SUPPORT FOR FAT BURNING: CARDADAM AROMATHERAPY
Do you have a sedentary life or do you make time for sports or any physical activity? If you do, have you ever thought about how efficient the activity you are doing is for your body? How do your lungs, muscles, nervous system respond to it? If you had the opportunity to manage this reaction in favor of your body's capacity, wouldn't you consider it?
In 2011, an article was published in the "Nette University Journal of Health Science", examining the effect of cardamom aromatherapy on the autonomic functions of athletes. Researchers define physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that causes energy expenditure. The ability to perform this physical activity reflects one's physical fitness. The degree of fatigue experienced in daily life is defined as aerobic condition, and the higher the aerobic condition of the person, the less fatigue he experiences. Athletes may receive various aids from time to time to increase their aerobic condition. In fact, the term "ergogenic aids" has been coined to refer to products and procedures that potentially enhance the athlete's performance. Aromatherapy has also been used as an ergejonic aid in recent years. The reason why cardamom essential oil is preferred for aromatherapy sessions in this research is that it has a stimulating effect by releasing norepinephrine to the brain. The aim of the research is to examine the physiological effects of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) aroma.
The research is conducted with the participation of 30 healthy university students. These 30 people are divided into those who only exercise, those who exercise and those who have aromatherapy sessions. For each of the 15-minute aromatherapy sessions, heart rate data is recorded and heart rate variability is analyzed. After 15 minutes of cardamom inhalation, a significant increase in mean heart rate and increases in the analysis of heart rate variability parameters are observed. It is reported that this significant increase in the value of the respiratory exchange rate observed in the participants who received aromatherapy sessions compared to those who did not, is an indication of the consumption of fat for energy production during exercise.
When our goal is to burn fat, we need to leave a certain energy deficit. There are two ways to create this energy deficit. One is to regulate nutrition, that is, to apply low-carb and high-fat diets, and the other is to create a calorie deficit by increasing cardiovascular exercises. In particular, athletes who apply these and similar methods prefer cardamom inhalation as an ergogenic aid, contributing to fat burning by encouraging physiological stimulation. Thus, they benefit from the simple, safe and refreshing effects of aromatherapy.
SOURCE:
EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF CARDAMOM AROMATHERAPY ON AEROBIC FITNESS & AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS AMONG STUDENTS- Nitte University Journal of Health Science
