Improve Your Metabolism Fast With These 6 Easy Yoga Poses
Yoga is on everybody’s checklist for ways to improve balance and flexibility, but did you know that it’s also great for losing weight? Yoga helps your shed the pounds in a number of different ways, including making improvements to your digestive system, your sleeping patterns, and your discipline.
For this exercise, we’re primarily concerned about how yoga boosts your metabolism and tones your muscles. For you’re workout pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of the six best yoga moves to help you do so! Try them out next time you need to cool off of an intense workout, or incorporate them into your daily yoga routine.
6 Best Yoga Poses To Help You Lose Weight
1. Plow Pose
This pose helps to increase the hormone and endorphin circulation in the body, which supports your metabolism and makes your blood flow better. Lie on your back and bring legs straight up toward the ceiling to start this pose. Put arms alongside the body with your palms down, and press hands into the floor to bring legs over the head. When your feet hit the ground, clasp your hands together and roll your shoulder blades toward each other. Hold for 45 seconds, then roll back to the starting position.
2. Shoulder Stand
To do this pose, lie on your back with your hands at your sides and your palms down. Lift your legs into the air and press your hands into the floor in order to bring your legs over your head into the plow pose. Bring your hands around to your lower back to give you support, then lift legs straight up in the air, one leg at a time. Keep your body vertical for as long as possible, three minutes if possible.
3. Crescent Lunge Pose
This pose helps to strengthen your legs and stretch your hips, as well as raising your heart rate! Start the position in downward dog, then step your right foot between your hands and lower your hips into lunge position. Shift your weight forward onto the ball of your back foot, and bring your hands to your hips. Lift your upper body upwards and bring your arms above your head, with palms facing in. Hold this for 45 seconds.
4. Locust Pose
The locust pose is especially good for strengthening the muscles of your lower back, as well as those in your legs. It also opens up your back and elongates the spinal column. To perform this multi-purpose pose, lie on your stomach with your arms alongside your body, with palms facing up. Lift your head, shoulders, arms and legs off the floor, and hold the position for 30-45 seconds before relaxing back to the floor.
5. Bow Pose
This pose opens your chest and makes your back muscles stronger! Begin the pose by lying on your chest, and keep your arms outstretched beside you, with palms facing upwards, Bend your knees and reach back to grab your ankles. Keep your knees a hip’s distance away from each other, and lift your heels up and away from the body. Pull your chest off the floor and hold for 45 seconds.
6. Bridge Pose
This pose is great for opening your chest and shoulders, and strengthening the back. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet shoulder width apart. Lift your hips up towards the ceiling, and roll your shoulder blades together. Clasp hands together, and hold position for 45 seconds.
Diets to speed up metabolism
The listed diets can help to speed up metabolism:
- The Ketogenic Diet: This high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can help to speed up metabolism by encouraging the body to burn fat for fuel.
- The Mediterranean Diet: This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, which can help to boost metabolism and improve overall health.
- The Intermittent Fasting: This diet involves eating during a specific window of time, usually 8-12 hours, and fasting for the remaining hours. This can help to boost metabolism by encouraging the body to burn fat for fuel during the fasting period.
- The Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet: This diet emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods and can help to increase metabolism by providing the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- High-Protein Diet: Eating a diet high in protein can help to boost metabolism by increasing muscle mass, which in turn increases the number of calories burned.
Eat These 10 Foods to Speed Up Your Metabolism and Lose Weight Quickly →
Alternative yoga poses to lose weight
Yoga can be an effective addition to a weight loss program by helping to improve overall fitness and flexibility, reduce stress, and increase mindfulness around food and eating. Here are some yoga poses that can aid in weight loss:
- Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar): This sequence of poses warms up the body and increases cardiovascular activity, helping to burn calories.
- Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana): This pose strengthens the legs, core, and arms, helping to tone muscles and boost metabolism.
- Triangle Pose (Trikonasana): This pose stretches the legs and torso, while also strengthening the core, which can help to reduce belly fat.
- Boat Pose (Navasana): This pose targets the abdominal muscles, helping to tone and strengthen the core, which can lead to a reduction in belly fat.
- Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): This pose strengthens the back and core, which can help to improve posture and reduce belly fat.
- Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): This pose strengthens the arms, legs, and core, and also improves flexibility, which can help to boost metabolism and burn calories.
- Plank Pose (Phalakasana): This pose strengthens the core, arms, and legs, and can help to tone the muscles and boost metabolism.
It is important to remember that yoga should be combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise for optimal weight loss results. Additionally, it’s important to practice yoga under a trained instructor to avoid any injuries.