Can Reflexology Help Weight Loss?

Put simply - yes - but it’s not a quick fix or a magic pill.  It can help a weight loss plan that you may be on, but if you are not increasing your exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet then no amount of Reflexology is going to work.  Using Reflexology (in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle) to help you stay on track by balancing the whole wellbeing of the body is where you will see the results.  Just by reducing your stress and sleeping better will make a huge change - it might make you more likely to exercise, stick to a diet and stop you grabbing a quick (unhealthy) snack, and these are the two areas that have always had great results with Reflexology.

 

Secondly, every person will have his or her own reasons, or triggers, that cause them to put on weight, and it’s important to identify these so they can be tackled and avoided.  For me, it is stress - when I am stressed or worried, I eat.  I eat when I’m bored too and I also have the willpower of a hungry labrador, so if temptation comes my way, I’ll give in to it!

Reflexology can help - it’s not just a matter of your therapist hitting the right pressure points though; a bit of effort is needed too, but if you are already tweaking your diet as well as trying to be more active, then regular Reflexology sessions will definitely help the process.  It works because it helps to restore balance among your body’s main systems, as well as stimulating your thyroid, digestive system and nervous system - all the parts of your body that are related to eating, metabolism and digestion.

 

3 Main Ways Reflexology Can Help:

• Many people who struggle with their weight find that they feel lethargic and find the effort of dieting too much to bother with.  Reflexology can help this by making us feel more energised and balanced, so that we are in a better frame of mind to make the changes that we need in order to lose weight - in effect it kick starts a weight loss effort and helps maintain a positive approach.

• Reflexology balances out our hormones and helps to calm down our body’s reactions to stress.  A lot of people (me included) eat too much when they feel stressed, so taking away some of the anxiety and regulating the stress hormones means less physical urge to eat as a stress buster.  (I wish I’d known about this years ago!)

• Reflexology also stimulates our stomach and pancreas, which can help our body to absorb more nutrients, so even though we are eating less food while we’re trying to lose weight, we’ll still be getting the maximum nutritional value possible.

 

 

Why A Good Diet is Important

As we all know, when we’re trying to lose weight, it’s a good idea to try and boost our metabolism through exercise and eating the right foods.  Reflexology helps us with this by balancing the thyroid, and any other parts of our hormonal system, which might be out of balance.  

Stimulating the Pineal Gland (which is a tiny gland better known for helping to regulate our sleep patterns) is another way that Reflexology can help to suppress an overactive appetite.  It may also encourage us to start drinking more water, which we all know is great for the whole body and keeps us feeling fuller for longer.  It is also a well-known fact that getting enough sleep helps us to control weight, so the little Pineal Gland is important on three counts!

 

Helping Yourself

Now, having a series of Reflexology treatments might help you to maintain a positive attitude, reduce stress and stimulate your digestive system, but practising some hand reflexology on yourself on a daily basis may also strengthen the effects of those sessions with the therapist.  This will keep things in balance and prolong the good effects of the Reflexology session.  Your therapist will be able to show you which reflex points to work on and it’s very simple to do - just 5 minutes a day.

 

Lastly, one of the most important reasons that Reflexology helps with weight loss is that it gives us a real sense of wellbeing and leaves us feeling relaxed and energised, ready to take on the world!