Obesity and being overweight is a common issue faced by women all around the globe. We all have been given hordes of advice on eating eight small meals a day to increasing protein intake in the diet etc. There is no dearth of fitness gurus and weight loss coaches out there who will come at your rescue when you need to lose those few pounds, and in return leave you with a large hole in your pockets.
Right from diet pills, magical herbal powders, slimming teas, power yoga, fat burning gels to healing power nonsense, you’ve tried doing it all but unfortunately, either you didn’t lose any weight or the weight just bounced back in a few months.
This is a story of every other woman who is trying to lose weight; however, we often overlook the common sense that weight loss is simply about eating the right foods, at the right time and in the right quantity. Now who needs a weight loss guru to teach you that?
Let’s take a look at some highly effective and natural ways to drop those kilos using some tips from the science of Ayurveda.
1. A vegetarian diet
Ayurveda encourages people to stick to a vegetarian diet to be able to lead a healthy life. Include sufficient amounts of fruit, grains, vegetables, pulses, legumes and dairy products in your daily diet. Also, we all know the fact that due to the high amount of fibers present in fruits, vegetables and pulses, it helps in losing weight.
Fruits like oranges, strawberries, apples, pears, grapes and lemons are the best fruits that can be eaten to get rid of that extra flab. Ayurveda forbids one to eat all vegetables raw; however, you can eat cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and cabbage in the uncooked form.
Also, let’s stop counting calories, shall we? The rule is to eat everything BUT in moderation. Also, if you are a meat lover, restrict the servings to once or at the most twice a week. Read meat is a big no!
2. Buttermilk
Ayurveda has claimed buttermilk to be a divine preparation. If you don’t know what buttermilk is, first get it in your head that it is not made out of butter. Buttermilk is a soothing drink made out of curds, salt, cumin powder and occasionally flavored with fresh coriander or mint leaves. It’s a very easy to make and can be stored for a day in the refrigerator.
Curds have always been a favorite in the Ayurvedic diet. Buttermilk is nothing but curds plus water. It is very thin in consistency and tastes really good. Buttermilk is also eaten with rice and Indian breads.
Buttermilk is known widely to trigger weight loss and the regular consumption of it also helps you maintain weight. Buttermilk gives you glowing and flawless skin; it aids in digestion, has a soothing effect during hot summers and is great in so many other ways.
Drink at least two glasses of buttermilk every day; it’s a secret known to very few people.
3. Warm water
And here comes another secret from Ayurveda. You must be wondering what to do with warm water, well, drink it. Yes, warm water helps to cleanse out your system, gives your skin a glow and helps you get rid of that fat.
Results wouldn’t show overnight and it’s not just warm water that’ll do the trick. You need to eat well too. If you eat junk food all day and drink a gallon of warm water, it will not help at all. Balance is the key. It’s almost like multi-tasking, you have to eat well, exercise well and follow these tips at the same time.
Drink water which is warm enough like tea or coffee. It doesn’t refer to hot boiling water – no, you don’t want to burn your tongue.
4. Walking
When I told my grandma that I wanted to lose weight, know what she told me? Eat an apple every day and walk! Sounds simple, but walking is not that easy how it looks. You need to walk at least an hour daily, briskly, I am repeating again briskly to be able to attain your weight loss goals. Take the stairs or pretend you forgot your car keys and walk to the neighborhood shop.
Walking wouldn’t make you lose 5 pounds in a week, straight. No, that is not healthy weight loss. Start walking and build up your stamina. Once you stamina improves, you will be motivated to walk more.
If you love to run, do that. Any exercise in the natural environment is good for you. Play some energetic music in your iPod, or do mindful walking, do anything, just walk all the weight off!
5. Yoga
The entire world has been talking about yoga and its benefits. So what is this yoga? Yoga is simply an ancient science that is a mix of physical, mental and spiritual practices and exercises (usually known as asana). Yoga is not particularly for weight loss purpose but you can reap a whole lot of health benefits from it.
Join a yoga class or take online lessons. Just be sure that you are learning from an experienced individual who has the right knowledge of yoga.
Yoga is total health and well-being packed together. Yoga improves flexibility, digestion, posture, frees one from physical ailments like back pain, obesity etc.
Yoga is a total solution to all your physical, spiritual and psychological well-being needs. Just be sure to know how to practice it in the correct way and learn from a knowledgeable teacher.
6. Suryanamaskar (Sun salutations)
Suryanamaskar is also commonly known as sun salutations. These are 12 asanas that make up a set. Suryanamaskar are performed in the early morning, while the sun rises. It is known to tone your body, lose weight, get a good posture and free oneself from various physical ailments.
Many people are known to do 100 sets of Suryanamaskar at a go. Begin with 3 at a time and increase the number according to your comfort. It’ll take you a year to reach a stage where you can perform 100 sets straight.
It is effortful but totally worth it!
7. Eat seasonal and local
Eating seasonal means no canned mangoes even if you get a sudden craving for it. These canned fruits are full of preservatives or sugar and zero on nutritional content. Eat the fruits which are in season because usually that is the right time to eat them. Be in sync with nature and you’ll never go wrong.
Why local? Because the climatic conditions of a region play a very important role in our digestion process. Eating what is grown locally will make sure that the food consumed is digested properly and that you will not gain unnecessary weight.
8. Eating on time
What time you eat is very crucial. Some days you’ll have breakfast at 8am and some days it’ll be 10am. This won’t work for your weight loss goals. Discipline your body and eat at regular time intervals. A gap of 3 hours between meals is perfect’ however you have to decide if you want to have 3 regular meals in a day or divide them into shorter 6-8 meals in day.
This choice differs from person to person. Determine when you tend to over eat and then target that! Ayurveda recommends having a very light meal of maybe soup, fruits or salad at night. If not hungry, a glass of fruit juice or milk will do. But never sleep on an empty stomach, eat something little 2 hours before you go to bed; you do not want to end waking up starving and then over eating breakfast.
9. Strictly no junk food, no alcohol and no smoking
If you are aiming to lose weight, fried and junk food is a big no! No soda, no alcohol and no smoking.
These substances ruin your body and are some strong reasons why people suffer from obesity. If you cannot control your cravings, eat it in moderation. But take my advice and steer clear of these damaging foods.
There is so many better things in life than a mug of beer or a smoke.
10. Take adequate sleep and be an early riser
We sleep because our body needs to rest. Late to bed and late to rise is one of the biggest signs of an unhealthy lifestyle and an unhealthy mind. Give your body the rest it needs. Taking power naps during work is alright as long as they don’t last for more than 15 minutes.
Adequate sleep is essential to keep away stress which is one reason for most people to gain weight. Rise early and start your day at dawn. This will definitely keep you at your active best and there is not a single chance of getting back to being a coach potato. Rise early to exercise, walk and meditate.
These tips are sure to help you in achieving your weight loss aims, without being misled and spending money on useless products that never bring you any satisfactory results. Stay active, eat right and always wear a positive attitude!
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