Can I Use Yoga For Weight Loss?
Is using yoga for weight loss possible? Losing weight is very simple
, in principle. You simply need to burn more calories thanyou take in... that's it. What's so hard about that? In actuality, the balancing of both sidesof this equationis difficult. Your calorie intakeis represented by your diet. I would arguethat smart eatinggets you more than half way to successful weight loss, but this article is about whether or not yoga can assist you with the calorie burning side. Let's talk about calorie burning.
So How Do you Burn Calories?
Many wouldn't even considerusing yoga for weight loss or to burn calories. When most people think about burning calories in a quick efficient way, they usually think ofaerobic activities such as the classes, running or cycling. These activities do the main thing necessary to burn somemajor calories, which is elevate your heart rate. All of these activitiesare performed at a moderate intensity levelover a relatively long period of time. This explains why running at a moderate pace for a long distance is aerobic, but sprinting isn't. People recognize that yoga can be practiced over a long period of time, but when people think about using yoga for weight loss, they're unsureif it qualifies as a moderate level of work?
Can Yoga Be Aerobic?
Yes it can! Unfortunately, there are only a few styles of yoga that lend themselves toa high degree of calorie burning. Here's a short list:
1) Ashtanga (Power Yoga): As the nickname "Power Yoga" suggests, this is a more intense, faster pace of yoga.
2) Iyengar: Major stamina is needed for this style, as poses are often held for a longtime.
3) Bikram (Hot Yoga): Sweat time! It's done in a room temperature of near 100 degrees!
Yoga For Weight Loss Extra
Research has also suggested anotherreason why yoga can be an integralpart of a weight loss program... a better link between mind and body. This research suggests that this stronger link allows yoga practitioners to understand better the feelings and reasons behind our eating choices, and what our bodies actual require versus wants. This allows practitioners to be more "mindful" in their eating. By being more mindful in your eating, it becomes much easier to eating only when you are actually hungry, versus based on desires.
So both research and my own personal experience have shownthat you definitely can use yoga for weight loss. You just have to ensure you find an appropriateprogram to follow, if you're reaching for more than just the right mental attitude!
by: Darvin J. Hooey
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