How Can Hot Yoga Help in Weight Loss, Safely and Effectively?
Many people today want to enhance their physical fitness or lose weight effectively. Various types of exercise, of course, can be incredibly beneficial for reducing body fat percentage, becoming more fit, and improving existing health concerns. Hot yoga is getting increasingly popular as a low-impact, healthful approach to losing weight.
So, what exactly is hot yoga, and how can it help you lose weight faster? We’ll learn about each of these points in depth further.
Hot Yoga vs. Non-Heated Yoga
Hot yoga includes a range of yoga styles such as hot Vinyasa, Bikram, Barkan, and Baptiste yoga. A hot yoga class is held in a heated atmosphere that ranges from warm (90-95 F) to hot (95 -105 F).
Both slower-paced hot yoga, such as Hatha, and faster-paced strong flows, such as Vinyasa, are available. While there are many other types of hot yoga to attempt, hot yoga can help you lose weight effectively.
In hot yoga, you’ll develop strength, flexibility, and muscle mass faster than room-temperate practices. Thus, you’re likely to lose weight faster.
Basics of Weight Loss
Yoga newbies have a personal goal of losing weight. Still, it can be one of the most challenging things to attain. If you don’t get where to begin, you tend to sabotage your progress, especially if specific life circumstances make it challenging to stick to a weight-reduction plan.
Calories are a part of the equation for weight loss. The key to losing weight is – to burn more and consume less. You can accomplish this by consuming fewer calories (create the right calorie deficit) from foods and beverages while increasing the number of calories burnt through physical activity.
Here are the following weight-loss basics tips that you must follow during your weight journey:
- Get more exercise.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Never skip meals (especially breakfast).
- Eat your veggies and fresh fruits.
- Eat high-fiber and high-protein meals.
- Prep your meals – this can help you stick with healthy homemade food.
How Hot Yoga Helps in Weight Loss: Benefits of Hot Yoga
- Increases Calorie Burning Effect
Performing yoga in an atmosphere heated to a significantly higher temperature than the ambient temperature can raise heart rate and help you burn more calories during your practice. This can help you lose weight faster.
- Improves Flexibility and Agility
Heat can assist muscles in relaxing and becoming more pliable, resulting in enhanced flexibility, agility, and reduction in muscle strain, which makes it easier to achieve more difficult yoga poses. Increased flexibility can also allow you to participate in other physical activities, which can help you lose weight more effectively.
- Boosts Mind-Body Connection
Improved mind-body awareness can provide individuals with the knowledge to make better health decisions. Many yoga practitioners report feeling more mindful of eating nutritious meals, drinking more water, and making other lifestyle changes that help them lose weight and improve overall health.
- Enhances Blood Circulation and Detoxification
Sweating is a natural element of the detoxification process in the body. Many internal pollutants can accumulate in our bodies over time and be successfully eliminated by sweating. Hot yoga performed in a heated environment improves blood circulation and regular cardiovascular function. This can help you lose weight more consistently and effectively.
How to Perform Hot Yoga Safely?
Hot Yoga is generally safe with proper instruction. However, just like any yoga and aerobatic exercise, make sure you drink plenty of water before and after the classes to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. Be mindful to practice within your own capabilities as the heat tend to make you feel more flexible and thus you may tend to overstretch. Listen to your body and take rests as often and as long as you may need. You can always start with classes with lower temperate ranges. You can also stick with slow-paced vinyasa flow classes. Finally, if you feel like you need to step out of the heated room for a while, don’t feel concerned about being judged.
Particularly, if you have any of the following conditions, you should consult your doctor before practicing hot yoga:
- Intolerance to heat.
- History of heat stroke or fainting.
- Low blood sugar or low blood pressure.
- Heart disease and previous strokes are examples of cardiovascular disorders.
- Also, talk to your health care professionals if you’re pregnant because it’s safer to perform hot yoga during uncomplicated pregnancy.
Takeaway: Is Hot Yoga Good for You?
However, choose hot yoga only when you feel like you enjoy the whole idea of hot yoga practice. Also, this way, one can commit to their practice for a longer duration.
A 60-90 minute hot yoga practice can burn 450 to 800 calories. Thus, hot yoga can help you lose weight and improve overall physical and mental health in a fun, engaging, and soothing environment.
If these things appeal to you, hot yoga could be exactly what you need to improve your overall fitness and successfully lose weight.
REFERENCE:
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/535909-can-hot-yoga-make-you-lose-weight/
- https://www.doyou.com/what-is-baptiste-power-yoga/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41iLkrlmh5Q
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga
- https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/types-of-yoga/hatha/#:~:text=Hatha%20simply%20refers%20to%20the
- https://www.verywellfit.com/introduction-to-vinyasa-flow-yoga-4143120
- Guo YH, Wang F, Hu JP, Wang Y, Zhang LY. Effect of high temperature yoga exercise on improving physical and mental well-being of overweight middle-aged and young women. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014;7(12):5842-5846. Published 2014 Dec 15.
- Polsgrove MJ, Eggleston BM, Lockyer RJ. Impact of 10-weeks of yoga practice on flexibility and balance of college athletes. Int J Yoga. 2016;9(1):27-34. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.171710
- Ravanelli N, Casasola W, English T, Edwards KM, Jay O. Heat stress and fetal risk. Environmental limits for exercise and passive heat stress during pregnancy: a systematic review with best evidence synthesis. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Jul;53(13):799-805. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097914. Epub 2018 Mar 1. PMID: 29496695.
