Practising Mindfulness Exercises and Awareness Can Promote Weight Loss

You’re probably no stranger to the advice that you shouldn’t eat in front of the television. According to some sources, this national pastime prevents you from recognizing how much you’re eating and when you’re full. The advice centers on how the mind and awareness influence eating.

Now more studies are investigating the relationship between the mind and how we lose weight. Researchers at Indiana State University and the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine have conducted clinical trials focusing on weight loss and meditation taken from vipassann, a Buddhist contemplative tradition meaning “to see things as they really are.” According to their findings, the relaxation of meditation can affect bingeing or dieting excessively, as it helps to take the judgment and emotions out of eating.

In another study testing whether the mind influences the relationship between exercise and health, researchers assessed female room attendants in different hotels. They told one group of workers that the work they do is good exercise and meets the Surgeon General’s criteria for an active lifestyle. Subjects in the other group were not given this information.

Neither group’s behaviour changed, but after four weeks the informed group believed they were getting much more exercise than before. Unlike the uninformed group, they lost weight and body fat. They also had a drop in waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index and blood pressure.

Meditation Promotes Safe, Natural Weight Loss
Unlike many fad diets, diet pills and weight loss supplements, meditation helps you to lose weight safely — and for free. While it’s a common practice in many Asian countries, most people in North America are still not familiar with meditation, and some even think it’s hokey. However, several studies prove that it also lowers stress and anxiety and helps to relieve depression.

So why not give mindfulness or meditation a try to help keep your weight under control? There are several types of meditation, so it can be confusing knowing where to start. According to one of the researchers in the hotel attendant study, for weight loss purposes just practice being mindful or aware when you’re starting out.

How to Practice Basic Mindfulness for Beginners

• Become aware of breathing. It’s so natural that the only time most of us pay attention to breathing is when we’re out of breath or told to notice it. Find a quiet room or outdoor spot, sit in a comfortable position, and be mindful of your breathing for about 10 minutes to start with, working your way up to 20 minutes.

Notice when you’re breathing in and when you’re breathing out. You don’t have to change the way you breathe (for instance, you don’t have to breathe in deeply and exhale); just pay attention to the process. Use the time to clear your mind of any concerns or distractions. Try to do it daily.

• Pay attention to basic daily activities. Try this with one or two activities to start with, such as bathing or eating your breakfast. Notice the movement, your breathing and small details. Don’t focus on anything else. Stay in the moment for as long as possible. This can be quite difficult at first so try it for five minutes to begin, and practice re-engaging your mind when it wanders. Eventually you should be able to remain mindful for the entire duration of the activity.

• Try walking meditation. Several practitioners recommend walking meditation for beginners. Do it for just 15 minutes when you start, eventually working your way up to 30 minutes or an hour. You can do walking meditation indoors or outdoors. But, if you do it outside try to find a quiet park, beach or trail (just be safe).

Pay attention to your natural breathing, and how your hands and legs move. You can vary your speed at different intervals. Don’t let your eyes focus on any one object; just try to relax and not to think of anything. Dismiss any negative thoughts that enter your mind.

Practice mindfulness exercises and meditation every day for at least 15 minutes, with a goal of doing it for an hour daily. In the coming weeks and months, notice how you feel emotionally and physically. If these researchers are right, you’ll also notice you’ve dropped some weight.