The 6 Main Fat Burning Essential Oils
Weight loss is a tough journey that includes psychological factors beyond diet and exercise. Genetic makeup, emotions, brain chemistry, environment, and hormones all play an important role in weight loss as well. To induce a long lasting change in weight, it is important to take all factors into consideration, including the uses and benefits of essential oils.
Essential Oils Can Aid in Weight Loss
Essential oils have always boasted a reputation of having healing properties. Derived from plants, these hydrophobic liquids are composed of highly concentrated beneficial compounds. Traditionally used medicinally, essential oils are now used for altering moods and benefiting the psyche.
The use of essential oils in aromatherapy is believed to stimulate certain parts of the brain controlling on mental, physical, and emotional well being. The stimulation of olfactory glands also communicates health receptors with brain, controlling blood pressure, stress levels, heart rate, attention span, motivation, and learning. While there are many psychological hurdles to weight loss, incorporating essential oils into a lifestyle can have benefits when it comes to emotional eating, lack of motivation, and diet fatigue.
Essential Oils for Weight Loss
Grapefruit Essential Oil is able to curb food cravings, boost the metabolism, and increase energy. Its chemical compounds are also known to decrease fat accumulation. Lab tests have shown that rats who are exposed to grapefruit essential oil on a regular basis experienced weight loss due to a reduced appetite.
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Lemon Essential Oil is known to suppress weight gain, enhance mood, increase energy, and relieve pain. Additionally, lemon contains limonene, which has fat-dissolving powers. Studies have shown that the combination of grapefruit and lemon oil increase the breakdown of fats. Lemon oils is also used to alleviate negative moods by raising norepinephrine levels. Norepinephrine also increases oxygen in the brain, improving cognitive function and blood flow.
Peppermint Essential Oil can be used to increase mental alertness, mood, digestion, and reduce appetite. The menthol in peppermint oil has been found to help reduce bloating by easing the stomach muscles and improving digestion. It is also a natural appetite suppressant, with participants in studies showing a lower consumption of calories.
Cinnamon Essential Oil is able to aid in weight loss by improving insulin sensitivity, regulating blood sugar levels, and reducing inflammation. Insulin helps to control blood sugar levels by converting glucose into energy rather than storing it as fat. Cinnamon extract heightens the brain’s insulin sensitivity, which increases the rate of blood glucose uptake.
Bergamot Essential Oil is known to boost mood and increase energy. Because anxiety and depression may lead to emotional eating, bergamot essential oil may bring a sense of comfort to those who are looking to better their mood. Studies have shown that bergamot oil increases positive emotions and energy, along with its immediate physiological benefits.
Fennel Essential Oil is able to improve digestion, while suppressing the appetite to reduce weight gain. It can also be used as a sleep aid. The melatonin in fennel regulates the circadian rhythms by keeping the brain on habitual wake-sleep cycles. Fennel seeds have long been known as an appetite suppressant and even used in the middle ages to help people overcome periods of fasting.
How To Use Essential Oils For Weight Loss
There are a few ways essential oils can be ingested. Breathing in essential oils by doing aromatherapy is a low-risk way to benefit from the oils. To do this, deeply inhale an essential oil for five minutes to incur the benefits. An aromatherapy diffuser can also be used to fill a room with essential oil fragrance.
If using topically, the oils should be diluted as they are highly concentrated. Testing a small skin patch prior to using essential oils topically is always a good idea. Essential oils can be added to a warm bath (about five drops) or diluted in oil to be used as a massage oil.
Blending Essential Oils for Weight Loss
Using weight-loss specific essential oil blends can jump start fat dissolution and appetite suppression. For example, a fat reducing massage oil may contain 1/4 cup of almond oil with 5 drops of lemon, grapefruit, and cypress oil.
An appetite suppressing oil blend may consist of 40 drops of mandarin oil, 20 drops of lemon oil, 12 drops of ginger oil, and 12 drops of peppermint oil. This mixture can be added to a diffuser to suppress the appetite throughout the day.
A bath that may boost metabolism could use two tablespoons of jojoba oil, 10 drops of cypress, 10 drops of rosemary, and 8 drops of grapefruit oil.
Play around with different essential oils to see which ones work best for you to aid in weight loss. They all work at slightly different angles and have the potential to be very beneficial in the struggle to lose weight.
