Weight Management Archives

Why should you have a light dinner for healthy living?

Why do people recommend to eat dinner like beggar? We’ll explain why we are told to have light dinner. See why you should have light dinner.

There is a common saying which we used to hear right from our childhood days. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner, and dinner like a beggar” Since ages wise, people have instructed us to have light dinner. But have you ever wondered why? Why is it that health experts always tell us to have a light dinner?

In this article today, we will share with you the secret of why we are emphasized on having light dinners.

Disadvantages of having heavy dinners

It is true that after we return from a whole day at work in the night, we tend to feel very hungry. Mostly because we hardly have something for breakfast in the mornings.

A common habit of most people is they get up late and then rush out for work, gulping down their breakfast, which can be either a wrap or a toast or something as light as an omelet. By the time they return homes, they are exhausted and hungry because they have been running without food all day. There are instances when we even skip our lunch because we are neck-deep in work. So we have a heavy dinner and hit the bed immediately. Have you ever wondered why you are going weight?

It is because of these habits. The routine we follow is just the opposite of what should be followed.

Ideally, health experts suggest that we have a heavy breakfast while we head for work, followed by a light lunch and even a lighter dinner. Listed below are some disadvantages of having heavy dinners.

Causes Indigestion

If you have a heavy dinner, there are high chances that you will end up having indigestion. The reason is that when we have heavy food for dinner and hit the bed immediately, half of the food remains undigested, because of which you may get acidity.

Experts suggest that we should at least go for a walk before we go to sleep if we have a heavy dinner to avoid problems causing by indigestion.

Is the reason for obesity

Have you ever wondered why don’t you lose weight even after staying empty stomach the whole day? Well, the answer to your question is hidden in your dinner. Even though you are staying empty stomach the whole day when you get back home, you have a proper 3-course heavy dinner before retiring to bed. Because there is no physical activity post-dinner, the food remains undigested in your stomach. And, the undigested food breaks down into fat that stays in your body. This fat becomes the reason for your obesity.

Makes you lazy

If you have a heavy meal before you head to work, the food acts as fuel to your body and keeps you energized throughout the day. On the other hand, if you are having a heavy meal after returning home, it makes you lazy because there is no physical activity post-dinner. This is a major reason why people who have heavy dinners tend to feel lazy post-dinner.

Now when you know the major reason behind your putting on weight even after staying empty stomach, we have listed a few advantages of having a light dinner to understand what works best for you.

Advantages of having light dinner

You must have noticed that a generally healthy person and maintain a good physique have two things in common. First, they go to sleep early and start their day early. And, second, they have very light dinners. Have you ever wondered why? Here are a few advantages of having light dinners.

Light dinner helps improve digestion and lets you have a good sleep

When we have light food for dinner, the entire food gets easily digested. The lesser food we intake, the lesser time we take in digesting the food. Because the food gets fully digested, we can have a good night’s sleep.

You can start afresh day the next morning

One thing leads to the other. If we can sleep well, we are more likely to start the next morning afresh. We are more productive and energized at work.

Cleans your stomach

When we take a light dinner, we reduce the risk of indigestion. Therefore we go to work the next day with a clean stomach.

It helps you stay slim

Because there is no undigested food, there is no fat accumulation in the body. Therefore you stay slim and reduce the risk of obesity.

Less Chance to be Sick

There are lesser chances that you would be getting affected by diseases like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc

Diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension are known as lifestyle diseases. They occur in a person because of unhealthy living habits. People who don’t have their meals on time, people who suffer from lack of sleep, and people who hardly involve themselves in physical activities are more likely to be infected by these diseases. If you maintain a regular life and have your meals on time, you can avoid getting these lifestyle diseases.

Improves your metabolism

Light food in the night also improves metabolism because when you have a heavy breakfast in the morning, you involve yourself in physical activities. These activities are helping the food to get digested. O the other hand, when you are taking a light dinner at night, your body’s digestive system is at rest since there is nothing more to digest. This regularizes the metabolism rate and helps you stay fit.

Final Takeaway

Therefore, if you wish to stay healthy, you need to quit having heavy meals at night and ensure that your body gets adequate rest. It saves you from getting lifestyle diseases and also reduces the risk of you getting obese. If you have not followed these healthy food habits, we suggest you make these changes in your lifestyle now. It will save you from all the horrifying consequences that you may not experience now but would surely start to experience in the future as you get older.

5 Weight Gain Exercises to Gain More Muscle Mass

Start your weight gain journey with these weight gain exercises that offer the quickest result. Start your training and put on weight quickly.

Most people have a misconception that only fat people hit the gym to lose weight. Did you know that exercise not only helps you lose weight but also enables you to gain weight? Yes, there is indeed an essential role of diet in gaining weight but, apart from diet, exercise can also help you, if you want to increase your body mass. Today, we will talk about a few common exercises that help you gain weight in a short period.

5 Easy Exercises to Gain Weight

The most common exercises that help gain weight are push-ups, bench press, pull-ups, bench dips, and squats. They allow you to increase your body mass index (BMI) which results in weight gain.

Push-Ups

Even though people, who wish to gain weight quickly, depend more on dietary supplements like protein shakes, and weight gain foods. Push-up is highly effective in bulking up body mass. There are different kinds of push-ups, but generally, people do the broad hands push-up to gain weight.

Process

It would be best if you lay down on the ground, resting on your stomach.
Your hands should be placed on the ground gently with your palms flat. Your elbows should be bent, and shoulders should be wide apart.
It will help if you put your toes on the ground, with your knees straight.
You need to push your body upwards with the help of your hands, and toes and make sure your arms are straight.
Ensure that apart from your hands and toes, no part of the body touches the ground, when you are lowering your body downwards in slow motion by bending your elbows.
Make sure you do at least 15 reps in each set.

In case you are suffering from back pain or low wrist flexibility, you should avoid push-ups.

Bench Press

The bench press is another exercise that helps in weight gaining. People who wish to gain weight quickly without dietary supplements should include this exercise in their daily workout schedule.

Process

You need to lie on your back, keeping your body relaxed.
Grab the bar used in the bench press by stretching your fingers.
Lift the bar, and stretch your arms completely.
You can move your hands either in the upward direction or lateral direction. And then bring your hands back to the initial position.
Make sure you bend your arms at a 90-degree angle.
You can repeat the steps in 4 to 5 reps in each round. Just make sure you grip the weight bar properly to avoid shoulder injury.

Pull-Ups

Pull-Ups are also a convenient way of gaining weight. However, in case you have weak wrist flexibility or neck pain, you should avoid doing this weight gain exercise.

Process

Place your palms facing outwards while you grip the bar. And, the hands should be in-line with your shoulders.
You need to lift yourself upwards and be at par with the bar. While you are pulling yourself upwards, make sure your feet are off the ground. Keep pulling your body upwards, until your chin is above the rod.
Lower your body slowly, until the feet touch the ground, while your arms remain straight.

Bench Dips

Bench dips are another joint exercise for people who wish to gain weight. Avoid doing bench dips if you have a back problem or a stiff neck because this exercise might strain them. It would help if you make sure that your chests are puffed, and pull your shoulders back while doing the exercise.

Process

The first thing you need to do while doing bench dips is placing a bench behind the back.
Make sure the bar is perpendicular, and should at the same time be stable.
It would help if you gripped the edge of the bench with your palms facing downwards.
It would help if you extended your legs forward while you bend your waist.
Breathe in and slowly lower your buttocks by pushing yourself in a downward direction.
Breathe out slowly while you are lifting yourself from the bench.

Squats

If you wish to gain weight by doing squats, avoid using a weight bar while squatting if you are an amateur, and make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes. However, those who want to put on some weight, Squats can be one of the best weight gain exercises to try.

Process

If you wish to do squats, you need to stand straight. And your feet should be in line with your hips.
It would help if you raised your hand perpendicular to the ground. For variation, you may join your palms in front of the chest.
While doing squats, make sure your stomach is tight.
It will help if you lower your buttocks in a sitting position while taking deep breaths.
It would help if you made sure the body remains firm, and your bent knees are not supposed to cross your toes.
You need to revert to the initial position and repeat this exercise 5 times in one set.

