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.

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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+.

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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.

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Good Reasons to Stop Drinking in your 40’s

There is no better time to quit alcohol than when you hit midlife. When you reach your 40’s, there is a feeling of urgency to evaluate how well you have been doing with the different aspects of your life. Your body is also sending signals that you can’t ignore. You could have arrived at this decision to quit drinking due to health reasons. You may have decided to stop because it is affecting your mental health and family life. Here are some specific explanations to encourage you to live sober. 1. No more morning breath Admit it, you’ve done it more times than you think. You get hammered, you fall asleep on the couch, and you wake up with bad breath. You forgot to brush your teeth last night! You forgot to take a shower, and now you absolutely stink. This is worse if you wake up with someone wonderful beside you. Alcohol makes your breath foul because it encourages the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth and gums. The smell gets worse when the bacteria come into contact with certain foods such as cheese, onions, and garlic. 2. You won’t miss the hangovers This is self-explanatory. 3. Your memory will improve, and so will your concentration One of the biggest reasons people drink alcohol is because they loosen up after a tipple. Alcohol is a sedative, and indeed, it does momentarily make you feel less anxious. Once you’ve decided to quit, one of the things you will miss the most would be a scene like this: You get home, put down your things, open the fridge, and get a drink. You will have to re-learn how to relax if you skip the alcohol. When you depend on alcohol to relax, the brain’s neurochemistry changes in such a way that you become forgetful. However, after you quit and go through the initial stages of withdrawal, your brain will be able to adapt. Some people remark that when they stop drinking, a haze lifts. Suddenly, there is no mental fog. 4. You sleep better A lot of people depend on alcohol to lull themselves to sleep. Because alcohol has a sedative effect, we mistakenly think that it is a sleep aid. Wrong! Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it will disrupt your sleep. According to health experts, when you drink alcohol before sleeping some of these things might happen: You wake up several times in the middle of the night You don’t feel refreshed—you don’t have “deep sleep”, instead it is as if you are awake while trying to sleep (“shallow sleep”) You wake up too early and can’t fall back to sleep Unfortunately, when you quit drinking, your insomnia may get a bit worse until your body adapts. Walking around in the middle of the night is a common complaint among people who are in withdrawal. But trust the system—you may begin to see improvements in as few as three days (or nights). 5. Weight loss Why do you lose weight when you quit? Because when you quit alcohol, you also quit the snacks and nibbles that go with the drinks. Alcohol messes up the metabolism of food in your body. When there is alcohol present, the body prioritizes its digestion before any other substance. This leads to a slower burn of fats and an accumulation of fats that weren’t burned in your buttocks (or gut). 6. You avoid cancer When you are in midlife, you worry about diseases such as cancer. We are not young and spry anymore, some of our bad habits seem to be catching up with us. We may even have friends who are in cancer treatment. Consider this: In a new study published recently in the American Journal of Public Health, people who drink more than three servings of alcoholic beverages have a higher chance of getting cancer. Particularly, they were affected by breast cancer, skin cancer, and ovarian cancer. Be forewarned. 7. Alcohol is not (really) good for the heart The American Heart Association does not recommend people to start drinking because “it is good for the heart.” Early studies have linked the consumption of wine to good cholesterol levels, but these studies are not definitive. If you are using “good heart health” as an excuse not to get sober, it’s now time to drop it. 8. Better skin Dermatologists warn that alcohol’s dehydrating effects are to blame for acne and increased wrinkle production. Quitting gives your skin a chance to rehydrate. As moisture is the best friend of glowing skin, drink lots of water when you start abstaining so that your skin will heal better. Expect to see results in about a month. 9. Avoiding liver disease If you began drinking in your teens and you are still drinking now, you are at risk of liver disease. The facts are scary. According to the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, men aged between 40 to 50 who identify themselves as “regular drinkers” are most at risk. 10. A mid-life reevaluation We are all familiar with the term “midlife crisis”. Perhaps it is better to look at it as a sort of life evaluation. If you start to depend less on alcohol and more on your inner strength to go about life’s challenges, some surprising truths may emerge. Your goal at this stage of life is to answer the questions, “How am I doing so far in this lifetime?” “Are there things I want to change?” Forty (and above) seems to be a good time to start having more satisfying relationships and meaning in life. When you quit alcohol, sometimes you face the truth that you have been using it to dull your pains and disappointments, particularly with certain loved ones. Sober living sometimes leads us to make dramatic changes in our relationships—in the long run, it is good for our emotional and mental health. It is crucial to follow through the intention to live sober. Having the right support is vital if you are going to change the way you live for good. Being sober will affect how you connect with friends and family members. It will also mean you need to change the assumptions you have about yourself. You are never too old to learn new things, they say. Now go ahead and prove it. Read Also: 10 Reasons To Stop Drinking Alcohol Today 3 Alcohol Prevention Tips To Kick Your Old Drinking Habits To The Curb How To Quit Alcohol: Consider Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Surprisingly Unknown Effects of Sleep Loss

