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Bodyflex: how breathing exercises help you lose weight without the gym

breathing exercises to lose weight

Bodyflex is a weight loss system that has helped many women find the figure of their dreams without the need for intense training in the gym. Gymnastics allows you to get rid of excess volume in a certain part of the body, learn to breathe correctly and speed up your metabolism. In this material we will talk about the key features of the miraculous gymnastics of an American housewife who regained her beautiful figure after childbirth, and we will analyze a series of exercises for beginners aimed at losing weight in the abdomen, sides, hips and other problems. areas.

Bodyflex combines elements of yoga, Pilates and stretching. The system was created by the American housewife Greer Childers, who for a long time unsuccessfully fought against excess weight through aerobic exercises, fitness and exhausting diets. According to the author of the technique, only a visit to an esoteric guru and mastery of Eastern breathing practices helped her put her figure in order without strict dietary restrictions and constant work on her body in the gym.

After achieving the desired result, Childers created her own fitness line for busy housewives, simplifying yoga asanas and making the workout routine easier. Over time, bodyflex has constantly changed. At first, the author offered training plans of varying effectiveness to interested parties using her personal invention, the "jimbara", an expander for static training. Bodyflex was later simplified to 12 static exercises.

Bodyflex became popular in our country after it was promoted by a fitness instructor. The trainer suggests performing breathing exercises daily, combining them with proper nutrition and other physical activities, which significantly increases the effectiveness of the exercises.

Beginning

The basic principle of gymnastics is proper breathing during training. During exercise, the athlete must periodically hold his breath, using a small volume of lungs that is not constantly used, which creates an oxygen deficiency in the tense muscles. Provoked oxygen breathing causes oxygen to be sent to problem areas of the body, where the main work is done, and activates the fat burning process. This feature of training allows you not only to break down fats, but also to speed up your metabolism.

Benefit

Bodyflex offers a fairly simple workout that does not require additional physical training, going to the gym or constantly working your muscles. In addition to active fat burning, gymnastics:

  • Improves blood circulation, normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
  • Increases immunity;
  • Helps fight stress, apathy, normalize sleep and develop resistance to stress;
  • Does not tense the muscles;
  • Improves joint mobility;
  • Saturates the brain with oxygen, normalizes cerebral circulation, which helps to eliminate headaches and migraines;
  • Activates the elimination of waste and toxins through profuse sweating;
  • Strengthens abdominal muscles through diaphragmatic breathing;
  • Improves mood, gives energy and vigor.

Bodyflex teaches you to breathe correctly and instills a love of sports, so gymnastics is suitable for people with low levels of fitness and obese people.

Contraindications

Bodyflex cannot be practiced if you have:

  • Cardiovascular diseases;
  • Eye diseases (glaucoma, myopia with astigmatism);
  • Tuberculosis, asthma;
  • Hypertension and hypotension;
  • Increased intracranial pressure;
  • Changes in blood pressure;
  • Acute inflammatory processes;
  • Oncological diseases;
  • Epilepsy;
  • Aortic aneurysm;
  • Heart failure;
  • varicose veins;
  • Mellitus diabetes;
  • Disorders of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract.

Also, gymnastics should not be performed during pregnancy, menstruation, ARVI and influenza or exacerbation of chronic diseases. In any case, before starting classes it is advisable to consult your doctor.

Features of gymnastics.

Bodyflex is a specific area of fitness that has a series of characteristics:

  1. Training should be done 2 to 2. 5 hours after eating. Doing bodyflex exercises immediately after eating can cause stomach upset and lead to the development of gastrointestinal diseases.
  2. Before class, it is necessary to ventilate the room.
  3. It is necessary to perform breathing exercises and practices daily, otherwise the training will not give any results.
  4. Active breathing can cause dizziness and, in extreme cases, cause fainting. These symptoms are often seen in beginners, so training should be done with caution and ideally with a trainer.
  5. Abdominal breathing with long delays can lead to hyperventilation or hypoxia, which can lead to unpleasant consequences.

It is important to note that bodyflex is effective for overweight people. In addition, exercise should become a way of life even after losing weight, since due to a sharp decrease in the load, the weight can return.

