Weight Loss With Hot Yoga
Increased strength and flexibility are absolute benefits of practicing yoga regularly – but what about weight loss?
Most of us who practice yoga regularly are already living out its benefits:
Increased flexibility, stronger balance, powerful form and even working your way through chronic pain stem from a healthy and regular yoga routine.
But for those looking for muscle toning, definition, and fat-loss – does the practice of yoga, especially hot yoga, really help?
The short answer? Yes.
But the long answer requires a little more digging, along with a much more holistic approach to the weight-loss game itself.
While yoga is not, by all intents and purposes, considered a high-intensity workout, the benefits it has to the slimming and toning of your body when practiced regularly – outside of a mere relaxation and stretching mechanism – are undeniable.
According to this article in Time Magazine, hot yoga does increase your heart rate significantly, depending on the intensity-rate and longevity of a pose. The study followed a team of “healthy but sedentary young adults” with no prior experience for 24 sessions of hot yoga over an eight-week period.
The research noted that participants, “showed some modest increases in strength and muscle control, as well as a big improvement in balance. They also achieved a slight drop in body weight.”
Fellow of American College of Sports Medicine, Dr. Lewis Maharam reinforces that research in this LiveScience article, stating that to lose a significant amount of weight, an individual would have to concentrate on increasing their heart-rate while continuing to challenge themselves with poses of increased difficulty during their yoga regimen.
Healthy habits spur along other healthy habits in our lives.
If you carve out time specifically dedicated to your physical wellness and form, you’re likely making better eating choices as well!