Apart from these exercises, you can also rely on dietary supplements, and protein shakes to gain weight quickly. Apart from this, you also need to make sure that you increase fat consumption and get adequate sleep if you wish to put on weight.

Conclusion

Yes, indeed, people rely more on food supplements in their weight gaining journey. But apart from these, they can also take the help of exercises to increase body mass and put on weight. All the weight gain exercises we have mentioned enable you to stay healthy, and at the same time, contribute to achieving the weight of an individual by increasing the body mass.

However, people should keep in mind that these exercises are incredibly strenuous and require a lot of time, effort, and precision. If done rightly at regular intervals, they can surely help you gain weight in the long run. But if you do not practice these exercises in the right form, they can also cause injuries.

Therefore, we suggest you take the help of experts who provide weight gain training to individuals and heed their suggestions while doing these exercises if you wish to gain weight quickly without getting injured. We should all remember that no matter how effective any of these exercises are, both gaining and losing weight are time taking processes.

Weight gain requires sheer hard work and dedication. If you have already decided to gain weight quickly, we suggest you should keep at it without being frustrated. Sooner or later, these exercises are surely going to show their results only if people keep practicing.

The Secret Formula to Lose Weight in Less Time

Obesity has become a growing problem in young adults. We will share some tips that will definitely help you lose weight in less time.

Obesity has become a growing problem in young adults. And this problem has suddenly taken a massive shift because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, when the gyms closed down, people had no other option but to sit back and rest in their homes. Lack of physical activities and lack of exercise made people even more obese during the lockdown. We know many people who surf the internet to gather information on how to lose weight in less time.

Most people are so busy in their day-to-day lives that they hardly have time to hit the gym and are tired of eating dietary supplements. Here in this article, we will share some tips with you that will definitely help you lose weight in less time.

Tips to lose weight in less time

People all over the world are looking for ways that will help them lose weight in less time. We have listed some easy ways for you that will definitely help you burn more calories in less time.

Burpees

If you wish to burn calories at home, you don’t need to head to the gym or spend a lump sum amount on instruments. Wondering what exercises will help you burn calories at home? There are many, but Burpees is the most popular exercise that will surely help you lose weight in less time. Burpees is one of the best cardiovascular exercises.

If you have a heart problem, this exercise will help you maintain your heart rate. This is an exercise that helps you burn 10 to 15 calories per minute.

Process

It would be best if you stood with your feet slightly apart.
Breathe in and bend down in a squat position.
Your hands should be placed between both your legs and then you should jump on your feet. Remember to jump back to get into the pushup position.
Lower down into a pushup position and then rise.

Bicycle Crunch

Another exercise that is widely done to lose weight in less time is the bicycle crunch. This exercise focuses on the rectus abdominals and oblique muscles at the same time. According to health experts, 20 crunches of this exercise will help you burn 3 calories in a minute.

Process

You need to lie straight on your back on a flat surface with stretched legs and keep your arms resting on the side.
Your hands should be placed behind your head and you need to try to lift your upper back and shoulders off the ground.
Bring your right knee towards your chest by bending it. Also, your left elbow should be positioned towards the center at the same time.

Running Stairs

If you live in a double storied building, you need to run around here and there to lose weight in less time. We suggest you make use of the stairs. You think we are joking. Well, to be frank, not at all. Running stairs can be an awesome exercise.

It helps in building muscles and improves your fitness levels.

Process

It will help if you start by keeping a normal pace that will take you approximately 5 minutes to walk up the stairs.
Once you see the pace is not draining you, it is time for you to increase the pace.
Sprint up the stairs in 30 seconds.
Make sure you walk down at a slower pace. If going up takes 30 seconds, don’t forget to climb down the stairs in less than 1 minute.
Repeat the set for 5 minutes for effective results.

Skipping

As a child, we always did skipping. But with time, we become so involved in other things that we almost left skipping. 15 to 20 calories can be burnt per minute by jumping rope at a moderate pace.

Process

Each of your hands should grip each handle of your skipping rope.
Swing it, and when it comes near your feet, jump up.
Repeat the same process. Start slow and slowly increase your pace.

