The mysteries of the human body have always fascinated both researchers and those seeking a healthy and sustainable approach to shed those stubborn pounds naturally and effectively.
More and more people all over the world, particularly those looking for a sustainable, long term solution to weight management and leading a healthy, disease free lifestyle are rapidly turning to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine that traces its roots to more than 5,000 years.
This ancient system of Ayurveda reinforces the connection between body, mind, and spirit, based on the accurate diagnosis of the different types of bodies and providing a cure for the same.
The system of Ayurveda provides a number of effective techniques for natural and sustainable long-term weight loss required for leading a healthy and disease free lifestyle.
The objective of the system is to prevent disease and promote health, balance, and longevity by following simple guidelines that correspond to the natural rhythms of nature, such as seasons, and the right time of the day for having the right types of food in the diet.
The first and foremost principle of Ayurveda deals with understanding your unique body type known as “Dosha” in Sanskrit, that helps identify the most appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes for one’s individual body needs, for weight loss.
There are three primary types of doshas that are found in each body. These are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha is associated with distinct physical characteristics and tendencies, such as the level of the body’s metabolism, digestion, and energy levels.
Once the type of dosha that is present in the body is identified, one can learn how to optimise the nutrition levels, the exercises required, and the self-care routine to support healthy weight loss based on the level of the body’s dosha.
First thing in the morning, gulp down a large glass of warm water with organic lemon. This helps to stimulate the entire digestive system and gives you a jump start on the day.
Exercising enough to break a sweat is recommended as a daily morning practise for the body to achieve healthy levels of healthy weight loss; The ideal time for exercise recommended is 45 to 60 minutes, of moderate exercises, but 30 minutes would suffice for a normal healthy body.
Find an activity that you can commit to as a healthy habit to maintain for the rest of your life, and you would never have to step forcefully into a gym or enrol for a weight loss boot camp at least for the foreseeable future.
Find five to ten minutes, of peace and relaxation in the early morning, preferably before starting your day’s activities. The practices of certain types of Yoga exercises and meditation, for example, induce a relaxation response in the body.
This helps to reduce the stress levels in the body, which could be one of the leading causes of weight gain. The regular practice of meditation also puts the body in a more mindful and present state of mind, increasing the metabolism and levels of concentration.
Eat three small meals per day and avoid snacking. Food is a fast-burning fuel, and when the body is constantly supplied with the right levels of fuel, it forgets how to burn fat.
The meals should consist of a medium-sized breakfast between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m.
Lunch should be the largest meal of lunch between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m when the digestive system is at its peak.
Dinner, the smallest and lightest meal, should be eaten between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m., when the digestive system in the body is at its weakest. Avoid eating dinner late night.
Ayurveda also highlights the importance of mindful eating and focusing on digestive health. Focusing on eating slowly and relishing each bite can assist in becoming more aware of your body’s hunger and fullness levels.
Eating in a relaxed environment is also important, as undue stress levels while eating can disrupt hormonal levels for digestion and lead to overeating in the process and also lead to digestive disorders.
According to the principles in Ayurveda, the senses in the body are capable of recognising six different types of tastes, sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes. An ideal balanced diet would make an effort to include all six types of tastes.
Sweet, sour, and salty tastes are anabolic (building) in nature, and they require the pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, which are catabolic (burning) in nature, to balance them out.
Too many sweet, sour, and salty tastes, such as those found in the Standard American Diet (SAD), may result in rapid weight gain, as it causes an imbalance in the body’s nutrient levels.
Consuming bitter foods, such as leafy greens; pungent foods, such as spicy chilli peppers; and astringent foods, such as pomegranate seeds, provide healthy counterpoints to the building nature of sweet, sour, and salty tastes, thereby counter balancing the levels of nutrients in the body.
Daily self-care practises, or dinacharya, are another important component of the Ayurveda process. These practices focus on the various organs of the body like massaging the body parts with oil, dry brushing the teeth, and tongue scraping are certain practises that can help support the body’s natural detoxification and waste elimination processes in the long run.
Getting enough restorative sleep for the body, staying hydrated, and stress management are all essential for overall health, both physical and mental health, apart from weight loss.
Ayurveda, besides focusing on daily lifestyle practises, provides a variety of herbal remedies and supplements that can aid in healthy weight loss. Natural herbs such as triphala, guggul, and garcinia cambogia have been shown to support metabolism and fat burning without having side effects on the body.
Managing a healthy lifestyle is all about developing the right set of small daily habits, on a regular basis. Following these simple steps can have a big impact on your life. It is necessary to make small changes in the daily habits by taking the small steps at first in order to strengthen it.
Overall, Ayurveda offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to weight loss that emphasises supporting the whole person rather than just addressing the symptom of excess weight. You can achieve your weight loss goals while also cultivating greater health and wellbeing in all aspects of your life by incorporating the Ayurvedic principles and practises as a part of a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine.