Follow These 5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stubborn Belly Fat

Published on: 18 February 2016 Last Updated on: 29 May 2021

The ‘spare tire’ area of the body is the most dreaded place for unsightly fat. That section around and near our waistline and extending downward…yep…that stubborn belly fat that those suffering for it would love to remove. Many have tried special diets, exercise routines and expensive equipment to help them rid that extra baggage. But, have you tied Yoga?

Why has worried About The Belly Fat Region?

This is one of the most noticeable areas, thus making many quite self-conscious. While your mental health may be affected by this feeling, your physical health could be at risk also. Fat in this region of the body has been linked to certain cancers, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance; all of which can be life-threatening.

Read also: Bed Time Yoga to Sleep Well

As we get older, this is even worse, as we slow down physically and so does our metabolism often increase this area of fat. So, to maintain a healthy lifestyle, one should learn to use the following exercises and follow them while maintaining a nutritious diet. One without the other simply won’t work.

Specific Postures

The following are some poses that are great for reducing that pesky belly fat. You should try to hold each pose for 15-30 seconds, and try to repeat it about 5 times with 15 seconds rest in between

Wind Easing Posture (Pavanamukthasana)

This one tone and firms the abdomen and relieves the lower back.

Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched and arms at your side.
Stretch your feet out with heels touching
While exhaling, bend the knees and bring them toward your chest
Press tightly toward your abdomen, applying pressure to the abdominal region
As you breathe deep, hold this pose for approximately 60 – 90 seconds
Exhale and release your knees while bringing your hands down to your sides with palms facing downward.

Cobra Posture (Bhujang Asana)

A word of caution should be you suffer from ulcers, back injuries, hernias or may be pregnant this pose should not be done by these individuals.

While lying on your stomach with your legs outstretched and palms under your shoulders, touch your toes and chin to the floor.
Keeping your legs flat on the floor, inhale slowly and begin raising your chest while bending backward as much as possible.
As you exhale, slowly lower yourself back to the original position.

Pontoon Posture (Naukasana)

Wonderful pose for tightening the stomach muscles and strengthening the legs and back.

With your back flat and legs together stretched out and arms at your side (palms down), inhale slowly and begin raising your legs, keeping straight.
Stretch your foot and toes pointing straight and raise your legs as high as possible.
Once you have reached this point, with arms straight, reach to your toes to create a 45-degree angle with your body. Hold the pose and normally breathe for 15 seconds. Release and inhale.

Bow Posture (Dhanurasana)

Strengthen your core with this pose. Full potential can be reached by rocking back and forth.

While lying on your stomach with your arms at your side, outstretch your legs
Bend your legs at the knees and reach backward with your arms to grasps the ankles and hold.
While inhaling, lift the head and begin bending backward while trying to lift your head a high as you possibly can.
Hold the pose for 15-30 seconds, breathing normally.
Exhale and come back to the original position.

Board (Kumbhakasana)

Caution should be taken if you have high blood pressure or and spinal injury.

Start by crouching with hand and knees directly underneath the shoulders and hips.
With the toes tucked under, begin to step back with your feet extending your legs. The entire body should be in a straight line from head to toe. Be sure to keep your hand flat with fingers spread apart.
Hold for 15-30 seconds or as long as possible. Then exhale and drop back to your knees.

It’s best for your body to complete these in the morning. Your best results will be to repeat the poses daily, 3-5 times, three days per week then take a day off.

Kathy Mitchell was born and raised in the USA. She has done MA in English literature. She loves to publish her article on different health websites. In her spare time, she likes to do research on health information. She is an inspirational writer who strongly believes in the power of self-motivation. Also, she is contributing to consumer health digest since 2011, which is a leading health news platform. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter and Google+.

Read More:

Abdul Aziz Mondol

Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.

View all posts

A Guide To Process Painting And How It Benefits Women’s Mental Health

Expressive arts therapy, such as process painting, serves as a bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind. Its primary focus is to shed light on blocked or stagnant areas in therapy. By emphasizing the creative process rather than just verbal communication, it unveils new insights or meanings that traditional talk therapy might not uncover. The best thing about them is that they're suitable for people of almost any age, as it has the core potential to improve your — Emotional, Spiritual, Cognitive, and Physical wellness. You wouldn't need artistic talent, but within this therapy, various methods intensify and enrich the experience — especially for an emotionally troubled woman. But what is a process painting group? How do they operate? What are the positives they can have on you? We have answered all of these questions elaborately through this article. So, without any further ado, let's get started with the same right away. What is Process Painting? "Process painting" is all about focusing more on how you paint rather than just the final picture. Instead of caring a lot about being really good or making something perfect, it's about enjoying the act of painting itself. In this approach, the canvas works like a playground for expressing yourself without worrying about being skilled or getting a perfect result. Process painting sets you free from the stress of being perfect, or meeting set rules. Instead, it's about enjoying making art without worrying about how good it looks. You let your feelings and ideas guide your painting without judging yourself. It's like a journey where each stroke and color helps you explore your thoughts and emotions. While this type of mindful activity can be done alone, doing it with a group of people can boost its benefits even more. Move on to the next section to learn more about it. The Benefits of Process Painting Process painting can open a new window of spark and mindfulness in your mind and assist you in thinking better or more efficiently. Let's keep reading to know more about it. 1: It Can Encourage Your Unfolding Unconscious When people use creative activities like painting, dancing, or making sculptures, hidden thoughts and feelings can surface without them realizing it. Unlike just talking about things, these activities help bring out stuff that might otherwise stay hidden. For example, looking at a picture might remind someone of a forgotten memory, or making a mask might help someone understand a new side of themselves. Whether someone uses the art materials or their own abilities like singing or moving, these activities help bring out thoughts and feelings that might be hard to explain with words. 2: It Creates a Line of Communication between You and Your Therapist Expressive arts therapy helps people communicate deeply, both in what they say and what they create. When someone expresses themselves through art or movement, it mostly brings out new emotions and thoughts. For instance, making a dance piece might bring up unexpected feelings that can then be talked about with a therapist. The art itself, like a painting representing grief, can add more layers of meaning and become a starting point for a conversation about the colors, lines, and symbols used. 3: Helps You Get Control Over Yourself and the Therapeutic Process Creating a physical representation of your thoughts or emotions can help you feel more in control. For instance, drawing how you feel something can reveal things you might not realize consciously. It also lets you step back and observe your feelings from a distance, which can be really helpful, especially with tough memories. Like watching a movie, talking about your experience as an observer can help you detach from any painful feelings at the moment. 4: It May Give a Spark to Your Therapy Expressive arts therapy helps people imagine and discover new things. It's like a lightbulb moment where you find something new or understand something in a different way. It can help you get unstuck, uncover hidden feelings, and understand the past better. It gives you a new way to express yourself, especially when words don't capture what you're going through. 5: It Can Support Integrative Learning Encouraging people to explore unknown knowledge within themselves is usually boosted by experiencing things through different senses. When we combine these experiences, they create new thoughts, feelings, and images that we wouldn't typically have. For instance, asking someone to focus on the sounds around them can lead to uncovering emotions or sensations they hadn't noticed before, like hidden pain. Process Painting - The Procedure Process painting, as a therapeutic procedure, usually follows a set of rules or steps. We've given a glimpse of the same here. However, if you want to know more about it, be sure to join one of the process painting groups. This will give you a practical experience of the same. 1: Set the Space for Process Painting Setting up the right environment is essential for the painting process. A calm, brightly lit area with enough space to move around enables artists to completely engage in the creative process. Supplies like acrylic or tempera paints, different brush sizes, canvas, paper, and other preferred tools are arranged, encouraging free exploration without constraints. 2: Begin without Any Expectation Individuals start by selecting a color or dipping a brush into the palette without predetermined notions. Once the brush touches the canvas or surface, the painting journey begins. The focus, in general, is on embracing the present, enabling colors to mix freely, and allowing organic shapes and forms to take shape spontaneously. 3: Embracing the Flow During the painting session, people engage with the artwork as it develops, trying out different colors, strokes, and techniques to explore textures and dimensions. They prioritize the creative process over the final outcome, embracing a free-flowing approach without criticism. Read Also: 10 healthy Habits to improve your health How To Take Care Of Your Mental Health Living Healthily | Six Crucial Lifestyle Tips for College Freshmen

4 Reasons Why You Might Feel Tired During The Day

It is very normal to be tired throughout the day from time to time. However, if you notice that you feel tired every day over a long period of time, there may be something going on with your body. Ongoing fatigue and the constant feeling of tiredness can adversely affect your mental and physical wellbeing, which can make it hard to go about your daily life, so it is important to try and pin-point the cause of these sorts of issues before they take hold. Luckily, once you figure out the cause of your tiredness, making a few simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference to your energy levels throughout the day. Here are 4 Reasons Why You Might Feel Tired During The Day: 1. Caffeine intake Most of us like to have a few cups of coffee or tea to give us a little boost throughout the day, but consuming a lot of caffeine during the day can cause you to lose sleep at night. This is because caffeine is a stimulant, and while it is great to make us feel more alert and give us energy during the day, it can keep you up at night if you consume too much of it. People who consume too much caffeine may experience issues such as insomnia, irritability, muscle tremors, fast heartbeat, and fatigue, all of which can have a serious impact on your overall health. If you think that your caffeine intake may cause you to lose sleep at night and feel tired throughout the day, you should limit the amount you consume each day, or stop drinking tea and coffee a few hours before bedtime. 2. Poor sleeping habits It is recommended by the Sleep Health Foundation of Australia, that the average adult should get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. However, due to different age and lifestyle factors, you may need less than 7 hours or more than 8 hours of sleep to function throughout the day. The main point is that this sleep has to be uninterrupted because disrupted sleep can cause fatigue during the day. If you create a sleep routine for yourself and go to sleep at the same time in the same conditions each day, you will find that it is a lot easier to get to sleep each night and that you feel more rested in the day. This is because of your internal body clock that gets used to a certain wake and sleep cycle as time goes on. If you are struggling to get to sleep each night, you should try to make your bedroom the right environment for sleeping. Most people find that a dark, quiet room with cool temperatures will help them to get the best night’s rest, so you should try to make these changes in order to sleep well at night. 2. Eating a big meal Nutrition can have a significant impact on your mental and physical wellbeing, so what you eat during the day can prevent or cause fatigue. Choosing a healthy and well-balanced diet can help you to beat fatigue and tiredness. Foods that have a higher concentration of carbs and sugar are not very good fuel for the body compared to lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Eating raw and whole food can do so much more for your body, but you have to remember to wait at least 3 hours between meals to avoid indigestion. You should also consume dinner at least 3 hours before you go to sleep, in order for your body to properly digest your meal. If you feel hungry before going to bed, bananas are a good choice for a snack because they are rich in magnesium, which helps the muscles relax so that you can sleep easy. 3. Sleep disorders According to a recent study, more than 60% of Australians suffer some kind of sleep disorder that severely affects their quality of sleep. And because sleep disorders can affect all aspects of your physical and mental health, it is important to consult a doctor or a sleep specialist when you exhibit any signs or symptoms. One of the most common sleep disorders that a lot of people may have without knowing is sleep apnea, which is a serious sleep disorder that can affect you in several different ways, but mainly affects a person’s breathing as they sleep. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, but there are many ways to manage and treat the problems that this condition may bring on. One solution that most doctors recommend for patients is a combination of a sleep apnea mask and a machine, like the models available from CPAP Direct. These machines help patients to breathe easier as they sleep so that they can sleep through the night and in turn feel energized during the day. There are many reasons why someone might feel tired during the day, but only you can determine what is making you feel tired over a long period of time. If you are not sure about what the cause of your tiredness is, think about your lifestyle factors and your sleep routine to see if any changes can be made. If you still feel tired throughout the day after you have made a few minor changes to your lifestyle, contact your doctor as soon as possible so that you can help you with your fatigue during the day. Read Also: Why The Best Time To Relax Is When You Don’t Have Time For It 5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Manage Anxiety at Work Why is sleeping well so important for job performance?