We all know that lack of sleep can have a significantly negative impact on our daily lives as trouble focusing is often the most notable effect of sleep loss. However, there are several other less-known effects of sleep loss that you should also take into account. Surprisingly Unknown Effects Of Sleep Loss: 1. Sleep Deprivation Is A Public Hazard: Sleep deprivation can be a significant factor in automobile accidents as a lack of sleep will slow down your time reaction quite similar to that of drunk driving. If that’s not enough to stress the health advantages of a good nights sleep, lack of sleep has been a massive factor in some of the most monumental disasters in more recent history such as the nuclear accident in 1979 at Three Mile Island as well as the disastrous nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986. Considering the lack of sleep greatly increases your chances of being involved in a car accident and work-related injuries, you should take pride in formulating a suitable sleep routine to ensure you are not endangering yourself and those around you. 2. Increased Risk Of Developing Serious Health Issues: While chronic sleep disorders and sleep conditions will put you at an increased risk of developing serious health problems such as heart attack and cardiovascular conditions as well as high blood pressure, diabetes, and even stroke, the less serious health issues such as increased stress and anxiety are just as concerning. To improve the quality and consistency of your sleep you should consider whether or not your mattress is suitable for comfort and support. You can make use of mattress charts with a showcase of mattress sizes to better establish which mattress would be best for you. In addition to this, you should consider the benefits of natural sleep remedies, especially if you are battling to get enough sleep on a regular basis. 3. Risk Of Rapidly Aging Skin: Even though it’s commonly known that a restless night will result in dark under-eye circles and a bit of puffiness, not everyone is aware of just how much lack of sleep can cause rapidly aging skin. According to studies, regular sleepless nights will age the rate at which your skin ages and as a result, you will notice fine lines, wrinkles, and sallow skin. The benefits of beauty sleep are definitely not a myth. 4. Memory Loss: One of the best ways to keep your memory as sharp as possible is to get enough quality sleep as sleep deprivation has been a known culprit of memory loss. According to research conducted in 2009, brain functions referred to as “sharp wave ripples” are responsible for the consolidation of memory as these ripples are known to transfer learned information to an area of the brain where memory is then stored on a long-term basis. This brain function usually occurs while we are in the deeper levels of sleep, which means that quality sleep will, in fact, improve your brains' ability to store information and effectively prevent forgetfulness. Read Also: Ways To Sleep Well At Night As You Age How To Sleep Better When You Have Cancer Are You Wondering About The Risk Factors For Depression?

CE Mark for medical devices – An option or a necessity?

Ongoing evolution and revolution in medical, drug, and healing technologies have granted creative freedom in innovation and products in the market to make our lives safer and more comfortable. Yet the European Commission and European Union and the Member States maintain a balance between bringing new technologies onto the European market and the need to vete those technologies in advance for safety and efficacy, the two main elements of the risk analysis for medical devices, OTC drugs, and combination drug-devices. While patients may wish for an entirely open door to potentially healing and life-saving technologies, the Commission limits those technologies to account for effectiveness and risk per the various Medical Device Directives, the Council Directive 90/385/EEC on Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDD) (1990) Council Directive 93/42/EEC on Medical Devices (MDD) (1993) Council Directive 98/79/EC on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices (IVDMD) (1998). In addition, there is the consideration of a proper quality system in place to ensure that adverse events, impurities, and other key issues are taken into account by companies wishing to place medical products on the European Market. What is a CE Marking? A certification was required to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and quality of any medical product such as medical devices, before that’ product’s circulation in the market. Each country has it's own regulations when it comes to importing the medical devices, such as overseas approval in Hong Kong where reference country approval can expedite the review process. This requirement led to the foundation of CE Marking in 1985. CE Marking or CE Mark is short for "Conformité Européene," or in English “European Conformity.” The CE Mark is a kind of certification which indicates that a product lies within the health, safety, and environmental protection and quality standards as defined by EU directives. In simpler words, CE Mark is a sign that the manufacturer of the product claims that the product meets the appropriate regulatory requirements. Why is CE Marking necessary? CE Marking is the crucial ticket for your company’s medical device to the EU Market (read more on Medical Devices HQ) and to lend the opportunity for a greater success of the product. The certification of safety is necessary for a medical product to ensure that there are no hazardous side-effects pertaining to health and the environment. Besides this, CE Marking is a legal obligation for placing a product in any market which comes under the legislation of the European Union. Expansion into the global market is a key important factor for the commercialization of products for any manufacturer of medical devices. The European Union is too big and technologically advanced a market to be ignored. CE Marking is the crucial ticket for your company’s medical device to the EU Market and to lend the opportunity for a greater success of the product. How to obtain CE Marking for your product? To obtain CE Marking, it is of utmost importance that you observe each of the regulatory requirements specified by the European Union. This is for preparing your product strictly according to the predefined guidelines for CE Marking. There are many complex imperative requirements in obtaining CE Mark for your product. Even after all the fishing and research, it happens quite often that your form for CE Marking faces some administrative setbacks. It is important for a regulatory pathway for the medical product to be clearly delineated so you as a company have clear guidelines as to what needs to do, either via self-certification in the case of a Class 1 device or compliance with “Notified Body” (semi-governmental gatekeepers for medical products in the European Union) requirements. Moreover, there are a number of overlapping EU directives and regulations involving many products, including the REACH Regulation, the Medical Device Directives cited above, the Biocidal Products Directive, and the Personal Protective Equipment Directive. These are all important reasons for which is highly advisable to obtain professional assistance in drafting the form and other documents for the CE Marking of your product and especially for the key Technical File in the case of Class 1 devices. For example, while looking for CE Mark for medical devices in Israel, it is important for you to contact a legal person who will prepare or review a foolproof form and which, in turn, will ensure quicker delivery of the CE Mark for your product. This CE Mark expert will make sure to categorize your product according to the set guidelines and do all the other Technical Documentation to show the compliance of your product with the regulatory requirements, along with the right Conformity Assessment Procedure. Hiring a professional law firm will ensure that, independent of the size of your business/ company, your form for CE Mark gets the necessary attention. To sum it up CE Mark, besides being an entry pass in the European market, is also a necessity for your medical device to flourish in any of the EU Member State markets. So, before submitting your form of CE Mark for Medical Devices in Israel, hire a professional to review your regulatory pathway into the EU first! Read Also : Key Marketing Tips To Gain More Customers For Your Health Care Practice Top Things To Know Before Entering A Medical Career

Follow These 5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stubborn Belly Fat

Why has worried About The Belly Fat Region?