etc.
Many of the points from both ear acupuncture systems that are important for weight loss treatments are:
Mouth - for the impulsive eater who may also smoke a lot and talk a lot
Stomach - for the person who eats even after they're full or who's constantly nibbling
Hungry - for general appetite control
Lung - for food addicts, and people who love chocolate, sweets
Shenmen - a calming point, for the psychology overlay for anxiety, anger, frustration, insecurity
Endocrine - for water retention that's responsible for some of the weight gain
Adrenal and Ovary - if weight gain is due to menopause or P.M.S.
Spleen - for sugar imbalances and hormonal disturbances
Kidney - for water retention, and nervous system and hormonal imbalances
Thyroid - for slow metabolism
The practitioner chooses two or more of these points for each treatment depending upon the patient's problem and personality profile regarding overeating.
Next, body points would be selected.
During the first few treatments, most likely the Four Gate points (LI 4, Liver3) would be used to circulate the energy throughout the body and calm the nervous system. Ren 12, the front collecting point of the stomach energy would be chosen for many treatments, as would Stomach 36, three inches distal to the eye of the knee that tonifies the energy and helps circulate oxygen and blood of the whole body and of the stomach in particular. Then, based on the diagnosis, the practitioner may add Stomach, 40, the master point for mucous, or Kidney 7 or 10 for edema or water retention.
The acupuncturist may use electro stimulation on some of these acupuncture points to increase the endorphin release and stimulate the metabolism. The needles would be kept in place for around thirty t forty-five minutes depending on how much support was needed for the patient, and after the needles are removed, ear tacs with adhesive on them are often placed in the same spots on the ear to continue the stimulation between treatments. The way it works is this: when the patient feels an urge to eat, s/he applies mild pressure to the point or rubs it back and forth for about 20 seconds. This type of acupressure stimulates the point, causes a mild endorphin release, relaxes the patient and helps them to regain their willpower or resolve about resisting the temptation to eat. The patient removes the tacs at home after three days and throws them away or takes them out sooner if there is any irritation or discomfort. It is a good idea to also remove oneself from the location, person or food that triggers the resistance to the diet or contributes to the breakdown of willpower. For example, one might want to stay away from the kitchen and refrigerator between meals.
The Treatment Plan
The number of acupuncture treatments necessary depends on the patient's goals for losing weight, the speed at which they want to lose, and their commitment to keeping the weight off. If the overeating is severe, a treatment every day for the first five days is appropriate and can then taper off the second week to every other day and the third week to every three days. For the average patient who wants to lose between five to ten pounds, one treatment every three days or twice a week until they reach their goal is appropriate, and then a booster treatment once every two weeks is optimal. After a few booster treatments, the patient and practitioner will mutually decide when to terminate frequent treatments and then can aim to meet approximately four times a year at the change of seasons when energy levels are unstable and tonification and harmonizing of one's system is appropriate for everyone.
Nutritional Counseling and Lifestyle Changes
The acupuncturist can help with nutritional counseling and can discuss a diet regimen that the patient can live with and maintain for the long term. A diet that is high in fiber and low in fat, with moderate amounts of low-density carbohydrates and low-fat protein is usually the best choice to adopt. With this type of a diet program, the patient can avoid the pit-falls of yo-yo dieting or the tendency to lose weight and then regain it. Other important tools that can aid in weight loss are stress reduction techniques and a moderate exercise regimen. The acupuncturist can suggest various stress reduction methods that may include breathing exercises, Tai Chi, yoga, meditation or biofeedback. And since the goal of a weight program is not only weight loss but the maintenance of that loss, an exercise program that the patient likes is the best one to choose. The patient could try starting a program that includes brisk walking three times a week for forty minutes. After a few weeks when stamina is increased, they could try walking five times a week. After that more aerobic exercise can be added such as the treadmill, stair climber or aerobics classes, cycling or whatever from of rigorous exercise the person enjoys and can maintain for the long term. It is a good idea to use free weights beginning with three pound weights and practicing just two to three sets of arm curls three times a week. Moderate weight training builds lean body mass and helps to reduce body fat as well as strengthen and build bone mass and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Pressure Points
Last but not least, three pressure points on the body may be stimulated daily for two minutes each that will promote the general health as well as aid digestion, elimination and relaxation. These points are: Large Intestines 4 (HEGU); Pericardium 6 (Neiguan); and Stomach 36 (Zusanli). The points should be pressed with strong continuous pressure for approximately two minutes each and may be said to comprise a self-healing treatment.
While no guarantee may be given for acupuncture treatments for weight loss, the self-motivated patient who will take the time to practice most of the things outlined here will most likely be pleased with the results that she finds within a reasonable amount of time.
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