How Meditation Contributes to Weight Loss

It’s not necessarily a traditional method but using meditation for weight loss can really help at the core. So many of us tend to focus on the latest trend or fad or crazy diet out there when really the answer can come from clean and healthy living. This week you’re not supposed to eat this and next week it will be something different.

What if instead of following the latest extreme we focused instead on curing what is ailing us? This can not only help you to lose the weight and keep it off but can help you to get to healthier living at the core as well.

How Does Meditation Help with Weight Loss?

When you consider meditation for weight loss it’s really about managing your stress. What you may not realize is that stress can cause a lot of health problems, including weight gain and an inability to lose the weight. When your body feels that you are under stress it automatically works to protect you.

This occurs in several different ways. A little bit of stress might bring on added bursts of energy. However, when that drags on for too long, it can be draining. Your body can feel exhausted. You’ll start to experience fatigue, trouble sleeping – which can only exacerbate fatigue – and food cravings.

Moreover, you’ll crave foods that are sugary and fatty. They will make you feel more comfortable as you eat them because those are the types of foods your body requires for energy. However, when you’re already eating enough calories each day, those foods will work against your energy requirements, calorie requirements and nutrition requirements.

This can in turn cause you to gain weight and therefore stress can always work against you. You’ll be eating more and will feel too tired to exercise at your best. In fact, you’re more likely to eat junk food and skip workouts when you’re tired and stressed than when you’re feeling balanced and well rested. When you work on calming that stress and really focusing on relaxing, it can help your healthy lifestyle and proper habits to ensure that weight loss is yours for the long term.

Meditation Can Help Your Body and Mind For Weight Loss and Better Health

There are also additional and perhaps more indirect benefits through meditation for weight loss that you should be aware of. For example, when you meditate you help to focus on things and detach from your daily life for awhile. This is a great time to gain new energy and perspective and may help you to build up elements such as willpower and confidence. You will have a more positive attitude about your ability to lose weight and about what you are doing to lose the weight in the first place. It all starts with a positive attitude!

Though it’s something that you may have never considered before, meditation for weight loss can have a lot of great benefits. You will enjoy a more peaceful and settled mindset. You will feel energized and ready to take on challenging workouts and enjoy the healthy foods that you eat. You will have a more positive mindset to manage the daily stress and have the willpower to make the right choices. Meditation can relax the body and the mind, and it may also serve well as an excellent way of taking off the weight once and for all.

How to Get Started with Meditation for Weight Loss

There are many ways to be able to start meditating for weight loss. Even if you’ve never meditated before, it’s easy to begin for the first time. The key is to find the right guidance. You can either attend a class or event that includes meditation – it’s quite common for yoga studios to hold these kinds of events. Equally, you can also use apps or download guided meditations to help you to begin at your own pace.

Apps are typically among the handiest ways to start meditating for weight loss. They are readily available in free and premium versions. Moreover, they also let you choose the type of program you’d like to follow, and you can use it where and when you want.

For instance, while it may be nice to meditate in a class or a group to be with other people, try something new or learn the techniques, using an app lets you meditate as soon as you get up in the morning or right before you head to bed at night. You can also use it on your break at work, which wouldn’t be possible with a class.

There are lots of different options and you can use them to meditate for weight loss on their own or in combination with each other. Just remember that the meditation won’t cause the pounds to come off on its own. Instead, it will help you to control your stress and put your body and mind in the right place to take on the efforts you need to manage your weight.

What to Know Before You Start Meditating

If you’ve never meditated before, it’s important to understand what you can expect from the practice before you get started. The reason is that there are many myths about meditation that are still widely believed. Dispelling them before you get started can help you to make sure you know what you’re doing, understand what to expect, and won’t be disappointed by moving forward with the wrong beliefs.

The following are some important points to understand before your first meditation for weight loss session:

A mantra isn’t necessary, but you can choose one if you want it.
Meditating is not the practice of clearing your mind. You won’t have a blank mind.
You don’t need to sit like a pretzel with your hands in the “O.K” sign. You can sit in a chair or on a cushion, or lie down, with your hands on your lap or at your sides.
You may fall asleep, and that’s all right.
There are many types of meditation and many ways to learn it.
You don’t need to do it for a long time. You can meditate for weight loss for 3 minutes per day or for as long as you want. Every little bit can be helpful, though more isn’t necessarily better. You’ll find the right amount for yourself with practice.
You have time to meditate. Don’t believe yourself if you say otherwise.
The first time you meditate, it likely won’t feel like you’re “doing it right.” Just keep practicing. You’ll get the hang of it.