Breathing for Weight Loss: Principles, Techniques and Exercises

The problem of being overweight affects many. However, not everyone is willing to give up their favorite foods and play sports actively. However, it is not at all necessary to exhaust yourself with workouts in the gym. Breathing exercises are enough for fast and effective weight loss. Special exercises with proper breathing allow you to lose weight daily without much physical effort.

How does breathing exercise work?

Most health and weight problems are related to improper breathing. Normal daily breathing deprives a person of oxygen, resulting in hypoxia, poor metabolism and lack of energy. Breathing exercises can improve the situation, which has several benefits:

1. The body’s supply of oxygen, including the respiratory system and blood, is increasing. This improves metabolism and leads to active weight loss. All this contributes to increased energy exchange and energy consumption, which has a positive effect on reducing body fat.
2. Use of abdominal breathing. The average person breathes through the chest, which prevents the formation of abdominal muscles and this contributes to fat deposits. If you breathe with your abdomen, you will lose weight with virtually no physical activity, thanks to the work of your abdominal muscles.
3. If you exercise regularly and follow the rules for performing breathing exercises, you can lose an average of 4 kg per month.
4. Improves blood circulation in the abdomen.
5. It reduces appetite, which also has a beneficial effect on weight loss.
6. The immune system is strengthened.

Are there any contraindications to losing weight with breathing exercises?

Basically, these exercises are beneficial for everyone. However, there are conditions and illnesses in which it is better to consult a doctor before starting breathing exercises:

• after cesarean section;
• postoperative period;
• fresh spinal injuries;
• hypertension;
• cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

However, all of these conditions are not critical and allow the exercises to be performed in a competent manner. In most cases, proper breathing techniques can help get rid of many of these diseases.

A series of breathing exercises

The basic practices are based on ancient traditional Chinese techniques. Helps reduce body fat. If you don’t have a problem with being overweight, you don’t even have to follow a special diet. If weight is critical, it is better to combine such gymnastics with fasting days.

The main set of exercises is as follows:

• Lie on the floor or sit in a chair. Regardless of the position you take, it is important that your back is straight. In both cases, the feet should be completely on the floor. The legs are bent at the knees. Inhale slowly and deeply, straighten your chest and tighten your stomach. Hold your breath for a while (up to 10 seconds), then exhale and relax. Perform up to 50 repetitions.
• Sit on a chair, straighten your back, spread your legs slightly. Lean your elbows on your hips, put your hands together, lie on your hands with your chin. Relax completely. Inhale through your nose, tightening your abdominal muscles. Then exhale and relax completely. Repeat the maximum number of times.
• Exhale as much as possible. Then take a deep breath slowly, hold your breath for a few seconds, then inhale to the limit and relax, blowing out the air completely. It is advisable to repeat this exercise several times a day.
• Sit on the floor with your legs crossed so that your feet are on opposite legs. Place your right hand on your right thigh and turn your left hand toward the ceiling and put your right hand up. With the tip of your tongue, rest on the palate just behind your upper teeth. Breathe slowly and smoothly for the first 5 minutes, trying not to think about anything. Then, at the same time, breathe at a normal rate, completely releasing the exhalation tension. After that, you still have the same amount of time to breathe, focusing entirely on the breathing itself. There should be a strong desire to sleep at the end of the exercise.

Breathing techniques for weight loss

Breathing is the basis of many weight loss techniques. In addition, they have a very beneficial effect on the health of the entire body. The most popular are:

1. Bodyflex. This will allow you to perform any series of exercises. To do this, you must first let all the air out of your lungs. Then fill your lungs with air to the limit and exhale sharply. Hold your breath, perform the desired exercise counting to 10, then relax by breathing. You should exercise on an empty stomach with this technique and it is forbidden to follow any diet with this technique. Not only do you need to breathe this way during your workout, you can do this several times a day at home, at work, or just walking in the park.
2. Oxyize. This technique is more common abroad. The main advantage is that almost everyone can do it. It consists of inhaling and then taking 3 more short breaths, filling the lungs to the end. Then exhale and take 3 more short exhalations, empty your lungs completely. Perform at least 30 repetitions. This exercise improves your metabolism and burns extra calories much faster than with normal breathing.

Any breathing exercise is much more beneficial if done outdoors. If you can’t train outdoors, train with an open window. The main goal of breathing exercises is to enrich the body with oxygen. This in turn boosts all metabolic processes in the body. Therefore, even if you do not have time to work out, you can only breathe deeply. You can do this anywhere and at the same time do your daily activities.