How to use essential oils to manage your weight
This is a collaborative post.
There is no one size fits all approach to weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. Some people have to try dozens of different methods to find the right one that works for them to keep their weight down.
Considering aromatherapy
One method that doesn’t get much attention is to use aromatherapy with essential oils. Since aromatherapy can be used to sort of trick the brain to help us sleep and reduce anxiety, it makes sense to explore the ways that it could work to help with weight management.
Will it work for everybody? No, of course not. But, for many, it will be just the thing that they have been searching for. In this article, I will make a case that people should be using essential oils to see if it helps them with maintaining a healthy weight.
How aromatherapy works
We have receptors all over our body that helps the brain understand what is happening. When a chemical binds with these receptors, the brain reacts accordingly.
For instance, if you run some pain cream on your joints for arthritis, then the brain sends out some help to that area to reduce inflammation for pain relief.
There are also receptors in the nasal passage that links directly to the brain. So even certain smells bind with these receptors and the brain will react according to the smell. Some will trigger a memory, others a certain mood and some will also help the brain release hormones.
How essential oils can help lose weight
Let me first say that there is no direct way that essential oils are going to necessarily help you lose weight on their own. In other words, you can’t just take a whiff of your essential oil bracelet and then shed the pounds.
The oils work more indirectly than that. For instance, your digestion is a factor when it comes to losing and maintaining weight. Poor digestion can affect how your body absorbs nutrients and as a result makes it difficult to maintain your healthy weight.
Using an essential oil like ginger, for instance, can give your digestion a boost to help keep things flowing.
Another way that they work is to give you an energy boost. Certain oils like eucalyptus and peppermint oil open up the airways and allow your lungs to breathe better.
This brings more oxygen to your blood and provides an energy boost. Do you have trouble getting enough energy to do some exercise? Then these essential oils will help get you off of the couch.
Your mood also plays a big part in your weight. If you are depressed, stressed or anxious, then food can become your addiction to help feel better. But, then you end up gaining weight and the depression increases.
Essential oils can help put your brain in a more positive place to help you feel less anxious or stressed to avoid the triggers that cause you to overeat. Citrus oils are good as mood boosters so look for lemon or grapefruit oils to help you feel more positive.
