We all know that meditation relieves stress. But what if it could help your waistline, too? Research has found that relaxation controls appetite, a major factor of weight management. Even your feelings on food will improve.
In fact, meditation might be the missing link to your weight loss routine. Not convinced? Check out the science behind it.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind. The attention might be on a specific emotion, body part, or item. It’s all about creating a sense of awareness.1
Stress is an obvious benefit, but the perks range far and wide. The practice reduces blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides, inflammatory proteins,2, blood glucose, and joint pain. Mentally, meditation regulates negative feelings like anger, depression, and anxiety.3 Can’t sleep? Meditation can help with that, too.4 To top it off, going zen will keep your weight in check.
How Meditation Helps Weight Loss
Meditation obviously doesn’t burn calories. However, it aids weight loss by acting on stress, a contributor to weight gain. Here’s how.
1. Regulates Appetite
Have you noticed how stress makes you overeat? Blame the hormones! Chronic stress increases ghrelin, the “hunger hormone.” Your body basically goes into a fight-or-flight response. It interprets the stress as fear, causing you to take in more food as protection.5 With meditation, you can get a handle on stress-induced hunger and cravings.
2. Prevents Fat Build Up
Stress also raises cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol binds to fat cells which activates lipoprotein lipase. This enzyme turns triglycerides into free fatty acids, or FFA.6 When you have more FFA, insulin isn’t able to break down fat. The outcome is weight gain!7 By controlling stress, meditation promotes better hormone levels.
3. Controls Emotional Eating
Stress interferes with your ability to notice when you’re full. Plus, it becomes hard to distinguish actual hunger from emotion.8 Meditation improves both stress and mindfulness around food will.
It can even encourage healthier food choices. For example, a 2016 study found that people who meditate have a heightened sense of awareness. This decreases the chances of making unhealthy food choices.9
1-Minute Meditation Ideas
Meditation doesn’t need to take up the entire day. All it takes is a few minutes – even just one! Start off with these quick and easy ideas.
1. Focused Breathing
For one full minute, place all of your attention on breathing. If your mind wanders, consciously bring it back to the breath. Close your eyes to avoid distraction.
2. Object-Focused
Concentrate on an item, such as a candle. Look at the object for one full minute. You can also focus on a body part. Close your eyes, giving full attention to that area. This is ideal for physical ailments or injuries.
3. Counting
This is also super simple. Close your eyes and count to 60 in a normal, steady pace. To encourage concentration, imagine each number.
These techniques may be done anywhere, at any time. Try it on lunch break or before bed. If you can, set aside time each day. Remember, all it takes is one minute.
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