Losing weight is a major challenge; many are looking into alternative treatments and practices like acupressure.
Acupressure is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that reduces stress and anxiety, alleviates tension in the digestive system, aids in weight loss, and facilitates whole-body wellness. This old technique is based on the principle of life energy, which travels along the meridians in our body.
Acupressure seeks to revitalize and balance the body's chi or energy flow by triggering particular pressure points, known as acupoints or acupressure points. These acupressure points are believed to improve your overall health.
There are many approaches to rev up these points, but the acupressure mat is one of the well-known applications of this alternative therapy. And this mat is widely used for reducing body fat. This guide will discuss how to use acupressure mat for weight loss.
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How Do Acupressure Mats Work?
Acupressure mats look like yoga mats and contain evenly spread spikes in a rosette-like arrangement. It is a therapy tool that delivers firm pressure to specific body parts to condition well-being. It is also known to stimulate relaxation, reduce stress, and relieve pain. But how do they work?
Its mechanism is similar to Acupuncture treatment but done from the convenience of your home.
When your skin comes into contact with the spikes, the rosettes start targeting your muscles. These spikes will not inflict wounds or bruises on your skin because your weight is equally distributed on the mat. The rosettes apply pressure on the pained muscles to prompt nerve pathways, helping ease tension and stimulate blood flow.
Other than a slight prickling sensation or temporary redness, you won’t suffer from any side effects from this therapy.
How Does Acupressure Mat Help In Weight Loss?
One typical usage of acupressure is to reduce stress. And to find out how using an acupressure mat help you lose weight, it's first necessary to know how stress can make you grow fatter.
It is common knowledge that when a person is stressed, he tends to eat more. When we are experiencing extreme stress, our stress hormone or cortisol levels increase, sabotaging the body. Side effects of stress include panic attacks, fatigue, chest pain, heart disease, and weight gain.
The acupressure mat for weight loss aids the brain release endorphins, the body's natural pain relievers. This hormone can help mitigate anxiety and stress and regulate the stress hormone. And this moderation in chronic stress holds obesity at bay and controls the body's oxygen flow.
Plus, acupressure mats trigger the release of Cholecystokinin. It is the hormone of the gastrointestinal system that helps stimulate digestion, control appetite, and increase the feeling of fullness.
How To Use Acupressure Mat For Weight Loss?
For those who want to lose weight, an acupressure mat could be an accessible, user-friendly at-home instrument to work with.
To start your weight loss program, you need to know the five main pressure points that improve the body's metabolism and digestive functions. These acupressure points assist in helping lose belly fat, arm fat, and other body fat. If you're into losing weight, remember the following points you need to stimulate:
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ST36 (3 inches below the knee)
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SP6 (3 inches above the ankle bone)
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CV12 (4 inches above the navel)
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GV26 (located on the philtrum)
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SP10 (2 inches above the kneecap)
Acupressure Mat Positions For Weight Loss
Acupressure mat weight loss is a powerful apparatus for achieving your dream body. Here are positions that will work your body from head to foot, prompting and balancing your body's energy and metabolism for relaxation and, eventually, weight loss.
The Knee Point
This pressure point is situated roughly 3 inches below the kneecap.
Lie face-down. Lift your upper body by pressing your hands against the mat while your lower stomach and thighs rest on the floor. Do this for 5-30min per day.
Doing this position enhances blood circulation and helps the stomach function properly.
The Abdomen Point
You can locate this pressure point below the belly button, roughly 1 1/2 inches from the navel.
Lie down with your chest and stomach on the mat, then cross your arms under your head, like forming a headrest. Do this routine for 4-8 min a day to reap the benefits.
This position vitalizes your digestive organs, relieves constipation, and strengthens your body. It also increases blood flow within the respiratory muscles.
The Thigh Point
This acupressure point is nearly 2 inches from the bottom part of the thigh muscle.
Sit on the mat with your legs extended. Reach to grab your toes as you slowly bend forward. Doing this exercise daily for 2-3 minutes is suggested to see the effect.
This position aids in lowering or rebalancing blood sugar levels, leading to weight loss.
The Elbow Point
Flex your arm. This pressure point is located at the end of the elbow crease on the outside bent.
Lie on your stomach, then extend your forearms like a plank position. And lower your elbows to the mat underneath your shoulders. Hold this position for 3-5 minutes.
