Deep Breathing for Weight Loss

There are rumors floating around out there that you can engage in deep breathing practices as a method of weight loss is. Are there any truth in these rumors? As with almost all rumors, deep breathing for weight loss is something which is possible to an extent but isn't exactly as the rumors would have you believe. You aren't going to go sit in a room, breathe deeply and come out five pounds lighter. You can, however, you use deep breathing as one part of a comprehensive life change to encourage weight loss.

Deep breathing is something that most of us should do but fail to do because we haven't learned how. It seems silly to think that we'd have to learn to breathe correctly, since it's such a natural part of life. However, most of us are not in touch with our bodies. We breathe without thinking about it. This breathing is often shallow. That's due to a combination of factors including our posture, our health, our metabolism and other characteristics of our body. Learning to deep breathe brings us more in touch with our bodies which is an important step towards long-lasting weight loss. Once we are more directly aware of our bodies, we are able to focus on the steps we need to take to make those bodies the shape and size we want them to be.

Deep breathing does have additional benefits other than simply putting us more in touch with our bodies. Deep breathing done on a regular basis can increase the metabolism which will help you to burn off more calories, more effectively utilize your food with your body and generally have more energy. Increased energy means an increased ability to exercise and further reduce weight. Increased metabolism is achieved through deep breathing because you're increasing your oxygen levels and therefore increasing the activity of the heart. To achieve an increased metabolism through deep breathing, however, you'll need to make this a natural part of your every day life. This means that deep breathing will be something that you'll have to learn to do and then practice regularly. Only if it is done on a steady basis can it result in increasing your metabolism.

Deep breathing may also assist with fat-burning. In addition to increasing your metabolism, deep breathing changes the way that oxygen is delivered throughout the body. This creates a change in the way that the body works and may result in improved fat burning. Additionally, when deep breathing is done to reduce stress, the fat-burning abilities of the body are increased because the stress factor goes down and the body can once again work properly.

So maybe you're not entirely sold on the rumor that deep breathing can improve weight loss. But it wouldn't hurt to try it, now would it? To do so, you'll want to find a quiet and comfortable place where you can really focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply. The breath should come from your stomach, not just your lungs. See if it works for your weight loss!