Apart from these, people can also opt to do a jumping jack. It is a full-body workout. And if you love running but do not have much space, you can do spot jogging. It is similar to jogging. The only difference is in spot jogging. You don’t need to move around. It can be done standing in one place. The best thing about this exercise is that people can burn up to 60 calories by jogging for just 10 minutes a day.

Final takeaway

There are ample ways of losing weight if you have clear intentions of doing so. And, no excuse can stop you from achieving your target. If you cannot head to the gym or not spend time doing extracurricular activities, you can follow a regular schedule at home and do routine exercise, and you will see in no time you are losing weight.

Some of the best exercises that are widely practiced to lose weight are Burpees and Bicycle crunch. Even common exercises like skipping and running up and down the stairs help in burning calories. If you do not have a gym nearby, you can also try doing spot jogging. You would be surprised to know that spot jogging for 10 minutes can burn up to 60 calories in a day. So we can say that there is no excuse why you can’t lose weight. All you need is a little determination.

Know Why Body Weight Training Is So Very Much Important

Want to shed calories without using an equipment? Try out the best strength training exercises that will help you to get a well toned-body.

There are numerous benefits of weight training. You might like doing cardio or might even like to pump iron, however, you can certainly give weight lifting a try. This is good for you. You will be able to enjoy a stronger body, a much better balance, versatility, mobility, etc.

What Is Body Weight Training?

Bodyweight training is a type of strength training where you do not need to use any kind of weight. Instead of using bulky equipment, this type of training uses the bodyweight that works as resistance for all your body movements. Some of the most common exercises are push-ups, lunges, pull-ups, squats, and planks.

If you are interested to know the benefits of bodyweight training, then you can go through the discussion given below:

1. It Works Across All The Levels Of Fitness

Some workouts are not enough challenging for the fitness buffs and some others are too challenging for the beginners. Weight training is a wonderful mix of both worlds. This is because you can modify it easily depending on the person who is working with it. You can add reps, shorten the breaks, accelerate the pace, and enhance a particular exercise with ballistic movements.

2. This is Quite Versatile

Some fitness fads tend to burn out quickly when the exercisers grow weary of them. The bodyweight exercises comprise of many different elements that include cardio and strength training. These prevent these workouts from becoming stale. Moreover, this also prevents these movements from becoming repetitive for the muscles. This means that you can expect an ongoing progress.

3. It Works Your Core

Working out is much more than just weight loss and better performance. It can help you to build the core strength that can also help you to do everything starting from alleviating the lower back pain to improving your posture. Bodyweight exercises are a terrific way that helps in engaging the muscles, gain critical core strength, and strengthen the trunk of the body. Weight training not only helps in building strength but is also a crucial way that prevents injury and helps in recovery.

4. You Can Do It Anywhere And At Any Time

How many times have you planned to work out and finally come up with an excuse not to do it? But bodyweight training takes out the excuses from the equation. You can do it any time, anywhere, indoors, outdoors everywhere.

5. It Is A Combination Of Cardio and Strength Training

Bodyweight training uses your body weight to get you to the fitness level where you want to be. But contrary to all the beliefs, it does not simply mean strength training. It is true that when you are using your body strength to exercise, you are using your muscles to lift your weight. But you can also include a degree of cardiovascular training.

You can try doing some pushups and lunges and these can also qualify under strength training. In between those exercises, you can do some high knees, burpees, and other quick bursts of cardio. You can also create a bodyweight circuit training routine for yourself, that will strengthen the cardio systems and also strengthen your muscles.

6. Body Weight Training is Also Cost-Effective

The best advantage of bodyweight training is that this is quite a cost-effective option. To do it, you will not need a bunch of fancy equipment. One of the reasons for the growing popularity of bodyweight training across the globe is not because of the results, but because you can do it without emptying your pockets.

You do not need equipment to do sit-ups and lunges. All that you will need to have is an exercise mat and a pull-up bar that will make things quite comfortable for you. If you are low on funds, then bodyweight training is an excellent alternative.