18 Surprising Celebrities with Braces

When you think of celebrities, it's likely that glamour, beauty, and perfection are the first things that come to mind. So when we see celebrities with braces on, it's completely understandable how jarring that can be to the pre-convinced images in our head. But the fact of the matter is celebrities are people just like you and I. They put their pants on one leg at a time. They love their dogs and work for a living, just like everyone else. And sometimes they need the help of orthodontic work to perfect their famous smiles. So who are some of these stars that have lived out their oral treatment for the world to see? Let's look at 18 celebrities that have gone through the process... Some of them may just surprise you. 1. Prince Harry : Royals may be thought of as perfect and regal, but they aren't necessarily born that way. Prince Harry proved that even royalty sometimes need the help of orthodontic treatment to achieve a smile fit for a prince. 2. Emma Watson : Proving braces aren't just for muggles, Emma wore braces for several months while she was in her early teens, which was well into the filming of the Harry Potter movie series. It showed you don't need a magic wand to have the perfect smile, all you need is just a good orthodontist. 3. Gwen Stefani : The singer has never been afraid to show off her eclectic sense of style. Which was especially true in the 1990s when she sported a set of traditional braces as merely a fashion accessory. She may not have needed them to perfect her smile, but they definitely helped perfect her rocker chic look. 4. Tom Cruise : The actor was well into adulthood when he decided to get braces for the first time. At the age of 40 years old, Tom showed the world that the perfect smile isn't mission impossible, but mission accomplished. 5. Estelle : After she had already become famous, singer Estelle received braces when it was rumored her PR team advised her to do so. Though she denied that, stating she wanted to correct her smile in case she should ever win a Grammy. Either way, the results were indeed award show worthy. 6. Beyonce : The superstar singer had so much love for her fans in 2011 that she sported a set of braces in support of all those who have had to wear them. Now, how's that for dedication to her fans? Girls may run the world but it also proves this orthodontist helps a bit too. 7. Dakota Fanning : Dakota was only a child when she started her acting career, which meant growing up in the spotlight. So once she got her set of braces, they were shown off at movie premieres and every event she attended. She went through the full gamut of braces, head-gear, spacers, and retainers. But once her treatment was finished, she emerged with her movie star smile. 8. Faith Hill : Another celebrity who decided to get braces as an adult is the singer, Faith Hill. At the age of 45 years old, the country beauty admitted to having braces when she was younger but didn't keep up with wearing her retainer. This time, the second time was the charm. 9. Cindy Crawford : Even supermodels are not immune from the need to wear braces. Cindy Crawford, perhaps one of the most famous supermodels of all time, was an adult and sported her orthodontic look in a Pepsi ad during the 1990s. 10. Danny Glover : Perhaps being the king of proving braces know no age, the actor received his braces at the age of 59 years old. He can even be seen wearing his braces in the movie Shooter. It just goes to show, better late than never. 11. Faye Dunaway : But if you think 59 years old is late in life to get braces, actress Faye Dunaway has that beat. She was in her 60's when she began her treatment with traditional braces! 12. Ariel Winter : Growing up on a successful tv series meant growing up for the world to see. The actress received her braces while continuing to film the popular tv show, Modern Family. She didn't let it stop her though, her real-life braces fit in perfectly with her tv character. 13. Kendall Jenner : Another celebrity who admits to not properly wearing their retainer the first time around is Kendall Jenner. When her teeth had shifted back, she opted to wear Invisalign braces to correct the problem. With her supermodel smile, she has won a billion hearts of her fan. 14. Nicolas Cage : When he was between movie projects, Nicolas Cage decided to wear braces on his lower teeth, becoming yet another celebrity adult to sport traditional braces. 15. Chelsea Clinton : How many people can say they wore their braces in the Oval Office? Chelsea Clinton sure can. While growing up in the White House as the First Daughter, she publicly sported her traditional braces. 16. Justin Bieber : The pop singer is another one who opted to treat their smile with Invisalign braces, but he wasn't afraid to show or admit it. He even made a video in a YouTube clip to show fans, wearing the braces for about a year before his treatment was finished. 17. Drew Barrymore : Beginning her acting career during childhood as well, Drew grew up in the spotlight. It wasn't until after filming the movie E.T., at the tender age of 12, she also joined the traditional braces club. 18. Kate Middleton : For her royal wedding, Kate Middleton wanted to make sure her smile was fit for a future princess. For a short time before the ceremony, she wore invisible braces. Celebrities with Braces Can Give Us All the Good Feels : Dealing with braces can be stressful, make us feel anxious, and can be painful. But when we see one of our favorite celebrities with braces on as well, it can give a sense of comfort and be belonging that we are all in this together in some way! And doesn't that just feel good? Want to know how taking care of your oral health can impact your general health? Be sure to check out our blog post on it! Read Also : The Differences Between A Dentist And An Orthodontist Things To Pay Attention To When It Comes To Servicing Ultrasound Probe

Follow These 5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stubborn Belly Fat

Why has worried About The Belly Fat Region?