Mindfulness can help with Weight Management

Shedding those extra kilos is on everyone’s priority list…

Reasons for weight-gain are not just limited to eating disorders. Psychological factors also play a huge role in weight gain related issues. 

When we are under stress, anxiety or depression, we cannot think of exercising control over our eating habits. It is a vicious circle that begins with stress followed by eating disorders resulting in weight issues and the circle comes back with more stress about shedding the extra kilos.

“Any condition that’s caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation,” says cardiologist Herbert Benson, renowned for his research on the health effects of meditation and the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 

Along with watching your diet, you need to watch your emotions as well.

Although mindfulness might not be a well-known method, but there are many reasons why you should give it a try.

According to a scientific research involving an MRI done on people who practice mindfulness, an increase of activity has been shown in the areas of the brain controlling metabolism and heart rate. 

UC San Francisco study…

Another group of researchers at UC San Francisco conducted a study by dividing around 47 overweight women in two groups.

Both the groups were given basic knowledge of diet and exercise while one of the groups received sessions on ‘mindful eating’ and regular mindfulness meditation.

At the end of the study, it was found that the weight of the women in the latter group was maintained. Further, a reduction in the levels of stress causing cortisol was also noticed in the women who underwent mindfulness sessions.