7. You Can Burn A Lot of Calories

Exercises can help you to burn a lot of calories

One of the most important benefits of bodyweight training is that it does involve a lot of strength training and thus this can also help you to burn a lot of calories as cardiovascular training does. But then it is important to understand that you need to do some very intense bodyweight training. These include a bodyweight circuit routine or high-intensity interval training. This training can help you to burn a lot of calories and can also boost your metabolism at the same time.

8. This Is Quite An Efficient Way To Workout

Another incredible thing about bodyweight training is that it is extremely amazing and more efficient than a lot of other exercises. There is a type of bodyweight training that is referred to as plyometrics that can help in improving both your strength and also your cardio fitness levels within a very short period.

This is because bodyweight training uses minimal or no equipment and therefore, you can easily switch from one exercise to the other within a few seconds. Thus, no time is lost in between and it makes things much more intense and helps you to burn calories faster and also helps you to get a good workout. One of the best ways by which you can engage yourself in bodyweight training is doing HIIT or High interval training.

This exercise mainly involves bodyweight exercises and this is like circuit training where you involve yourself in very short bursts of intense exercises with small bouts of medium intensity exercises in between. High-Intensity Interval training almost has no breaks in between and this is physically very intensive. This workout is thus an excellent way that will help you to stay engaged in bodyweight training.

Summary

Bodyweight training is one of the best training that you can do without using a piece of equipment. You can shed the extra calories without putting too much pressure on your pockets. We live in a highly stressful world. In order to be physically and mentally healthy, doing exercises is important. Weight training is something that anyone can do irrespective of their financial status. This is a wonderful mix of weight training and cardio.

Diet or Exercise: Which is More Important for Fat Loss?

Take a look at our pragmatic approach as we try and figure out which helps in losing fat more effectively – Diet or exercise?

When it comes to fat loss methods, people think of either diet or exercise. But, which is better at effectively losing fat easily and quickly? What is the ratio of attention you need to pay to both of these sectors in your attempt to lose weight? Can you rely on only one of them or do you need the help of both to reach the ideal weight?

We uncover the answers to all these questions and more as we try and figure out the implications of both of them in weight loss. Stick around to find out.

Diet or Exercise – The Better Method to Lose Fat

The truth of the matter is that people put too much focus on debating which is better – diet or exercise. There needs to be an equilibrium between the two.

In the year 1994, Scientists at the Brown Medical School and University of Colorado established the National Weight Control Registry and in their research, they found that only 1 per cent of Americans were able to stay within their ideal weight range by relying on exercise alone. The same research also showed that 10 per cent people were able to stay in shape by relying on their diet while a whopping 89 per cent of the respondents were able to keep off weight by relying on both exercises and diet.

You would often find people who have been unable to lose weight despite exercising for hours. On the other end of the spectrum, some people keep on adding weight despite maintaining a strict dietary plan. It has been seen that a healthy diet and workout regimes have a symbiotic relationship. The benefits of one are magnified by the inclusion of the other. So, it goes without saying that you need to rely on both of them if you aim to lose weight.

Let us now take some time to individually assess the impact of both exercises and diet on weight loss. This would help you understand their impact from an isolated point of view before understanding what combining both of them would do for you.

Impact of Exercises on Weight Loss

Exercises have stood the test of time in the arena of weight loss due to their effectiveness in burning fats. They help in building strong muscles. Since your muscles take much less space than the fats in your body, you are able to stay in shape.

In addition, when you exercise regularly, you would experience a boost in your metabolism. As such, you will be able to burn calories all day long. This is what is amazing about a workout regime. Of course, the type of exercises that you include determines the level of control you would have in your weight loss.

Ideally, a diverse workout is key to losing fat. This is why you should include stretching (which helps in improving flexibility), cardio exercises (for boosting the health of your heart), functional fitness exercises (for improving your body balance), and resistance training exercises (for increasing your overall body strength).

Furthermore, there are so many different positive attributes associated with exercises. Major among them include a lesser risk of stroke and diabetes, strengthening bone, improving appearance, increasing mental sharpness, reducing depression, reducing blood sugar, boosting self-esteem, improving sleep pattern and sex drive, among others.

