Is it easy to lose weight in winter? Or do you eat ice cream and get fat? What are your daily habits that make you fat? Is it difficult to cut your stomach? Taiwanese traditional herbal medicine (TCM) The doctor clarifies the above questions.
Are you having a hard time reducing bulging lower abdomen or shaping your abdominal muscles? His fitness coach, Fu Tang, also shows you some simple exercises to tone your abs.
Question 1: Should I lose weight in winter?
Cold winters not only make us less active, but they also make us want to eat more to get more calories. At TCM, winter is considered a good time to lose weight. Physician Yu Yawen of his medical clinic at Royal Jade Traditional China in Taiwan said that in winter, qi and blood can be drawn inward, revitalizing internal organs and boosting the body’s own metabolic rate.
In Chinese medicine, qi is considered to be the “life energy” that makes up life in the body, and the substance that nourishes the body is commonly called blood. Qi and blood are interdependent and both flow throughout the body, nourishing the organs and tissues and maintaining the vitality of the human body.
a study A study published in Diabetes in 2009 also found that winter weather increases the body’s metabolic rate. If you eat the same diet, your metabolism will be higher in winter than in summer, and you should be able to lose weight. Why do so many people gain weight in winter?
According to Yu, people eat more in the winter and eat more sweet, high-calorie foods, which causes them to gain weight instead. Controlling food intake in winter, she said, weight loss.
Question 2: Where does the craving for snacking come from?
To achieve weight loss, you must resist the temptation to snack between meals. Yu believes there are usually two reasons for the desire to have a snack after a main meal.
The first is not eating the right carbs. Good starches stabilize blood sugar levels, while foods with a high glycemic index increase insulin and store fat. The order in which you eat is also a factor that affects blood sugar levels. Eating rice last stabilizes blood sugar levels and prevents you from feeling hungry.
The second is eating too much. People snack between meals because they are afraid of gaining weight and try to eat less. If you still want to snack, Yu suggested opting for healthy, low-sugar snacks like rice cakes and dried he fruit. However, be careful with choosing foods that contain preservatives or saccharin additives.
Question 3: Are sugar-free drinks and foods safe for weight loss?
Yu said we shouldn’t think sugar-free drinks and foods are safe and don’t make people fat. Carbohydrates are the key to weight gain, but when cold foods and drinks of 37°C or higher enter the body, they affect the function of internal organs, slow down metabolism, and contribute to obesity.
a study A paper published in the Transactions of the American Society for Clinical Climatology found that elevated temperatures are associated with increased metabolic rates. For every 1°C rise in body temperature, oxygen consumption increases by 10-13%, while lower body temperature slows metabolism.
Question 4: Are salads always preferable for weight loss?
Salads made from lettuce are high in fiber and low in calories, making them popular with many dieters. However, since raw lettuce is cold, Yu says that it is suitable for people who eat a lot of spicy ingredients, such as meat eaters. However, please avoid eating large amounts as a staple food for people who are sensitive to cold.
In TCM, people are considered to have different types of constitutions. Two common ones are cold temperament and hot temperament. People with sensitivity to cold are sensitive to cold things, and often have cold hands and feet and a swollen white tongue. On the other hand, people with hot bodies are more susceptible to heatstroke, and symptoms such as dry mouth, constipation, and red tongue appear. You can know your constitution from the above symptoms or by consulting a TCM expert.
In this regard, TCM classifies foods into different attributes. Most vegetables and fruits tend to be cold in nature. If you eat large amounts of raw food for a long period of time, cold air will easily accumulate in your body. Conversely, land animal foods such as beef, lamb, and chicken are considered warm.
Additionally, salad dressings are generally high in calories, such as Mayonnaise at 680 kcal/100g (0.22 oz), Thousand Island Dressing at 380 kcal/100g (0.22 oz), and Caesar Dressing at 540 kcal/100g (0.22 oz). All of these should be taken in appropriate amounts.
Question 5: Will I gain weight if I don’t drink enough water?
Yu said the body needs different enzymes for digestion and metabolism and to remove waste products that are detoxified in the liver. In that sense, not drinking enough water means that your metabolism slows down, making it easier for you to gain weight.
