Stress Reduction – Weight Loss Diet Solutions

Stress is an issue for many people living in the fast and furious 21st century. Many people when they are stressed, turn to food as a method of relief. This results in unwanted weight gain. There are techniques to manage and effectively reduce stress. One of stress reduction method that has gained tremendous momentum is meditation. Meditation techniques still the mind and focus it on calm and steady thoughts. As deliberation turns inward, the introversion frees the flow of thoughts, visions and memories aligning the mind and the body in awareness and relaxation.

Purpose

Meditation and mindfulness are routes to reduce stress and regain the equanimity needed for a productive life. Many types of meditation address the importance of breathing while focusing the mind on thinking positive thoughts or visualizing constructive images. Guided meditation is a growing practice for many who desire to relieve stress and enhance the peace, health and composure of their life. With various guidance topics and recordings available, meditation, sometimes termed “centering,” calls the individual to tune into the body and breathe with the energy force of the world.

Benefits

According to Andrew Weil, M.D., “Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.” This reduction in stress levels often results in creating a positive energy flow through the body that can prove effective in alleviating anxiety and even chronic pain. With relaxation of the muscles and nerves, blood and energy flow more freely to all parts of the body generating an enhanced feeling of well-being.

Proponents of mindfulness and breathing additionally laud “Improvement of body luster and general health” and “improvement in concentration” as benefits of meditation.

Though meditation is essentially a spiritual practice reaching across cultures throughout recorded history, its purpose elaborates as it is embraced. Individuals involved in guided breath meditation often evolve their practice to explore the very nature of themselves as they find success in dealing with problems and issues.

Interviews with people involved in meditation reveal that it can be an antidote for depression, stress and even fear. Offering increased joy, confidence and health, advocates find that meditation and breathing exercises assist them in gaining strength, when combined with yoga, and general health as they make meditation a way of life. Mindful breathing when combined with meditation helps practitioners to expand their horizons of life consciousness.

Process

Process and methods of meditation span a wide range. A simple Zen practice of counting breath exhalations up to five and then repeating is a good place to begin. This simplified technique means that while never counting above the number 5, the breathing meditation can continue for hours.

With guided meditation processes your imagination is exercised as you are piloted through a journey. Often a word of intention is selected as a focus for breathing and meditation that helps with discovery of healing and healthful realizations. Frequently, practitioners of breathing, mindfulness and meditation utilize recordings. This accompaniment of appropriate music or sounds of nature can add depth and texture to the experience. Recordings are readily available in stores and online. Also, you may decide to compose a recording of your own from music, poetry or quotations that you find inspirational.

Many times meditations will begin with concentration on one aspect of the body such as the breath. As you begin a meditation it is necessary to find a comfortable sitting position. Once sitting comfortably with eyes closed, you will be guided to hold your stillness and breathe deeply. Initially you will turn your mind to focus on your breathing, shifting your attention to inhaling and exhaling. As you breathe deeply you will notice your body becoming relaxed. Then there will be guidance to concentrate on other areas of the body moving from the right side to the left side. For instance, focusing on the right shoulder as you breathe noticing the muscles there and imagining those muscles becoming a stream of liquid as you breathe. This will be repeated with the left shoulder and so on moving your focus around the body as lead by the recording or leader of the meditation.

As the meditation progresses, you will transition into listening to words that you have selected. Slowly, you will begin visualizing these words or ideas with your mind’s eye. It is these words that guide you through the meditation giving your subconscious time to flow along with the meditative message or visualizations.

Meditation is such an enjoyable and healthful experience that is sometimes necessary to tear yourself out of the elixir that it manifests. Closing the meditation is like saying goodbye to a pleasant journey though the next journey into mindfulness and peace already beckons.

Relaxation Tips

Finding a comfortable sitting position is vital to effective meditation and stress reduction.
Achieving relaxation and breathing requires a comfortable position for reflection. Sitting with head slightly tilted forward and hands folded or placed palm up on the knees is recommended for guided breathing mediation.
It is frequently the case with daily stress that the tongue is glued to the top of the mouth. If so, relax the tongue to rest at the bottom of the mouth inside the teeth.
As you progress in your mediation you will often experience distraction, return gently to focus on your selected message and your breathing.
Finding a regular spot to meditate daily supports guided meditation by giving place to it in your life.

Incorporating meditation in your life, will help you feel better about yourself, reduce stress, help you to stop using food as a crutch…thus leading to weight loss. I think much of our stress is self-imposed and prevents us from reaching goals we set for ourselves (ie: weight loss).

Give meditation a try and come back and share how it’s helped you with your life goals.

Resources on the Meditation Process and Exercises

General Meditation Resources

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Irritable bowel syndrome affects millions of Americans, many of them not even realizing that the symptoms they feel are not normal. Some suffer from severe constipation, while others deal with diarrhea. Other symptoms are gas and bloating. According to the Mayo Clinic, as many as 1 in 5 adults has irritable bowel syndrome.

Diets in whole grains, high in fiber, fruit, and low in fats provide some IBS sufferers ample IBS relief without the use of supplements or prescription medication. Foods that contain caffeine, like coffee and chocolate, should be avoided by IBS sufferers because they can over stimulate the lining of their colons and produce excess bloating, gas, and cramps. Those prone to diarrhea may find an increase in this symptom after caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a stimulate and not good for promoting IBS relief. Also sufferers with allergies to any food ” in particular wheat, egg, and dairy, should limit or avoid foods containing these ingredients. These foods hinder IBS relief by aggravating the lining of the colon just as caffeine does. Alcohol should be avoided, as well.

Reducing stress in your life, eating smaller meals, regular exercise such as walking or yoga, and adequate sleep improve this disorder. Increasing fiber in the diet and drinking more water is another way to help the situation. For some patients a natural remedy may be the only medication needed to help. For centuries natural remedies from herbs and plants were used in Asia and Europe to treat nervous stomach and problems in the intestine.

According to many doctors the disease is known as a functional disorder. Despite the alarming stressful symptoms associated with IBS, when the colon is examined the intestines appear to be healthy. Therefore, physicians categorized this condition as functional because there is no injury or disturbance to the bowel that can be observed.

Stress reduction and a change in diet are usually the first step in getting IBS help. Stress from work, school, changing jobs or living situations, bereavement, and any number of other stressors can aggravate IBS. Large meals and even some prescribed antibiotics can trigger diarrhea and constipation in those with IBS. Women tend to be the most vulnerable to developing the condition. This might be due to hormonal changes due to a womans menstruation cycle.

Bavolex can reduce stress and anxiety while it works to improve the functioning of the digestive system.

Learn more about How Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnosed?. Stop by our site where you can find out all about Diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Helps to Minimize Symptoms.

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