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The Times of India
The Times of India
Lifestyle
TOI Lifestyle Desk | etimes.in

Effortless weight loss: Secrets to lose weight while lying down

Too lazy to get out of bed on weekends? You can still lose weight while lying down, with a series of mindful practices from deep breathing to optimizing your sleep. All these practices are backed by science and do not require hitting the gym or following a low-calorie diet. These methods work towards balancing your hormones, helping you burn more fat, beat stress, and help you burn calories, from the comfort of your bed. Let's take a look at all the ways by which you can shed pounds and cut fat without the need to get up from your bed.

Take a look at each of them:

Deep breathingDeep breathing even while lying in your bed can help fix many internal processes by improving metabolism, stimulating digestion, and boosting fat burning. Studies demonstrate the weight loss and fat-burning benefits of Pranayama and how it manages calories and fat. A study done on 40 women and published in the Biomedical Research Journal showed that participants with obesity who repeated the exercise regularly for 1 month experienced a significant reduction in body fat. The practice of deep breathing is thus approved both by modern science as well as traditional wisdom.

Sleep wellSleeping well can help you shed kilos, especially if you are chronically sleep-deprived. Sleeping for 8-9 hours daily can help you lose more weight than people who only rest for 5-6 hours. A study published in the journal Nutrients established a link between weight loss and sleep. In this study, participants on 14 days of calorie restriction, lost less fat when they spent 5.5 hours a day in bed than when they spent 8.5 hours a day in bed.

Sleep on your side

If sleeping is your current weight loss strategy, try sleeping on your side to boost your efforts. While there's no evidence of a particular sleeping position aiding your weight loss journey, it surely improves the quality of your sleep, which can in turn help you shed pounds.

MeditationSpending a day in bed isn't bad news for your weight loss efforts, as there's a lot you can do from the confines of your bed. For instance, the practice of meditation can help lower stress hormones and improve your metabolic function, which can help you burn calories even when you are lying down.

Stretching

You can continue to lie down while stretching your legs, back, butt, arms and still lose weight. Stretching can help in increasing metabolism, improving blood circulation and body flexibility. This can help you burn fat throughout the day.

Losing weight isn't just merely about hitting the gym or fixing your diet. Sometimes, it's about releasing stress, strengthening your internal processes and letting go.

(Images courtesy: iStock)

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