In the last few years, what was doubt has become certainty: Yoga has powerful benefits for body and mind and now – we know – it helps you lose weight! Aerobic or weathered exercise? Not one or the other. Do Yoga!
Running helps you lose weight because it increases your metabolism and the caloric expenditure of your body, but it is not very effective for toning Muscle. Workout sessions are a good exercise for those who want stronger muscles, but it does not have the mental benefits that Yoga brings, such as tension relief and improved sleep.
If your goal is to lose weight, do Yoga! Depending on the intensity of the class, you can lose up to 298 calories in just one session. In addition, isometric poses – the ones that require a little more force – could help you increase flexibility and muscle tone without forcing your joints! This combination of dynamic movements and isometric poses makes yoga a powerful ally for weight loss. Diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to weight loss: eating fewer calories than what you spend is the best way to lose weight, but the quality of what you eat is just as important as the number of calories.
The relaxation promoted by yoga practice relieves stress and improves mind control. A research from 2013 compared yoga effects on controlling patients with depression by dividing people into groups of exercise practitioners and patients who used drugs. The findings confirmed that yoga practice acts on the hypothalamus (a region of the human brain) by reducing the level of stress (and cortisol), bringing relief to the symptoms of depression. With controlled cortisol, the body’s sensitivity to insulin effect is lower, improving digestion and controlling blood sugar levels. The carbohydrates that would turn into fat goes into daily energy expenditure and will not stop in your belly! Decreasing anxiety is also important because it can act as an excuse for you to attack the refrigerator in the middle of the night or have an extra sandwich for dinner.
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Yoga is not just a physical practice, it’s a decision, a change, a lifestyle. It moves with your body and especially with your head, which makes you accept your physical type and lose weight making better and healthier choices for your life. You have to know that yoga isn’t a magic pill for weight loss, but it is a very powerful way to break old habits by creating long-term conscious thought patterns that help us stick to our weight loss goals.
If you want to lose weight, the scheme is simple: eat less and move more. No magic formula, no special foods or the latest trendy diet will make you lose weight. Yoga transforms you in ways you can’t expect. And that transformation will move you toward a more healthy, balanced version of yourself. One of the ways yoga will help you lose weight is by building muscle in your body. Although yoga postures don’t burn lots of calories, they do build muscle. And muscle burns calories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More muscle you have, more calories you burn. Increasing your muscle mass will turn you into a calorie-burning machine.
When you learn to be more mindful, you’ll be more aware of what and how you are feeding your body. For example, if you’ve been on the computer all day, you’ll notice that your body needs to get up and move. When you’re stressed, your levels of cortisol rise. Increased levels of cortisol cause insulin levels to rise. This causes your blood sugar to tank. And when that happens, you get hungry. Yoga reduces stress. It balances your hormones and insulin levels and regulates your blood sugar. With regular practice, your cortisol levels will normalize, and your food cravings will disappear.
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Flexibility is key for any type of activity. Yoga will increase flexibility in all your muscles and joints. When your body is more flexible, any other movement you engage in will be easier and more effective. Therefore, yoga can help you lose weight if you’ve been avoiding exercise because of pain and tightness. Exercise will be more enjoyable, so you’ll be more likely to partake in it.
Yoga helps you lose weight in ways that are mostly indirect. But its effects can promote a profound metamorphosis in your lifestyle choices. If you decide to make yoga practice a regular thing, try to incorporate some cardiovascular and strength training exercise into your exercise regime as well. That way you’ll cover all your fitness needs!