Breathing technique to lose weight at home.

Abdominal breathing is the basis of bodyflex. Carrying out a special technique is aimed at connecting the diaphragmatic muscles to function, which helps to improve blood circulation and saturate the blood with red blood cells that carry oxygen to the body's cells. At the same time, this type of breathing involves the abdominal muscles, so the main results will be noticeable in the waist and only over time in other parts of the body.

The abdominal breathing technique consists of five main stages:

  1. Freeing the lungs.You need to press your lips tightly with a tube and exhale all the air that is in your lungs. It is also important to control the abdominal muscles: they should be tense and the stomach contracted.
  2. Saturation of tissues with oxygen.. Purse your lips tightly and breathe deeply through your nose, using your diaphragm muscles.
  3. "Empty". After inhaling, immediately exhale through your mouth and say "groin" or "ha. "The stomach should be pressed against the spine during exhalation.
  4. Holding your breath.At this time, you should hold your breath for 8 to 10 seconds, tensing your abdominal muscles as much as possible and pressing your stomach toward your ribs. It is at this stage that basic exercises are performed and active fat burning begins.
  5. Relaxation.It is necessary to exhale slowly, relaxing the previously involved muscles.

The basic rule of breathing: exhale through the mouth, inhale through the nose. In addition to mastering the technique, a person must learn to control the muscles of the diaphragm and abdominals.

A set of beginner exercises for all parts of the body.

A standard set of bodyflex exercises for beginners aims to work all muscle groups, including the muscles of the face and neck.

Exercise 1. "Lion"

Helps eliminate double chin and smooth wrinkles.

  1. Stand straight, feet hip-width apart. Move your pelvis back, bend your legs at the knees, rest your palms on your hips, place your palms above your knees and circle your back.
  2. Perform breathing technique.
  3. In the delay stage, stretch your tongue forward and look at the ceiling. Stay in this position.
  4. After completing the stage, exhale and relax your facial muscles.

Exercise 2. "Diamond"

Strengthens the muscles of the arms and chest.

  1. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms at the elbows and raise them to chest level. Close your fingers to form a diamond.
  2. Do a breathing technique.
  3. During the delay stage, squeeze your fingers together as much as you can, tensing the muscles in your arms and chest.
  4. Remain in this position for the required time.
  5. Exhale, inhale and relax.

Exercise 3. "Ship"

Strengthens and stretches the muscles of the inner thigh, works the muscles of the back.

  1. Sit on the floor and extend your legs straight out to the sides as much as you can. The socks point upwards. Place your palms between your legs.
  2. Perform breathing technique.
  3. During the lag stage, lean your body forward, stretching your torso and arms in front of you as much as possible. Stay at the lowest point.
  4. Exhale and repeat the exercise.

Exercise 4. "Dog"

Eliminates the wedgie area and improves the mobility of the hip joints.

  1. Get on all fours.
  2. Perform breathing technique.
  3. During the delay, raise your bent leg to the side, lowering your foot slightly and pointing your knee up.
  4. Remain in this position until you exhale.
  5. As you inhale, return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg. Do three repetitions on each side.

Exercise 5. "Swallow"

Work your gluteal muscles.

  1. Get on all fours with emphasis on your elbows.
  2. Round your back slightly and perform the breathing technique.
  3. Holding your breath, move your straight leg back, pulling your toe toward you. Fix in this position.
  4. As you inhale, return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg. Do three repetitions on each side.

Exercise 6. "Corner"

Helps strengthen the muscles in the lower leg and back of the thigh.

  1. Lie on your back. Place your feet on the floor, place your arms along your body. Do a breathing technique.
  2. While holding it, raise your legs straight and hold your shins or thighs with your hands. Point the socks toward you, pressing into your tailbone and lowering your back to the floor.
  3. Hold the position for as long as possible.
  4. Exhale and as you inhale, lower your legs to the floor. Repeat the exercise 3 times.

The main emphasis in the classic bodyflex complex is on working the abdominal muscles, thanks to constant muscle tension while holding your breath and performing exercises. With regular exercise, you can create a beautiful waist shape, get rid of excess volume in this area and work out the deep abdominal muscles.