Impact of a Healthy Diet on Weight Loss

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that what you put in your mouth largely dictates the shape of your body. It takes a few moments to intake hundreds of calories that would take several hours to burn off. For instance, it takes you probably two minutes to finish a sugary snack that has around 150 calories. To burn it off, you need to walk for at least 30 minutes.

A common misconception that people have about dieting is that they make it synonymous with starving. This couldn’t be any more wrong. A proper diet regime would never demand you to starve yourself. It is about choosing the right type of food, checking the quantity of food, keeping a watch on the process of cooking the food, and maintaining a proper time to eat your food.

In fact, you can eat large portions of food and still stay in your ideal weight range. Of course, these large portions of food must be of fresh fruits and vegetables, water-rich whole grains such as brown rice and hot cereals, legumes such as pinto beans and black beans, starchy vegetables such as yams, corn, and potatoes, non-fat dairy products and leans animal foods such as white poultry, bison, or seafood.

You might find it fascinating that the type and quantity of food you eat before and after a workout regime can have a pivotal role in maximizing the benefits of exercises.

Diet or Exercise – Bottom Line

For long-term results, you need to both include a healthy diet and indulge in a proper workout regime. We understand that it might seem a bit intimidating initially, especially the amount of commitment you think you need to make for investing in both the arenas. But trust us! They are much easier to get into than you think.

You don’t need to go from zero to hundred at one go. It is a gradual process and within no time you would find yourself getting acclimated with the flow of both of them. Speak to a physical trainer and a nutritionist regarding your health and what you want to achieve. They would be able to recommend you a chart of exercises and food respectively that would suit you. Simply copying what others are doing is not ideal as these things can be extremely subjective.

So, don’t debate as to which one to pick – diet or exercise. Simply incorporate them both in your lifestyle and see the changes for yourself.

Losing Weight with the Power of Yoga

Don’t want to deal with the high-end machinery to lose weight? Embrace the age-old natural way of yoga exercises to lose weight healthily and effectively.

If you go online, you can probably find a dozen different ways to lose weight, but none can be as natural and free of side-effects than yoga. With an existence that has lasted millenniums, this naturalistic fitness routine helps you manage your weight efficiently. Most other weight-loss methods and treatments bring with them their own baggage. Some are not suitable for people with injuries while others are not flexible to all age groups. With yoga, all these barriers are cut off because of its universal nature.

Therefore, today, we bring before you some of the most effective yoga exercises that will help you lose weight.

Yoga as an Effective Weight Losing Method

Contrary to popular belief, yoga isn’t only performed to gain spirituality and to increase flexibility. There is hardly an area of your body that it doesn’t cater to. Why else do you think it has become so popular not only in India, which is its origin but across the globe? You can find a yoga center in almost any populated place now. Its appeal lies in the bunch of benefits it provides, one of them being weight-loss.

Weight loss is a sensitive process. You have to be healthy about it. Vigorous or excess body weight loss can lead to various health hazards. This is why yoga is so reliable. It neither believes nor promotes dramatic weight loss. It allows your body to adjust to the change of weight, which is crucial for staying healthy.

The exercises that we are mentioning here today will help you naturally lose weight. However, these exercises are not one-trick ponies. They have other benefits as well. From helping you develop perfect abs to helping you sleep better, they do it all. So, this means you will invariably bless your overall body in your journey of losing weight through yoga.

Best Yoga Exercises to Lose Weight

Although many yoga exercises will help you lose weight, we have listed just the best and most effective ones among them. They are as follows:

Seated Forward Bend Pose

Start this exercise by sitting on a mat with your feet straight in front of you. Follow this up by pressing your top thighs down the floor. As you press them down, make sure the top of your sternum is lifted towards the ceiling.

Next comes the leaning part. You need to ensure that you lean forward from your hip joints instead of your waist. Also, keep in mind that your inner groins have to be drawn deep into your pelvis before leaning.

Now, initially it might be a bit difficult to lean forward completely. So, you can use a strap around your foot soles and use it to lean forward. Once you are used to it, simply touch the sides of your feet with your hands and lean forward.

Your head must be raised and your front torso must be lengthened into the pose. The sequence that you need to follow is to make your lower belly touch your thighs first, followed by your upper belly, then your ribs, with your head touching the feet last.

Hold this pose for around two minutes, although for beginners 30 seconds will suffice. To come back to the starting position, you need to lift your torso away from your thighs. Don’t forget to straighten your elbows as well. While lifting the torso, keep inhaling and pulling the tailbone into your pelvis.

Warrior II Pose

Stand up and keep your legs 3-4 feet apart from each other. After that, lift your hand parallel to the ground and reach out to your sides with your palms down and shoulder blades widened.

Make sure to align your right heel with your left heel. Next, you have to bring the center of your left ankle in line with the center of your left knee cap. To do this, you need to turn your left thigh outwards.

Proceed to bend your left knee over your left ankle and don’t forget to exhale while doing so. This ensures that your shin is perpendicular to the ground. Based on your comfort level, bring your left things as parallel to the ground as you can. You then have to strengthen your right leg to anchor the movement of your left knee.

Keep the sides of your torso long and ensure that your shoulders are directly over your pelvis region. Your arms must be stretched away from the space created between your shoulder blades.

Stay in this position for 30-60 seconds. Keep inhaling while you come up. Repeat the process with the other feet as well.

Extended Side Angle Pose

This has a lot of similarities with the previous exercise, with a few exceptions. Much like the previous one, start by simply standing with your legs 3-4 feet apart from each other. Lift your arms parallel to the ground and reach out to your sides with your palms down and shoulder blades widened.

Here comes the exceptions part. Bring your left hip forward towards the right while rotating your upper torso to the left side. Next up, raise your inner left groin deep into your pelvis. You then have to bring your inner knee towards the left side of your foot. Try to keep your right thigh parallel to the ground here.

Now, you need to raise your left hand towards the ceiling. After that, bring your left palm towards your head. Slowly inhale, and try to reach the arm over the back of your left ear. The entire left portion of your body has to be stretched which means right from your left heel to the fingertips of your left hand. While you are at it, face your left arm. Your right thigh should stand parallel to the ground.

Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds and inhale to come up. Don’t forget to repeat the same process on the opposite side now.

Upward Plank Pose

Sit with your arms behind your hips and put your feet on the ground while bending your knees. Next, place your feet on the ground. At the same time, bring your big toes inwards.

Proceed to press down your hands against the ground and get your hips in a reverse table-top position. Your arms and shins should be perpendicular to the ground while your thighs and torso should be parallel to the ground.

Next, one by one, straighten both of your legs. Raise your hips, but don’t harden your butt. Your shoulder blades must be pressed against your back torso. Put your head back without compressing the back of your neck. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Boat Pose

Begin by sitting with your feet laid straight in front of you. Strengthen your arms by pressing your hands on the ground. Make sure that your fingers are pointed towards your legs.

Follow this up by lengthening your torso between the top sternum and pubis. You then have to sit on the “tripod” that lies between your tailbone and your two sitting bones. Next, angle your thighs at 45-50° to the ground while bending your knees. You then have to lift your legs off the ground.

Try and stretch your arms parallel to each other. If you can’t keep your hands in the air, then just keep them in the ground beside your hips. This is especially true for beginners.

Don’t harden your lower belly, but keep it firm though. Keep breathing and lift the top sternum by pressing the heads of your thigh bone to the ground. During your initial trials, hold this position for 10-20 seconds because it might cause intense feelings in your stomach and that is completely understandable. We don’t expect you to master it in a week or so. But as you get used to it, increase the time to around a minute.

Final Thoughts

Yoga helps develop your body and mind in a way that no other form of exercise can. Besides, its lightweight nature makes it extremely relaxing, which is in sharp contrast to let’s say, a high-intensity workout, which sometimes can be daunting for people to get used to.

Although yoga can be done at the comfort of your home, we recommend you get consultations from certified yoga practitioners. Nowadays, almost all of the best multi-gyms have dedicated yoga sessions because of their high potential. The fact that while losing weight with yoga, you are inadvertently contributing to the overall development of your entire body is in itself a reason enough for you to start this beautiful experience.

At the end of the day, the goal shouldn’t be just losing weight. It should be losing weight healthily, which is what yoga is all about.