By Col Wajid Hussain
Those living at high altitude suffer less from obesity and the reason for this sustained weight loss seems to be natural strong hunger for air due to high altitude. This decreases the oxygen saturation of the blood to below 94 percent, which can lead to a suppression of appetite. Healthy persons with a breath holding score of more than 20 seconds(by pinching nose) can incorporate breath holding into their physical exercise to simulate high-altitude training. Holding the breath during walking, jogging, or running creates a medium to strong hunger for air which decreases the oxygen saturation of the blood to below 94 percent, leading to suppression of appetite.
Another reason simulated high-altitude training contributes to weight loss is that walking or jogging with nasal breathing allows the body to work with oxygen (aerobically), while doing breath holds every minute or so makes the body work without oxygen (anaerobically). During an anaerobic state the body is forced to burn calories from fat stores in order to produce energy. Incorporating both aerobic and anaerobic workouts into your training program will lead to increased calorie burn and weight loss.
With 20-25 minutes daily meditation, it is also possible to control anxiety, stress, and distracting thoughts to a certain extent. This can be conducive to maintaining long-term weight loss if done along with exercise and healthy eating. Pak Destiny
