Boost up your Metabolism

Some of us do religiously regular workouts, having complete control on intake of their diet; provide good rest to the body and having proper sleep. Still they struggle to maintain their body weight in spite of all the good things that they have done. Also, there is a different set of people who don’t pay attention to any of those above activities. There is no doubt that this set of people will have poor metabolic rate. But, what is wrong with those who do regular workouts, proper dieting but still can’t maintain the weight? Why the metabolic rate is not balanced?

Agni: In simple term, metabolism is a biochemical reaction that governs the energy intake and further utilisation of the energy effectively to all the cells of the body. There should be an optimal flow of energy to every cells of the body. Metabolic disorder occurs when there exists in the body certain diseases such as diabetes,  thyroidism etc. In yogic language, AGNI is defined as the fire that governs the metabolism as well as the digestion process. The strength of the Agni determines the digestive ability. Disruption in the Agni is the primary reasons for the diseases.

24 x 7 firing: An hour workouts performed in the gym helps in activating the Agni for certain period of time. But, rest of the day, if it is going to be a deskbound job then your metabolism slowly moves to a stagnant mode. This is the problem with most of us who are basically stuck to the chair in the office. We have to flip the switch in order for the Agni to light up all the time during the day. Otherwise, the workout is effective only for few hours & hence, your efficiency of the metabolism drops down during the rest period & hence , have the difficulty in maintain the weight.

Two Key elements: In order for the metabolism to stay active throughout the day, it is important to understand

 1. The seat of Agni ( manipura chakra) , the navel region. This is the centre of mass of our body. We need to activate this area.

2. The spine is the energy distribution channel and hence a consistent movement of spine is required for proper energy distribution.

Suggested Practices:  To start with, a simple abdominal breathing is sufficient to activate the centre of mass, the energy generator region. This practice should be performed frequently throughout the day to keep up the metabolism. Alternatively, certain technique such as Agnisara Kriya helps in boosting up the metabolism. In simple terms, it is a practicing of flapping the abdominal muscles by holding the breath after exhale.  Any body movement from the centre of mass such as a simple forward and backward bend helps in boosting up the metabolism too.

Also, the energy distribution channel can be optimised by giving simple movements to the spine. For example: Arching the spine backward and forward or simple twisting movement of the spine etc.

The suggested practices are simple but very effective in boosting up your metabolism and maintain your ideal weight.