A newsletter from the Center for Weight and Wellness Strategy, Support, Success, Weight Loss
Our Mission:
To teach patients the skills necessary to make lifestyle changes and to empower patients to implement these changes in their everyday lives. Each patient’s program is personalized based on his/ her current weight, medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and personal goals.
The Center for Weight and Wellness provides comprehensive treatment programs designed specifically to treat various levels of overweight and obesity. Treatment staff include physicians, psychologists, licensed mental health clinicians, social workers, physician assistants, nurses, nutritionists, health educators, and exercise physiologists. Patients can enroll in a free orientation session by calling 401-793-8790. Two locations: 146 West River Street Suite 11A, First Floor Providence, RI 02904
1377 South County Trail, Unit 1A East Greenwich, RI 02818 www.lifespan.org/centers-services/ center-weight-wellness www.facebook.com/Miriamhospital twitter.com/Miriamhospital or @MiriamHospital Instagram.com/lifespanhealth Vincent Pera, MD Medical Director
Volume 6, Issue 1
Winter 2019
Yoga, Health and Weight Management by Joanne DeCataldo
Yoga, an ancient discipline involving physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and mindfulness techniques, is a commonly used complementary and alternative therapy for weight loss.
As demonstrated in clinical trials, yoga has improved a number of obesityrelated outcomes including body mass index (BMI), body weight, body fat, and waist circumference. In the vitamin and lifestyle (VITAL) study of 15,550 adults, individuals who practiced yoga for at least four years were two to four times less likely to gain weight as they aged than individuals who did not practice yoga. A 2011 pilot study of a 3-month yoga program for adults at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes suggested that yoga would be a possible risk reduction option for this population, and that yoga holds promise as an approach to reducing cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar and has been shown to increase self-efficacy/ self-confidence for this group.
preoccupation with food, fewer cravings and a shift toward healthier more mindful eating, therefore, making it a useful tool for healthy, sustained weight loss. At the Center for Weight and Wellness we focus on a mindfulness approach to calorie consumption and eating behavior. As a certified yoga teacher with over 20 years’ experience, my students have told me just how important a mindfulness approach is to achieving greater health benefits. They report improvements in strength, flexibility and balance, and most importantly that they have more energy, feel happier and are more relaxed. Every time you practice yoga you have an opportunity to take what you learn in the class and bring these concepts to everyday living. You learn to embrace your life, make good choices for yourself and breathe through the difficult times. Watch for more information about the CWW’s upcoming Yoga Series.
The mechanism underlying yoga’s effectiveness at improving weight-related outcomes remains unclear, although a number of pathways have been proposed including increased Chair Yoga for CWW members! energy expenditure, reduced pain, enhanced mindfulness and body Chair yoga offers the same benefits of awareness, and reduced stress. traditional yoga, without having to get down Yoga appears to downregulate the on the floor. Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Tuesday, January 8 through February 12, 2019. (HPA) axis and the Sympathetic• 6:00 PM sharp to 7:00 PM Adrenal-Medullary (SAM) response to stress. Additionally, • $48.00 for 6 weeks of Yoga yoga interventions have been • Taught by a certified yoga teacher shown to reduce binge eating and Exclusive provider of
in Rhode Island