Maintaining a healthy weight is easiest when all facets of your being are in balance. Holistic health views a person as a total sum of her parts. The body, mind and spirit must all be in balance to function at their best. Gaining weight can force your body out of its natural state of balance. Losing weight using holistic methods will allow your body to regain its balance without creating extra stress.
Reasons for Weight Gain
There are several reasons why you may gain excess weight. Illness, medications, not eating properly and inactivity can all cause you to put on extra pounds. If the weight gain is caused by an illness or medication, you may need to change your lifestyle and eating habits to keep it under control.
Inactivity and diets full of unhealthy foods are two main contributors to excessive weight gains, according to MayoClinic.com.
Changes in hormones due to lack of sleep and pregnancy can lead to an increase in appetite and weight gain.
Reconnecting Body, Mind and Spirit
Weight gain not only affects your body, but your emotional and psychological health as well. Obesity can lead to depression, lowered self-esteem and feelings of despair. Exercise releases endorphins that raise your mood and helps your body to release stress, according to WomenToWomen.com.
As your self-esteem and moods begin to change, activity levels are likely to increase and food may not be looked at as a comfort. Removing unnecessary stress through rest and relaxation may eliminate your emotional need to eat foods that are unhealthy.
Bringing your body, mind and spirit back into balance is a cycle. As your body begins to heal, your mind and emotions begin to support the changes, thus raising your spirit to a healthier level.
Nutrition and Diet
Healthy foods and good nutrition make your metabolism work efficiently, according to WomenToWomen.com. Raw fruits and vegetables, properly cooked meats and wholegrain foods allow your body to work as it's supposed to.
Highly processed foods that are full of additives and preservatives can make your system sluggish, slowing down your metabolism and causing your body to gain weight. The fresher a food is, the easier it is for the body to break it down. The nutrients are assimilated at a faster, more efficient rate, and less stress is put on your body.
You can take herbs like cayenne and ginseng to raise metabolism and boost energy levels. According to NaturalWeightLossWeb.com, herbs that have stimulating or thermogenic effects are beneficial in losing weight.
Exercise
Light to moderate exercise not only tones and strengthens the muscles, it also burns excess calories and keeps the metabolism at normal levels. Walking, stretching, tai chi, pilates and aerobics are good examples of exercise that can be done at almost any stage of weight loss.
Increasing the amount of exercise and daily activity will also keep your mind active. Exercise relieves tension as it tones your body.
Rest and Relaxation
In holistic medicine, activity needs to be balanced with rest and relaxation. Yoga and meditation are techniques that allow your mind to relax and refocus on health and healing. Meditation allows your body to let go of built-up stress and frustration.
You need adequate rest in order to lose weight in a healthy manner. Your body heals itself during sleep. The longer your body is allowed to rest, the more healing takes place. Carrying extra weight can cause damage to joints and other skeletal components, making them prone to injury or weakness.
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