Natural Weight Loss Techniques
There are many people that no matter what they do, they just can’t lose the weight they want, leading them to the mistaken impression that it is a due to their genetics. When people can’t lose weight despite following the typical healthy criteria (shown below), I find their issue is related to stress and poor gut flora. These are important factors in a person’s fat accumulation that most people are unaware of. I combat these using techniques in meditation and Chi Gong to improve your inner energy and the balance of hormones, which can both be found on my site.
Under stress your body releases the hormone cortisol, which in studies has been shown to store fat and burn muscle. The reason it does this is because our body interprets stress as a possible famine and begins to prepare for it by creating visceral fat. This is fat around the organs, occurring in the mid-section. Cortisol is a true yin/yang or opposite to testosterone because testosterone burns fat and builds muscle. So in order to lose weight we want more testosterone and less cortisol.
Environmental Stress Can Effect Your Weight
There are many environmental factors today that cause stress such as smog, chemicals in food, radiation from computers and cell phones, as well as our jobs, relationships, etc. The solution to this is finding relaxation with specific techniques to fight stress. Many people who start meditation or chi-gong often unexpectedly lose weight without understanding why, and the reason is that it lowers cortisol and raises testosterone, as well as raises your inner energy levels, immunity, and what the Chinese call your “Chi”. Simple techniques for this can be found at www.TheArtofUnity.com/ChiGong
Here you will find short Chi Gong videos for Weight Loss and Digestion designed to bring your body (and mind) to their healthiest and most energetic states. This is perfect for new practitioners to help combat environmental stress, and transform internal stress into a source of energy and relaxation. On a more complex level it clears toxins, improves circulation to the organs and intestines, boosts metabolism, releases emotional attachments, and energizes your chakras.
Gut Flora
I also advise my clients to be aware of the health of their gut bacteria, since it is an important factor in eliminating excess weight. This determines many factors in the health of your digestion. If you have poor gut bacteria (as most people do) this can lead to “leaky gut syndrome.” Studies have found that leaky gut syndrome, often caused from a lack of good bacteria in your gut (aka gut flora) also causes visceral fat. Along with a healthy diet, taking probiotics, or better yet, eating fermented foods can help seal and protect your gut from leaky gut.
Fermented foods include Fermented Vegetables, Kefir, Natto, or Kombucha. I would always avoid commercial brands and make these yourself. Simple ways to make Kefir and Fermented Vegetables are available on my blog at (www.TheArtofUnity.com) If you are going to take a probiotic I would recommend one with at least 20 billion CFU taken with an organic Psyllium Husk Fiber.
Studies have also found that your gut bacteria most probably influences food cravings and thereby play a part in determining dietary choices. Meaning if you have mostly bad bacteria you will crave sugar and other unhealthy foods. Further, multiple studies have shown that obese people have different gut bacteria than slim people.
The good news is this can be controlled with awareness, as explained in my blogs on the importance of gut bacteria. In one recent study, obese people were able to reduce their abdominal fat by nearly 5 percent, just be drinking kefir for 12 weeks.
The living bacteria in your digestive tract form an important “inner ecosystem” that influences countless aspects of physical and mental health, including your weight and ease with which you are able to lose weight.
These two important aspects of losing weight work hand and hand with typical health practices that most people are aware of, such as:
- Eat only organic fruits and vegetables, if you eat meat choose organic free-range chicken and grass-fed beef.
- Eat healthy fats, such as those from olive oil, avocados, raw butter, and free-range organic animals if you choose to eat meat.
- Avoid sugar, empty carbs, processed foods, sodas, and fruit juice
- Drink a lot of purified water.
- Exercise (preferably high intensity) at least 4 days a week.
- Get 8 hours of sleep per night.
More on this and other health techniques can be found at www.TheArtofUnity.com/Chigong