Following The Body’s Natural Rhythms To Facilitate Weight Loss

The best way to lose weight might be forgetting about pounds, and focusing instead on optimizing daily behaviors that help us thrive.

One traditional system for optimizing wellness is Ayurveda, a holistic practice of balancing the body’s processes through nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, and other lifestyle elements.

According to Ayurveda, when individuals move into a greater state of mental and physical balance unneeded body fat melts away naturally.

Guidelines For Better Balance

Though working with an Ayurveda practitioner is best for creating a customized wellness plan, just following these basic Ayurvedic guidelines can generate better body balance, and may help us shed the extra pounds affecting our blood sugar management:

• Sleep Sense. In the Ayurvedic tradition, rejuvenating rest requires sleeping in harmony with the sun’s cycles, or between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Ideally, we will turn off our electronics by 9:30 p.m. so mind and body can begin winding down.
• Activity Timing. A prime time to exercise is between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to counteract morning sluggishness, warm-up the body, and deliver an abundance of oxygen to the brain. This prepares us, mentally and physically, to meet the day's challenges. Exercising for 20 to 30 minutes is good, 40 to 50 minutes is better, and an hour is best.
• Taste Times Six. Six distinct food flavors are recognized in the Ayurvedic system, and meal satisfaction requires us to include at least a small amount of all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.
• (Sweet foods include whole grains, meats, dairy, legumes, and sweet fruits. Sour edibles are citrus fruits, yogurt, sour cream, and pickled, or fermented products. Sea salt, ocean vegetables, and fish are salty foods. Peppers, mustard seeds, cloves, ginger, onions, and many spices are pungent. Bitter fare include dark leafy greens and veggies, coffee, and cacao. Foods such as green tea, grapes, pomegranates, and garbanzo beans are astringent.)
• Snack Trap. Ayurveda recommends eating three nourishing meals each day, and no snacks. On average, sugar entering our cells after eating provides three hours of fuel. Only after that time can the body begin burning fat for energy. By eating every three hours, our body never has a chance to burn up its fat stores.
• Despite this digestive wisdom, if your doctor or dietitian has included a snack on your diabetes treatment plan, consult with him or her before altering your diet.
• Optimal Digestion. Our digestive system is more active at noon than any other hour, so it makes sense to eat our largest meal at lunchtime. It's also beneficial to finish an evening meal at least three hours before bedtime, so the body is finished with digestion and can enter a state of rest.
• Again, if this Ayurvedic guideline contradicts your diabetes treatment plan, consult with the healthcare provider before making dietary changes.
• Mental Recess. Science tells us that high stress levels lower our capacity to lose weight—especially around the belly. One of most powerful ways to diminish stress is the practice of meditation. Simply sitting quietly for 20 minutes each day, breathing gently, and watching our thoughts come and go like passing clouds gives our entire system a much needed break from the business of life.
• Warm Water. Sipping hot or warm water frequently throughout the day - a few sips every half hour is ideal - is an Ayurvedic detox tradition. Hot water helps our body dissolve and eliminate external toxins such as pesticides, pollution, and food additives, and internal toxins including anxiety, anger, and stress.

“Because we cannot scrub our inner body we need to learn a few skills to help cleanse our tissues, organs, and mind. This is the art of Ayurveda.” ~ Sebastian Pole, Discovering the True You with Ayurveda

Source: Chopra Center