For the stomach and sides.

Exercise 1. "Lateral stretch"

  1. Stand straight, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Perform breathing technique.
  3. Holding your breath, raise your right arm and tilt your torso to the left. Make sure your pelvis does not shift to the right. The hand is extended diagonally. The left hand can be placed on the thigh or on the stomach.
  4. At the end of the stage, relax and lower your hand. Inhale and repeat the exercise on the other side.

Exercise 2. "Simple press"

  1. Lie on your back. Place your feet on the floor, 30 to 35 cm apart.
  2. Do a breathing technique.
  3. During the delay, lift your upper torso off the floor, keeping your arms parallel to the floor with palms facing down. The head is straight, the chin does not press against the chest. The gaze is directed forward. The lumbar area does not leave the ground.
  4. As you exhale, return to the starting position. As you inhale, repeat the exercise.

Exercise 3. "Pretzel"

  1. Sit on the mat, stretch your legs in front of you and put your feet together.
  2. Perform breathing technique.
  3. During the delay stage, bend your right leg at the knee and place it on the floor on the outside of your left thigh.
  4. Place your right hand behind you and with your left hand grab your right thigh and pull it towards your body.
  5. Turn right and look back.
  6. Return to the starting position, exhale and repeat on the other side.

Exercise 4. Horizontal "scissors"

  1. Lie on your back, with your legs bent. Place your hands under your buttocks and press your lower back into the floor.
  2. Do a breathing technique.
  3. Raise your legs up, pull your toes back and perform crossover movements, crossing one leg over the other.
  4. After time, return to the starting position and inhale.

Exercise 5. Vertical "scissors"

  1. Remaining in the same starting position as in the previous exercise, perform the breathing technique.
  2. Holding your breath, raise your legs, pull your toes back, and alternately raise and lower your legs with a minimal range of motion.
  3. Return to the starting position and inhale.

Exercise 6. "Rinse"

  1. Get on all fours.
  2. Do a breathing technique, hold your breath without contracting your stomach.
  3. While holding your breath, relax your stomach and then use your muscles to pull it toward your back. Throughout the entire delay stage, alternate movements.
  4. Then return to the starting position.

Efficiency and results

There is a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of bodyflex. Some argue that the technique is useless and can only harm the body, others guarantee good results and cite their experience in losing weight.

Regardless of the type of training, a calorie deficit plays a special role in weight loss, which is created only by proper and balanced nutrition. Therefore, to get rid of extra pounds, it is advisable to abandon fast food, reduce the portions of fatty, starchy and sweet foods, increase the consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals and give preference to lean meats and fish.

It is worth noting that bodyflex is aimed at getting rid of excess volume, not kilograms, so at the initial stage you need to record body parameters and track changes after each workout. According to followers of the technique, with the correct implementation of the technique, constant training and proper nutrition, the waist can be reduced by between 5 and 7 cm in a week. It is important to understand that with adequate weight loss without returning extra pounds, the result is not achieved instantly. Complex and long-term work is required.

Expert recommendations

Experts recommend taking your first classes with a trainer who will show you how to breathe and perform the exercises correctly. This will help avoid unpleasant consequences that beginners most often encounter: misunderstandings about the work of the diaphragm muscles, dizziness due to prolonged breath retention, etc. Since the most important thing is breathing, it should be worked on first, including in the daily complex of 3 to 5 exercises to work on the problem area. In the future, as you gain experience, you can add variety to your training by working several muscle groups at once.

Experts also point out that bodyflex is not a universal way to lose weight for everyone, as the creator of the technique claims. Gymnastics is not suitable for everyone, so if you notice a deterioration in your health or the lack of the desired results, you should replace bodyflex with a popular analogue, the effectiveness of which is guaranteed. It could be Pilates, callanetics, power yoga, dance and classic fitness with cardio and strength exercises.

Training results are especially influenced by its regularity. You should do gymnastics daily, spending between 15 and 20 minutes in the morning before breakfast. If time allows, you can train 2 times a day and perform the breathing technique, tensing the abdominal muscles, in any free time.