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Breathing Exercises for Weight Loss

Breathing exercises do more than merely offer you the vital air intake you need to live; such exercises also help to relieve stress and shed excess weight. Breathing exercises are convenient exercises that take no more than a few minutes each day to perform. You can use breathing exercises to calm your mind, relax your body and improve your general well-being.

  1. Breathing and Weight Loss

    • The act of breathing causes your metabolic rate to increase and the oxygen you breathe in is needed for proper organ functioning and burning of fat. According to Marcelle Pick and Genevieve Morgan, authors of "The Core Balance Diet: 4 Weeks to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight for Good," taking in deep breaths allows you to derive many of the advantages associated with regular aerobic exercise. Breathing exercises allow your hypothalamus to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system so that you can become more relaxed. What's more, breathing deeply, while not recommended as any kind of substitute for exercising, is an act that improves cardiovascular capacity, and it enhances the functioning of the lymphatic system as well as your metabolic rate.

    Breathing Exercise for Weight Loss

    • You can perform a breathing exercise by sitting on the floor with your hands resting on your knees. You will want to close your eyes and completely relax as you breathe in deeply. When you exhale, breathe out slowly through your nose to the count of five. As you do so, draw in and tense up your abdominal muscles so that you are using a mild force to help your lungs slowly deflate. Once you are finished exhaling, hold it for the count of two, and then repeat the exercise at least five to 10 times.

    Breathing Exercises Reduce Stress

    • When you are less stressed, you are less likely to gain weight. Breathing exercises can help you become less stressed, so you can manage environmental stress with greater efficiency. Simplistic breathing exercises affect your nervous system, calm you down and diminish overall stress levels. To diminish stress levels, you have to spend quiet time alone where you can concentrate solely on the breathing exercises. The area you choose should not only be quiet but also well-ventilated. You should achieve maximum comfort as you do your breathing exercises for stress reduction; this way, the external environment will not be a distraction.

    Breathing Exercise for Stress Reduction

    • Take a deep breath through the nose; this allows the body to naturally filter out floating debris from the air you breathe in. Breathe in deeply and slowly, and then exhale the breath through the mouth. You should repeat the exercise five to 10 times as the waves of relaxation take over your body. Be sure to permit room for your diaphragm to expand on the inhaled breath: you can do this by maintaining good posture and keeping your back straight, your chin level to the floor and your shoulders back.

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