This breathing technique will help you tap into the part of the brain called the insula, which is associated with cravings as well as moral intuition, creativity and empathy, says Tara Stiles, yoga instructor and author of the upcoming Yoga Cures. "I find that it really helps calm everything down, starting with the mind and continuing down through the rest of the body."
Sit cross-legged with your back supported either by the headboard or the back of the couch. Press your ring finger over your left nostril and inhale four counts through your right nostril. Then, close off your right nostril with your thumb so both sides of your nose are closed. Hold all the air for four counts. Release your ring finger and let all the air out of your left nostril for four counts. Reverse this pattern by inhaling through the left nostril, holding both closed and then exhaling out the right. Repeat this breathing pattern for three to five minutes—or until you're more interested in sweet dreams than sweet treats.
Could this be the recipe for deflating the muffin top? A recent study compared three groups—those who ate a reduced-carbohydrate diet, those who combined the diet with strength training and those who combined the diet and strength-training with cardio workouts—and found that a three-tier approach was the most effective strategy to decrease abdominal fat. It's important to note that the exercises you choose and the effort you put into them really matter, says Marta Montenegro, a certified strength and conditioning coach who teaches exercise physiology at Florida International University. Instead of ho-hum treadmill-trotting and sit-ups, she recommends high-intensity workouts, which have been shown to be more effective at reducing the belly fat you can pinch with your hand, as well as the visceral fat that pads internal organs (which has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes).
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