Long commuting hours, 12-hour work schedules, and the general busyness of our lives make it hard for many of us to exercise. Some cannot exercise because of a health condition. In either case, this incapacity becomes an obstacle to those who want to lose weight. Here is how you can lose weight without exercising.
Beat the stress
Believe it or not, how you manage your stress and emotions plays a major role in managing weight. Stress deactivates your parasympathetic nervous system, which runs life-sustaining processes like digestion. That is why it is also called the rest and digest system. Stress also makes people binge eat, which leads to weight gain. Following are some lifestyle habits that can help you overcome stress.
- Practice Sudarshan Kriya: This is a breathing technique that only takes 20 minutes to practice. It has been shown to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression significantly.
- Meditate daily: Meditate after your Sudarshan Kriya practice and take meditation breaks during the day. Meditation truly rests the body and mind.
- Sleep well: Eight hours of quality sleep keeps stress at bay and helps rejuvenate your internal organs. You can improve your sleep quality with these sleep tips.
- Nurture self-love: Adore yourself. Don’t make your weight a matter of identity. You are certainly more than your weight.
Change your eating habits
You don’t need to follow a particular weight loss diet as the impact of a particular diet is short-term. The moment you switch back to your regular diet, you will gain weight. Not to mention following special diets is taxing and stressful. Here is what you can do instead.
- Include fiber-rich foods: Make friends with whole grains, lentils, vegetables, and fruits.
- Avoid heavy and nutrition-deficient foods: Avoid heavy foods like dairy products and non-vegetarian foods. Also avoid nutrition-deficient foods like fried, processed, and packaged foods.
- Eat on time: When you don’t follow fixed timings for your meals, your body is not prepared to digest and metabolize food effectively.
- Don’t count calories: Don’t suppress your hunger or count the calories of every meal. It is not a sustainable way to lose weight. It only leads to nutrient deficiencies and adds to your stress in the long run. Instead, let every meal be nutritious and filling.
- Eat mindfully: Food gets digested effectively when eaten with a calm state of mind. So, avoid eating in a hurry, talking while eating, and eating while working. Take a break to eat. Savor every bite, and chew a morsel around 32 times.
- Warm water: Sipping warm water throughout the day can keep your metabolism active. It helps eliminate toxins.
- Let the previous meal digest: Eat only when the last meal is digested. Allow a time difference of four hours between two meals for easy digestion.
- Fast: During a fast, digestion energy is used to eliminate toxins. So it is recommended to fast periodically, once in fifteen days. Daily intermittent fasting also helps in losing weight.
Ayurvedic cleanse
Weight loss through an Ayurvedic detox is an optional but very effective step. With a week of detox therapy, you can lose five to six kgs of weight. It is recommended to undergo Ayurvedic detox therapy under the supervision of a qualified doctor to obtain the best results. Some of the effective detox therapies for weight loss include
- Virechana: This is a detox through the anal passage.
- Abhyanga and steam bath: Abhyanga is a body massage using medicated oils. A steam bath exposes the body to steam in an enclosed room.
- Udwartana: This is a therapeutic full-body massage with herbal powder (choorna) instead of oil. It is a powerful detoxifying treatment of the lymphatic and circulatory systems.
An Ayurvedic doctor can suggest a suitable weight loss therapy, depending on our body type.
Based on inputs by Pooja Venugopal, Faculty, Sri Sri Yoga
Written by: Vanditaa Kothari