There are many formulas on the Internet that suggest the optimal amount of drinking water you should drink per day. So is drinking about 2 liters (4.2 pints) per person per day the norm? I was. So how do we make sure we can take full advantage of it? “When you start feeling thirsty, take a small sip,” she added.
When drinking water, she emphasized that water should not be swallowed in large quantities, as it can easily turn into urine and be excreted from the body. It gives discomfort to people with sensitive stomachs.
Question 6: Does staying up late definitely lead to obesity?
As to whether there is a close relationship between staying up late and obesity, Yu said staying up late will make you fat because the human body secretes an enzyme called leptin.
a study A study published in PLOS Medicine found that the more often you stay up late, the less leptin is secreted, which in turn reduces its appetite-suppressing effects, lowers the metabolic rate of fat cells, and affects hormone secretion. I have found that it leads to weight gain.
Question 7: Can exercise speed up weight loss?
Yu said exercise isn’t the only way to lose weight. For example, jogging for an hour burns as many calories as a bowl of rice. She suggests that diet is more effective than exercise.
However, Yu recommends exercise for those who want to lose weight. That’s because exercise increases feel-good chemicals like serotonin, which helps increase your tolerance to stress during the weight loss process. Additionally, exercise increases blood circulation and can help internal organs function more smoothly.
She suggests losing fat first before weight training. If she’s not losing fat, the muscle generated by her training with weights will make her look leaner instead.
Question 8: Does constipation make your lower abdomen look bigger?
Yu said constipation is the main reason why it’s so hard to lose belly fat. Her sitting in the office for long hours without much exercise and her genetic issues are all factors that affect how effectively she reduces her belly and waist size.
Yu added that TCM has many ways to solve waist and abdominal obesity.They include herbal medicines to regulate visceral function, enhanced by targeted acupuncture point intestinal implantation (ACE) Lower abdomen. ACE is an alternative treatment that continuously stimulates acupuncture points by embedding absorbable intestinal sutures in the acupuncture points. These two techniques can enhance the function of the corresponding organs and ameliorate the problem of lower abdominal obesity.
8 exercises to tone your abs
Fitness coach Fu Tang says it’s hard to get rid of a bulky lower belly because it stores most of your body fat to protect your internal organs.
To shape your abdominal muscles, Fu shares eight exercise routines below. He also cautions against stressing your neck when doing the exercise.
Exercise 1: Dead Bugs
Lie flat on the ground with your hands up and your legs bent at 90 degrees.
Extend your left hand and right leg at the same time, tighten your midsection and lower abdomen, and bring your hips and abdomen closer to the ground.
Then switch to your right hand and left leg and repeat the above.
Exercise 2: Berry Roll
Lie flat on the ground with your hands under your hips and feet slightly off the ground.
Raise your legs, lift your buttocks off the ground, and keep them there, feeling your midsection in tension.
Pull your feet back, straighten your legs so they don’t touch the ground, and lift them up again.
Exercise 3: Get up and turn your belly
Lie flat on the ground with your arms extended.
As you turn your belly, bend your feet off the ground and lift your upper body like an ab.
Exercise 4: Banana Style
Lie on your right side, extend your right hand along the ground at a 90-degree angle to your body, and lift your left hand so that it is in line with your body.
As you roll your belly to the side, lift your legs up and straighten them off the ground, and reach your left hand toward your leg.
Repeat the above operation for the other side.
Exercises 1-4 shown in the video:
Exercise 5: Touch the Ankle from the Side
Lie flat on the ground, bend your knees, touch your heels with your hands, and lift your head slightly off the ground, being careful not to strain your neck.
Feel the core of the stress.
Exercise 6: Rotate your body and turn your belly
Lie on your back on the floor, bend your knees, and clasp your hands in front of your chest.
First turn around and place one shoulder on the ground. Lift your upper body as hard as you can, then place your other shoulder on the ground.
Exercise 7: Plank Knee Point Touch
Stand on the floor with your hands in a plank position and arch your hips back so that your hands are in line with the back of your shoulders.
Bring your right hand to touch your left toe, then return to the plank position. When your left hand touches your right toe, return to the plank position again.
Exercise 8: Plank Knee Lift
Place your hands on the ground in a plank position and lift your left knee toward your left elbow, then bring your right knee toward your right elbow.
Exercises 5-8 shown in the video: