MEDITATION AND WEIGHT-LOSS

Sitting on your ass never got anyone anywhere. Most certainly, it would definitely not help if your goal is to lose weight. With this in mind, why are more health coaches and trainers encouraging their clients to integrate seated meditation as part of their weight-loss regimen? It seems counterproductive that these wellness professionals are advocating the act of sitting and not more sweat sessions at the gym.

 

Our Minds: The Highest Barrier to Weight Loss

While sitting may not burn calories, the consistent practice of meditation can help change our mindsets and behaviors in a way that leads to sustainable weight loss. Meditation involves focusing on being a witness to your thoughts that arise and not judging them. Dina Kaplan, the founder of The Path, a New York City-based organization that hosts meditations sessions and retreats, explains that meditation is not a weight loss strategy itself, but practicing it in addition to a weight loss program can be extraordinarily powerful in helping us break bad habits and impulsive food cravings.

Traditionally, weight-loss programs focus on burning calories, designing meal plans, and rigorous gym workouts. They tell us what we should be doing but not how we can change our long-term behavior and establish healthy habits that are sustainable in the face of numerous temptations and obstacles. Former model and Holistic Health Coach Sarah Anne Stewart affirms that when it comes to losing weight, doing the “inner work” on our minds and looking within is just as important than the outer work that involves our bodies.

 

Take A Seat

How does a practice of seated meditation contribute to successful and sustainable weight loss?

1) It calms stress so cortisol levels, the hormone that causes weight gain, remain stable within the body.

2)  By managing stress better, we are less likely to engage in comfort eating, a.k.a. “Eat our emotions”.  Meditation builds a relationship between us and our thoughts so that we can notice them before deciding what do with them. If we used to instinctively reach for a candy bar whenever we thought, “I’m having a bad day, I want a candy bar,” a trained mediator might say, “That’s interesting, I’m thinking I want a candy bar. What do I want to do about that? Will it nourish me?” Maybe we decide to let the thought pass and maybe decide that what we actually want is a hug.  

Meditation promotes a relaxed and welcoming state allows us to watch our thoughts in a non-judgmental way and ask ourselves questions about our health and the habits that hinder and promote it.

 

3) When we are off the meditation cushion, we start to increase our overall awareness, including how certain foods affect our energetic well being.  Meditation helps us to connect with our bodies more intuitively and we start to notice what give our body optimal energy and ease in our digestion. Instead of reaching for food that just tastes good and gratifies our cravings, it becomes second nature to consistently choose wholesome foods that will nourish our energy.

 

4) Sitting in with straight posture requires we engage our core muscles. By holding our body in an alert yet relaxed manner, we also improve the way we breathe. The better we breathe, the more oxygen-rich blood is able to revitalize our bodies, encouraging us to become more active after a session of seated meditation.

 

 

Cultivating a seated meditation practice is not counter-intuitive in the process of weight loss. The health of our bodies is highly reflective of the state of our minds and when the mind is neglected, the body also follows suit.  

 
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