While you are staying indoors during the lockdown, you can start chalking out a practical plan for losing weight. While you follow thesehome exercises for weight loss, remember to opt for a healthy diet as well:
Push-ups are undoubtedly one of the most popular forms of home exercises that can help you strengthen your core and upper body muscles. It can help you lose weight as well, provided you do push-ups along with other home exercises meant for weight loss - push-ups alone cannot help you shed the extra kilos. Push-ups can improve your metabolic rate, which in turn can make you lose weight. If you have just started doing push-ups, dont overdo them. Be gentle on your body and remember you have to do them right. So, keep these points in mind while doing push-ups at home:
Tip: After you get comfortable with doing push-ups at home, increase the number gradually.
Yes, of course,squatscan be part of yourhome exercises meant for weight loss. Although they are leg exercises, squats can make fats burn faster aroundglutes and thighs. As a rule, squatsaim for your hamstrings and quads, and they can fantastically tone your glutes too in the process. So, how do you do basic squats? Stand with your feetshoulder-width apart. Stretch your hands in front of you - they should be on your eye level. Keep your spine, arms and head straight and lower yourself - go as low as possible. Remember, your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and your knees should bend at a 90-degree angle, without extending over your toes. Come back up to the original position. Initially, stick to two sets of 10 reps each.
Tip: You can hold dumbbells or a kettlebell in both hands while doing squats at home.
Although lunges are meant fortoning your lower body, they can make youlose weightbyboosting your metabolic rate. So, make lunges a part of yourhome exercises intended for weight loss. Stand straight with your hands on your waist. Now move one leg forward and lower your hips until both your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. They should not extend beyond your ankle, and the knee of the back leg should not touch the floor. To avoid straining the knees, put your weight on your heels while returning to the original position. Repeat with the other leg. Initially, stick to two sets of 10 reps each.
Tip: To lose weight effectively, do other exercises along with lunges.
Among other yoga basics, Kapalabhatican make youlose weight. But first, you need to know how Kapalabhati can fight a condition calledMetabolic Syndrome(MS). To put it simply, MS is a medical term that describes a cocktail of conditions such as obesity, diabetes andhigh blood pressure. MS can expose you to a higher risk of coronary heart diseases, among other things. A 2016 study, carried in the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), says, Kapalabhati is considered as a form ofabdominal-respiratory-autonomicexercise which stimulates the respiratory, abdominal and gastrointestinal receptors. Since Kapalabhati induces a positive influence on the centres within the skull, the vital areas of the brainstem, cortex, their efferent pathways, and effector organs may also get stimulated.
As a result, the synchronous discharge from the autonomic nervous system, pineal gland, and hypothalamus that regulate the endocrine andmetabolic processesincreases, which, in turn, accelerates fat metabolism. This eventually increases basal metabolic rate, reduces fat deposition, and ultimately ends up inweight reduction. In other words, by improving metabolic rate, Kapalabhati can lead to weight loss.
So, how do you do Kapalabhati as part ofhome exercises for weight loss?
There areonline tutorialsgalore on how to do Kapalabhati. But it will undoubtedly be better if you learn it from a yoga guru - a one-on-one tutorial can be more productive, according to experts. But, overall, there are some necessary steps to follow, to enjoy the benefits of Kapalabhati.
First of all, practise Kapalabhati yoga on anempty stomach. Sit in a meditative pose - you can choose Vajrasanaor padmasana. Keep your palms on your folded knees, don't clutch them - keep them open, facing the ceiling. Keep your spine straight. Inhale and then breathe out, while pulling your stomach in.
Be relaxed while you breathe in and breathe out. Repeat this 20 times, which generally account for one set of Kapalabhati breathing exercises. Initially, you can do a couple of sets of Kapalabhati.
Tip: Practise Kapalabhati yoga on anempty stomach.
If you are not too fond of gymming, you can consider opting for specific yogaasanasthat can help you fight obesity. Of course, you need to consult a proper yoga trainer first. Here are some poses that can come in handy while you battle the bulge:
Paschimottanasana: Sit on your yoga mat, with your spine erect and legs stretched out in front of you. Keep your palms on the mat. Inhale and raise your arms as high as possible. Breathe out and bend forward; keep your spine straight. Try to touch your toes by bringing your arms down. Ideally, your forehead should touch your thighs.Breathe slowly. Stay in this pose for as long as you can.
Vajrasana: Kneel on the floor or your yoga mat; keep your feet together. Place your hands on your knees, palms down. Fix your gaze on a still point ahead of you. This will help you to focus. Concentrate on your breathing. Remain in this position for as long as you can.
The above can easily be part ofyour home exercises for weight loss.
Tip: Consult a yoga expert who can assess your individual fitness needs and prescribe asanas accordingly.
Experts say that pilates can help you reduce yourcortisol levelsand that in turn can facilitateweight loss. It is said that chronic stress and high cortisol levels can exceedingly whet your appetite, leading to weight gain.
SaysNamrata Purohit, one of Indias best know pilates instructors, Before taking up pilates, the basic thumb rule is to understand what kind of pilates you are signing up for; equipment-based or mat. Both will teach you how to use the power in your body and help in building up strength in your bodys core. Mat based pilates consists of bodyweight exercises which are performed low on the ground which are easy on the joints, making them suitable or anyone of any age and health profile. On the other hand, equipment-based pilates such as reformer exercises is performed on a contraption using springs, gears, straps and ropes.
Needless to say, while at home, practisemat-based pilates. Go for these easy home exercises:
Pilates curl: Lie on your back on the mat. The knees should be bent, and the feet flat on the floor put your arms at the sides. Breathe out, curl the chin to the chest and lift your shoulders from the mat. Hold for a second and then slowly lower your back. Be gentle.
The hundred: Lie on your back and bring the knees towards the chest. Lift your head, neck and shoulders and stretch your arms on the sides. The palms should face the floor. Stretch your legs forward with your heels together. Pump your arms up and down while breathing in and out.
Tip: Pilates can help you destress during these tough times.
Yoga Nidra: People feel that they are relaxing when they sink into an easy chair with a cup of tea or coffee, a drink or a newspaper. But this is a mere sensory diversion. Twentieth-century research into sleep has proven that even entering into this relaxation mode can rarely banish stress. Yoga Nidra is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. During this yoga practice, one appears to be asleep, but the mind is active at a deeper level of awareness.
Bihar School of Yoga's Pawanmuktasana 1 series: Yoga experts say that pawanmuktasana series is one of the most important clusters of yoga practices that can have a very profound effect on the human body. Regular practice of pawanmuktasana series can bring about physical and mental relaxation.
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