Power Breathing for Weight Loss?

‍The Importance Of Breathing

We often take breathing for granted, perhaps because it’s something innate. Yet, its importance is not just confined to keeping us alive but it can also help us excel in life.

Athletes, in particular, are mindful of their breathing. They learn to control and regulate their breathing pattern, which helps them perform at an optimum level. In fact, controlling and regulating breathing is what an average person would have done countless times, knowing or unknowingly, in their lives – like when they go swimming or trying to open that tight and uncompromising lid of a peanut butter jar. Yes, we’ve all been there and done it.

Breathe to relax

Deep breathing is relaxing. You feel less stressed (that’s always good when you’re trying to lose weight), more calm and collected. Your heart is more relaxed, and your body can do what it needs to do better, like recovery, improved blood circulation, and so on.

A form of deep breathing technique called “power breathing” can supposedly help you lose weight. Before you throw out your sneakers and cancel that gym membership, do read on.

‍Claim to power

Power breathing calls for you to take a slow deep breath through the nose, using the diaphragmatic breathing technique and exhaling slowly while keeping your abs tensed.

It is said that power breathing helps to raise the body’s metabolism and thus helps to burn more fat. When you weigh this with findings from research that showed around 84% of fat is breathed out as expired gas, you would think you have a winner! Take a deep breath and think again.

Scientific proof or is there?

While it can’t be argued that deep-breathing methods such as power breathing are indeed good for the body and mind, when it comes to weight loss, the research or lack of it proves otherwise.

Of course, those who believe would have you believe it too and to be fair, they probably have some proof in the form of their own success story or others. But it’s very subjective and not very scientific.

So should you dump the idea then? Well, no.

Successful weight loss

Regard power breathing or any breathing exercises as just that – an exercise. Complement that exercise with a healthy diet and overall healthy lifestyle, and you’ll lose weight in no time!

Don’t be distracted or tempted by shortcuts and hacks easily. Yes, time is of the essence, but there are things, including weight loss, where time is needed because doing it correctly and adequately trumps everything else in the long run. And to be in for the long run, you need to learn to breathe correctly.

So do engage in breathing exercises alongside the other equally important stuff. After all, it helps to clear your mind, and when that happens, the positive thinking that you will succeed in losing weight will become more apparent, and before you know it, success!