This acupressure position is a good remedy for reducing stress, encouraging proper digestion, and helping the blood flow more smoothly.
The Foot Point
The foot has several acupoints representing different body parts, like the digestive system.
Place your feet firmly on the acupressure mat while sitting or standing. A minute of feet acupressure daily is sufficing.
This stimulates the entire body, e.g., eases stress levels and insomnia, treats appetite problems, and improves mood.
Other Ways To Lose Weight With Acupressure Mat
Hands - There are eight critical pressure points in hand. Applying pressure on those points will relax your hand. Press your palms against the mat for a few minutes to relieve chronic pain and stimulate intestinal function.
Back - Rolling your back on the mat is an unusual technique for weight management. Certain pressure points are located on your back and are in charge of relieving stress.
Ear - Some studies have revealed that acupressure near the ear can help many achieve weight loss.
Reasons To Use Acupressure Mats
As mentioned earlier, an acupressure mat offers natural pain relief and is a great tool to promote relaxation. Although you aim to lose weight, you will find these benefits linked to your weight loss journey regardless of how you use the acupressure mat.
Improve Sleeping Patterns
An acupressure mat helps in regulating sleeping patterns. Lack of sleep has been associated with hormone imbalances, heightened appetite, and obesity. The mat activates the release of endorphins that stimulate relaxation, resulting in sleep that occurs more quickly.
Increase Energy Levels
With acupressure mats, energy load is distributed to your body parts, easing anxiety and generating emotional stability. Thus, leading to improved mood, and heightened energy level. But limit the time to 20 minutes; going over this will lead to deep relaxation.
Improve Digestion
Acupressure mats recover the well-being of those experiencing digestive problems. They regulate bowel movements, making it an excellent way to relieve bloat and ease constipation. Adopting measures to tone up your entire digestive system can help you better absorb nutrients, which can help in weight loss.
Cellulite Reduction
Acupressure mats can help lessen the appearance of cellulite. The mat's spikes aid in improving elasticity and clearing fluid retention, causing less fatty deposits and a more even look.
Muscle Relaxation
Tense muscles are stressed muscles, so you need to dissipate the strain in your muscles to relieve stress. The acupressure mat is likewise used for muscle relaxation. The maximum application on pressure points relieves stress in our muscles, eliminates fatigue and brings alleviation and relaxation.
Help With Weight Management
It's been stated that acupressure mats are effective in relieving stress, boosting metabolism, stimulating digestion, and all of which have a part in weight control. It was also identified that a longer acupressure treatment period brings a significant effect on scaling down overall body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI).
How Often And How Long To Use an Acupressure Mat for Weight Loss
Acupressure mats are okay for everyday application. Suppose you're a student or a worker, perhaps you might use this tool after dark, especially before bedtime. If you have a very hectic and tight schedule, you may use the mat twice or thrice weekly.
An acupressure mat for weight loss is generally recommended for about 20-30 minutes. You can go more than that, but it's not recommended to go longer than 1 hour.
As a beginner to Acupressure Mats, it might need time to gather a tolerance and be able to feel the surge of relaxation. It's advised that you begin at about 2 minutes to see if your body is comfortable or not. Then onto 5 and 10 for a week or two. If you feel okay with the tingling sensation, pursue a long exercise. And if you deem it to be necessary to use it more frequently, make sure to clean it after every use.
While you now know how to use acupressure mat for weight loss, a change does not happen overnight; however, if you keep going, you'll notice some development.
Who Should Avoid Using Acupressure Mats?
Acupressure mats are convenient for any type of user. However, doctors persuade the following categories not to use this therapy due to certain risks:
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Pregnant or nursing women
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Older people
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People who have open wounds
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With skin infection or sensitive skin
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People who have a heart disease
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People who have high blood pressure
Conclusion
Acupressure therapies are simple, cost-effective, and practical to facilitate healthy weight loss when done regularly. These treatment solutions help people with various necessities in their lives, regardless if they need to reduce pain or sleep soundly every night.
If you're about to deal with weight gain in a comprehensive, full-body way, an acupressure mat can be a worthwhile partner in your routine. But remember to seek advice from your
your physician before working with an acupressure mat, specifically if you suffer from any health conditions.
