Carb Confusion: How Do they Affect Your Waistline?

Carbs make up such a large part of the British diet that it’s no wonder our weight wellness is, well, less than ideal. We crave carbs at mealtimes, in snacks; in fact, 50% of your daily diet is crammed with carbs, so let’s take a look at how they affect your weight, and your well-being.

 

Your body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose, which your cells then convert into energy – this is why you often get athletes carbo-loading before a big event. There are simple carbs/simple sugars, which your body breaks down and absorbs into the bloodstream very quickly. These are found in table sugar, sugary snacks (cakes, biscuits, sweets), sweetened drinks, milk and fruit, and although they produce energy very speedily, this energy is used up swiftly and is gone. Then you have complex carbs, which are found in grains, such as wheat, oats and rice, as well as vegetables and pulses. When these carbs haven’t been refined or processed, they provide slow-burning energy over a sustained period of time.

 

So that’s carbs, but how are they related to wellness matters, such as insulin production? The hormone insulin regulates the amount of sugar/glucose in your blood, which, in turn, helps maintain a healthy metabolism. Even though most foods make your blood sugar levels rise, eating carbohydrates makes them absolutely soar! When you eat simple carbs or white bread or pasta, your body produces lots of insulin and floods your bloodstream with it. This gives you a major, but short-lived, energy boost which is followed by a huge energy slump unless you pump more carbs into your system.

 

Not only does the insulin affect up your sugar cravings – and so your weight gain – but it can also cause you to experience fatigue, low mood and irritability. However, it’s not just the sugar cravings that make you gain weight; insulin is known as the fattening hormone because it turns all those unnecessary carbs you eat into fat and deposits them in your fat stores. So, if you want to still keep carbs, but watch your weight (and your well-being), then stick to complex carbs. Using your plate as a guide, fill half of the plate with vegetable/pulse carbs, a quarter with starchy complex carbs (unrefined wheat/rice etc.), and fill the rest with protein.

Categories: carbs, Complex Carbs, energy, Insulin, simple carbs, Simple Sugars, sugar cravings, waistline

Yoga poses which can aid in slimming your waistline

While the benefits of yoga are appreciated by all, it is not usually thought of as a solution for reducing belly fat. However, when practiced as part of an overall routine including cardiovascular activity and proper nutrition, it can be very effective in dealing with problem waistlines. Yoga is a system that provides complementary solutions for numerous health conditions and obesity is no exception.

Yoga is not known as a cardiovascular activity, so those seeking to combat obesity will probably want to include a different kind of cardiovascular workout in their wellness routine. However, some kinds of yoga, such as Ashtanga Vinyasa, will provide an effective fat-burning workout. Similarly, those seeking to slim their waistline will benefit from the extended and fast practice of ‘sun salutations’ as part of their yoga session.

The system of yoga is full of postures that have important benefits to internal wellbeing, as well as working on elements of external appearance.

Plank pose – the popular ‘press up’ pose of yoga forms part of the famous ‘sun salutation’. It is a powerful pose for strengthening the abdominal core muscles. To achieve plank pose, your arms and body should be totally straight. In order to do this, you have to rely on your core muscles to maintain those straight lines.

Standing forward bend – a popular yoga posture, for which you have to use your abdominal muscles to pull in your abdomen. It is famed for the strong massage it gives to the digestive system, which helps to normalise its function, thereby assisting weight reduction programmes.

Shoulder stand – this forms an important part of any yoga therapy system aimed at weight management. The shoulder stand exerts strong pressure on your thyroid gland, which helps to normalise metabolism. This can solve the problem of slow metabolism, one of the major causes of weight gain.

This list is far from being exhaustive, and merely highlights the main areas that yoga postures act upon in assisting slimming. You should bear in mind that yoga therapy for any condition is best approached under the guidance of an expert. Many poses have contra-indications, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. A tailored yoga routine can pay dividends when practised regularly, and should form the backbone of any lasting wellness programme.

Categories: fitness, waistline, yoga

Yoga poses which can aid in slimming your waistline

While the benefits of yoga are appreciated by all, it is not usually thought of as a solution for reducing belly fat. However, when practiced as part of an overall routine including cardiovascular activity and proper nutrition, it can be very effective in dealing with problem waistlines. Yoga is a system that provides complementary solutions for numerous health conditions and obesity is no exception.

Yoga is not known as a cardiovascular activity, so those seeking to combat obesity will probably want to include a different kind of cardiovascular workout in their wellness routine. However, some kinds of yoga, such as Ashtanga Vinyasa, will provide an effective fat-burning workout. Similarly, those seeking to slim their waistline will benefit from the extended and fast practice of ‘sun salutations’ as part of their yoga session.

The system of yoga is full of postures that have important benefits to internal wellbeing, as well as working on elements of external appearance.

Plank pose – the popular ‘press up’ pose of yoga forms part of the famous ‘sun salutation’. It is a powerful pose for strengthening the abdominal core muscles. To achieve plank pose, your arms and body should be totally straight. In order to do this, you have to rely on your core muscles to maintain those straight lines.

Standing forward bend – a popular yoga posture, for which you have to use your abdominal muscles to pull in your abdomen. It is famed for the strong massage it gives to the digestive system, which helps to normalise its function, thereby assisting weight reduction programmes.

Shoulder stand – this forms an important part of any yoga therapy system aimed at weight management. The shoulder stand exerts strong pressure on your thyroid gland, which helps to normalise metabolism. This can solve the problem of slow metabolism, one of the major causes of weight gain.

This list is far from being exhaustive, and merely highlights the main areas that yoga postures act upon in assisting slimming. You should bear in mind that yoga therapy for any condition is best approached under the guidance of an expert. Many poses have contra-indications, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. A tailored yoga routine can pay dividends when practised regularly, and should form the backbone of any lasting wellness programme.

Categories: fitness, waistline, yoga