Recently, we covered how you can use meditation to help you achieve your goals of losing weight. Since the new year has come and gone, many of us have set a new resolution to eat healthier and hit the gym with the ultimate goal of reaching a weight where we’re confident in ourselves and living a healthy lifestyle.
With this in mind, we aim to take you back to the benefits that meditation can provide when trying to achieve these goals to live the life you want to live.
Coming into the Present Moment
One of the main aspirations of meditation is getting your mind into the present moment. When meditating, you’re proactively practising getting your mind into the present moment. Consider how many times in your life you’re doing something, whether you’re eating, working out or even just watching TV, and your mind wanders onto another train of thought.
When it comes to fully optimising your workouts or diet, being present is essential. Let’s say you’re eating a meal. Instead of eating while browsing social media on your phone or watching the TV, trying just focusing on what you’re eating.
You’d be pleasantly surprised at how much more you enjoy your food and how much fuller you feel after eating a meal. This because you’re eating without distractions, focusing on how your body feels, ultimately leading to you having a healthy diet.
Reducing Your Stress Levels
How often do you get stressed and treat it with comfort food? A typical go to is food like ice cream, chocolate or fast food which will have obvious effects on your weight and health. Through meditation, you can enjoy the proven benefits of reducing your stress levels. Less stress, less comfort food, better lifestyle.
Improving Your Sleep Patterns
When you’re trying to lose weight, your sleeping pattern and levels of sleep deprivation place a crucial role. This is because lack of sleep increases your cortisol hormone levels, the stress hormone, which in turn increases your appetite (see above).
You can resolve many sleeping issues through meditation. Whether you’re making your mind at peace, or using a guided sleep induction session, improving your sleep can have dramatic effects on your weight.
Managing Your Basal Metabolic Rate
More commonly referred to as BMR, this is a term that refers to how many calories you use when you’re resting. The lower your BMR, the more kilos you’ll be able to shed. Through meditation, you can proactively lower your BMR, meaning that your body will need fewer calories when resting, resulting in you losing weight.
Remember, it’s so important to lose weight in a healthy way. If you’re tempted to skip meals or vigorously exercise without building up your stamina, this can have detrimental effects on your body. If you need more advice, please contact your local healthcare professional for advice on what route you should take.
