No time to work out? This fast yoga routine firms, de-stresses, and even banishes cravings.
Cocktails and cookies aside, your workout routine often gets lost in the holiday shuffle, so you're not only eating more, you're burning less. Not to mention the usual stress, which can trigger the body to release excessive amounts of cortisol, the "cravings" hormone that makes you reach for comfort foods high in fat and sugar.
The perfect antidote? Our quick and easy yoga routine. "Yoga not only reduces stress, but it may also help lessen emotional eating," says Bruce W. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico.
His preliminary study found that yoga diminished binge eating by 51%, with participants losing an average of 6 pounds in 8 weeks. It may also help on a biochemical level.
Researchers at Jefferson Medical College drew blood samples from 16 yoga novices and found that cortisol levels dropped by about 15 to 20% as early as day one.
Start today and you'll be ringing in 2009 calmer, happier, stronger, and untouched by holiday weight gain.
Learn more by Clicking here. 3 More Ways to Conquer Cravings:
Visualize your last meal. A recent British study found that women who were asked to write a detailed description of what they'd eaten for lunch that day snacked significantly less in the afternoon than those who didn't focus on their last meal. Researchers speculate that recalling a specific, vivid memory activates the hippocampus, an area of the brain believed to be responsible for both decision making and memory recall, giving would-be snackers better appetite control.
Try meditation. It not only increases activity in parts of the brain associated with positive emotions, research shows, but it may also boost production of the crave-controlling neurotransmitter serotonin. New to this relaxation technique? Sit in a quiet place with legs crossed, palms on knees, chest lifted, shoulders back and down. Close your eyes. Inhale and exhale 5 to 10 times, focusing on your breath. Shift your attention to your back. Inhale, visualizing your breath rising up your spine to the crown of your head. Exhale, watching it fall back down. Repeat for 5 to 30 minutes.
Get enough shut-eye. Researchers at the University of Chicago found that just two sleepless nights (4 hours or less) dropped the satiety-signaling hormone leptin by 18% and boosted levels of gherlin, an appetite trigger, by about 30%. Those two shifts caused participants' cravings for starchy foods like cookies and potato chips to jump 45%. Aim for at least 6 (ideally 8) hours of sleep regularly.
By Chris Freytag
Chris Freytag offers healthy lifestyle tips every week on the KARE 11 Sunrise "Motivation Monday" segment at 6:20 a.m. Chris has been educating and teaching fitness and nutrition for over 17 years. She is the author of 2 books, produced Fitness DVDs and sits on the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise. CLICK HERE to read more.
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
