Is the vast amount of information available on weight-loss tips confusing you? It could be a challenge to decipher what exactly will help you shed those extra kilos. Allow the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda to rescue you.
The number of individuals following a sedentary lifestyle is on the increase, especially in the urban population. This has resulted in a heightened increase in the obese category of individuals. To resolve this, many of us flock towards different fad diets that keep hitting the market. Some of them may work for us but only for a short period, following which you may regain all the lost pounds, popularly known as the yo-yo effect.
The ancient science of Ayurveda promotes a more holistic approach to aid you in losing weight – One that doesn’t promise unrealistic results instead encourages a sustainable and healthy method of living and losing weight.
Now, if you are ready to welcome the Ayurvedic approach to enrich your life and give yourself an edge in your weight-loss pursuit, continue reading the following Ayurvedic tips for weight-loss!
1. Take Proper Three Meals a Day
First and foremost things that you need to ensure while following an Ayurvedic diet is that you do not starve yourself. Make it a point to eat three meals every day at a fixed time-slot. In Ayurveda, the concept of digestive fire, digestion, and transformation are closely associated. In order to maintain a good and healthy metabolism, it is essential to appropriately kindle the digestive fire. This can be carried out by adding regular and definitive fuel to the human body.
Avoid snacking between two meals and eat healthy and digestible meals every day. Remember that eating too little could slow down the metabolism and make you feel sluggish. By following this tip, you only strike the required diet balance but also adequately stimulate the digestive fire and encourage it to grow stronger.
Also, make lunch the main meal as the digestive system works strongest at mid-day. (Preferably between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) Eat dinner as light as possible, preferably by 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. By doing so, you allow the stomach to empty itself and support a natural detoxification overnight.
2. Go in bed with the sun, rise with the sun
There’s a strong relation between the body and the rotation of the earth concerning the sun, creating the 24-hour light and dark cycles, called the circadian rhythms. Following and coordinating with the circadian rhythm is necessary to stimulate a hormone balancing effect. Our body naturally prefers slowing after the sun goes down. However, the increase in nocturnal activities and screen time stimulates the brain to keep us awake despite the body’s natural need to rest.
Hence, begin to limit or cut-down the screen time and refrain from using electronic gadgets two hours prior to bedtime. Sleep at least for 7 to 9 hours in the night, to key and reset your body for the next day. Did you know by following this tip even allows the maintenance of a healthy cortisol level? Cortisol is a hormone that increases in response to a higher stress level. And the heightened level of cortisol is another reason behind weight-gain.
3. Move after each meal
No matter how satisfying it feels to sit down and relish the desert after your meal avoids doing so. First, cutting down that piece of sweet would surely do you good and keep you from piling excess weight. Second, moving after every meal would aid in enhancing your digestion. Moving after a meal could include, taking a short walk after lunch before resting for your regular forty winks.
You do not have to do any intense form of activity, walking at a moderate pace for 10 to 20 minutes would also be sufficient. Lastly, if possible you could lie down for 10 minutes on your left side after completing the walk, for further assistance in proper digestion.
4. Eat according to your dosha and the season
There are various types of energy governing our body. When you increase the focus of balancing this energy level within the body, your health considerably improves. Ayurveda propagates that five elements create the universe, the Vayu (Air), Jal (Water), Aakash (Space), Teja (Fire), and Prithvi (Earth). These contribute to form the three doshas- Pitta, Vatta, Kapha which are forms of energies that circulate within the body.
Firstly, you need to determine the dosha your body indicates and accordingly indulge in food that would promote the inner balance. Specific dosha types need to eat or restrict certain food to balance the energies.
Next, eat in accordance with the season. We are provided by mother nature with abundant fresh fruits and vegetables to keep us cool and energized. During the cold season, root veggies, stored nuts, fruits, grains, heavier meat, cheese help us to remain insulated from the cool climate. Similarly, during the summer, berries, green leafy veggies, sprouts need to be consumed that would assist in cleansing from the acidic winter diet. Did you know by consuming local and seasonal food our body can easily digest food and assimilate nutrients?
You can take help of our Ayurvedic diet consultants to find the right diet plan for yourself based on your body’s unique constitution or dosha.
5. Drink hot water and tea
Begin your day by starting with a large glass of warm water, with a squeeze of organic lemon, the first thing in the morning. Doing so would boost up your metabolism tremendously and give a fresh jump-start to your daily routine. Did you know starting your day with a glass of hot lime water energizes the body, relieves stress, and even uplifts the mood?
In Vedic tradition, hot water is considered to be an elixir. External sources of pollution, poor food choices often give rise to the accumulation of toxic substances in the body, called ama. However, ama can get dissolved by reaction with hot water, as it is stated to be supposedly sticky that can be dissolved with the help of hot water. You could sip on hot or warm water throughout the day as well. You could even prepare herbal tea by adding fresh herbs or spices such as ginger, cardamom into warm water for a perfect detox.
6. Meditate for 10 minutes every day
Mind-body practices allow you to find the needed peace of mind and relaxation. It is best suggested to ease your mind by performing a 10-minute meditation in the morning before beginning the day. Yoga, meditation, or qigong could be practiced to elicit the relaxation you deserve. By indulging in these activities, your stress begins to alleviate. We have already read the adverse effects high-stress levels create on one’s weight, thereby as meditating allows the stress magnitude to fall, it automatically promotes weight-loss.
Did you know meditating for a few minutes every morning puts you in a better state of mind, allowing you to make smarter and better decisions as the day progresses? When your body relaxes it is in a better position to make the right choices to important decisions, it even reduces anger or frustration.
7. Exercise for 30 minutes at least thrice a week
In order to hit a healthy weight range, it is essential to indulge in exercises for a minimum of 30 minutes at least three days a week. Begin with an activity that makes you feel invigorated and could be pursued by you throughout your life or at least for the near-by future. Exercising ensures an increase in the metabolic rate and allows fat to burn efficiently. Walking, skipping, running, cycling, or yoga are forms of activities you could easily pursue.
Exercising up to 50% to 70% of one’s capacity is recommended in Ayurveda, ideally breathing through the nose for the entire duration. Did you know by doing so, you are actually reducing the physiological stress, allowing the body to benefit deeper and better from your efforts? There are shreds of evidence suggesting that HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) could enhance your metabolic function, burn fat, reduce the resistance to insulin and even promote weight-loss at a higher rate than the regular cardio workouts!
8. Eat a Kapha-pacifying diet
We have read about the various energy forms that govern the body, one of them is Kapha. It is stated that excess Kapha characteristically causes an increase in body weight. Other than that it could also give rise to attachment, greed, lethargy, depression, and sluggish metabolism. By following a diet that pacifies the Kapha and keeping it under check is a way to clear the excess Kapha out of the body.
Following are some of the food items you could consider for Kapha- pacifying diet: fruits like apples, berries, lime, mango, peaches. Vegetables include sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower. Avoid exceptionally sweet or sour or heavy fruit like plum, coconut, melon, pineapple. Even heavy, oily, or watery vegetables like cucumber, olive, pumpkin, sweet potato should be avoided.
Isn’t it amazing to know that by having a Kapha pacifying diet you could support your body in achieving a balanced weight and at the same time accentuate the overall health of your system?
Lastly, following these tips, would not only allow you to shed those excess kilos but also help you sustain the weight loss. Along with reducing weight, these points would step-up your fitness level and make you feel more active, confident, and energetic.
