Many of us are stress eaters and one way to overcome our life time habits of over eating is to find alternatives to turn to during times of stress. Exercise is a great one and so is meditation.
As you can imagine most of my effort this week is getting ready for my total knee replacement surgery next week. One of the tools I have been using daily is a guided meditation in preparation for this surgery. There are so many guided meditations available and I'm sure you can find one that fits your needs perfectly. Or you can meditate without a guided audio.
How meditation may help us manage our weight
Just as meditation can help us with stress, sleeping, focus, and much more, it can also have an impact on our relationship with eating and managing our weight.
When it comes to losing weight, we typically think of taking a spin class or opting for the salad instead of a burger for lunch. Consequently, it may seem counterintuitive to consider sitting in one place and focusing your thoughts, and doing a meditation for weight loss. These sorts of perceptions are only viewing part of the picture. Keep in mind that weight loss is not simply physical, and it’s not simply black and white. .
Consider a 2017 meta-analysis of 19 different studies that found that typical weight loss methods (diet and exercise) work in the short term, but eventually the study participants’ weight was gained back after the programs ended. On the other hand, weight loss protocols that included mindfulness interventions such as meditation (in addition to eating well and exercising), were seen to be more effective in reducing weight and keeping it off among study participants.
So, why is it possible that meditation helps when it comes to weight loss, exactly? There are physical and psychological factors at play. Another 2017 meta-analysisfound that generalized meditation helped reduce cortisol and C-reactive protein levels. If our cortisol levels are consistently high, this is connected with the persistence of obesity over time, according to a 2017 study.
Psychologically, research shows that meditation may help squash overeating. A 2014 review compared 14 different studies and found that using mindful meditation as the #1 intervention decreased binge eating and emotional eating. Meditation has been shown to lower our stress levels. In fact, Headspace reduces stress in 10 days. This is important because stress is a contributing factor, causing many of us to overeat. Meditation teaches us to sit with and observe our emotions without passing judgment, instead of resorting to our go-to coping mechanisms like overindulging on food.
So how do you meditate?
Simple Meditation in 5 Steps
When times are stressful everyone could stand to take a minute to stop and breathe. During meditation, you harness, calm, and essentially turn off the “thinking” portion of your mind so that you open yourself to a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. With regular practice, you become able to do this anywhere, anytime you feel the need to stop and breathe.
Simple meditation in 5 steps described in this post can help alleviate stress and countless ailments, including lowering high blood pressure, decreasing muscle tension and headaches, enhance the body’s immune system, easing symptoms of arthritis and allergies, and more. For those of us seeking calm from the storm of daily stress, meditation allows you to have greater control over not only your emotions but your reactions to occurrences (if you are quick to anger over small things, for example). With practice, you become more aware of your surroundings and what goes on in your mind, thereby preparing yourself and your body for a calmer, less reactive response.
Anyone can stand to gain from meditation, and better still, anyone can do it.
1. Make time to meditate daily.
As with most things, meditation mastery doesn’t happen overnight. Meditation is a lifelong endeavor and treatment, and its benefits are most noticeable with regular practice. You can meditate at any time of the day. Begin by setting aside 10 minutes for focused meditation.
2. Sit comfortably in a quiet, relaxing environment.
Avoid things that will distract you, like the TV, your cell phone, noisy appliances (like the refrigerator), kids, and the like. I love meditating while wearing my noise canceling headphones. I usually listen to meditations that I find at
http://www.mythoughtcoach.com/ There are several free ones on this site. Go and download one for your own use. They are wonderful! Stin (who provides the meditations) is a member of my faith and I just love her voice. I actually have a membership to the site but it offers several free meditations too. If you don't listen to one of these prepared meditations you might want to play soft, repetitive music that won’t disrupt your concentration. Some people enjoy sitting in a grassy field or forest or even near a stream and letting the sounds of nature help to soothe them.
Make sure the place you are sitting or lying is comfortable. A cushion or yoga mat can help. If sitting you don’t need to cross your legs into the lotus position if this is painful; you only need to sit comfortably with your back straight so as to make it conducive to healthy breathing. You may at first need to concentrate on proper posture; try sitting on a the forward edge of a thick cushion or rolled up towel to tilt your pelvis naturally forward and imagine a thread pulling the top of your head up so your spine is straight. If lying position yourself so that your head is supported and your muscles are all in a position to relax.
Keep your hands and feet relaxed; don’t worry about position. Consider starting out with letting your hands lie on your thighs or hanging at your sides.
3. Relax.
Close your eyes and look for parts of your body that aren’t relaxed, like your neck, the muscles near your forehead or eyes, your knees, hands, spine, etc. Adjust your posture accordingly. Focus on them and imagine your blood running through that part of your body so it warms and relaxes.
4. Focus on your breathing.
With eyes still closed, focusing on your nostrils as you breathe. This sounds silly, but focusing on this single part of your body allows you to focus on how breathing feels and quiet the chattering of your mind. Imagine that with every exhalation, you’re breathing out negative emotions that are causing you pain, stress, and tension. Imagine you’re breathing in relaxing, positive air when inhaling. Preparing for meditation like this is part of the process and you’ll adjust more quickly with practice.
5. Focus on nothing.
Once you’re able to focus on your breathing alone, focus on nothing. Clear the mind by focusing on your breathing and then casting the thought of it from your mind. Enjoy the peace
So to earn your daily bonus points this week you need to find 10 minutes for quiet meditation.
No comments:
Post a Comment