Hot Yoga Benefits... ??

RuchikaPal

Day 2 into Hot yoga.... I searched plenty online about benefits and side effects of Hot yoga... As far I can tell It is pretty controversial....

Well, two days into it and I'm loving it.. So I will definitely be sticking to it.

Like a lot of people here on MFP, I have tried and failed .. tried and failed...so on... But i don't want to be doing all this hard work for nothing??
Does Hot Yoga really aid in Weight loss?
Yes, i do like the good skin, healthy body etc.. but let's be honest, most important thing for me is to shed the body fat and look good for myself...
A lot of articles suggested that It's not the way to lose weight or even if it does, it's very slow... For someone like me who is looking to lose about 40 pounds, I would feel so great if I could see even the smallest of change.

Am i running after the wrong bus???

Please share your(or somebody that you know) experiences regarding Hot yoga??

P.S. I did wear an HRM and it registered around 700 cals burnt in about 80 mins..

xcalygrl

Well, weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. You can workout until you're blue in the face, but if you diet is out of control you won't lose.

I like hot yoga for what it is: yoga. It has helped my flexibility and some chronic pains I was having. I like the heat because it allows be to stretch deeper, but that is a double-edged sword. Because your muscles are warmed up from the outside, you can overstretch and not realize it.

Also, it is highly unlikely that you burnt 700 caloriesin 80 mins.

lulucitron

I do yoga a ton and besides the many physical benefits, it does so much for me mentally. I feel calm, peaceful and happy at the end of a class. For the physical, I don't think my core and abs have ever been as ripped since starting yoga and that has paralelled into weights as well as I can squat better, etc. with a stronger core and more flexibility in my hips. The benefits are huge.

kshama2001

I am a certified yoga teacher - yoga in general can definitely help with weight loss, but more often not so much because of calories burned, but:
1. if you are emotionally eating and
2. if yoga helps you with this.

(Please note the two If's. I'm not claiming yoga will help everyone with emotional eating.)

As for hot yoga, xcalygrl expressed my thoughts.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-willpower/201007/how-yoga-can-help-end-binge-eating

...According to Juliano, yoga gives people the skills to stay with what they are feeling, rather than turning to food to escape. People who are obese or suffering from eating disorders have a tendency to dissociate from their bodies -- to choose not to feel what they are feeling when they are angry, anxious, or sad. Often, they turn to food to numb themselves. "There's this sense that I have to feel better right now, " Juliano says. "There is a complete intolerance of what is happening right now." This need to escape unpleasant feelings triggers a binge.

When you eat to escape what you are feeling, you lose touch with the experience of eating, as well. This is one reason binges can spiral out of control. "You have no understanding that you are full, way past full, into uncomfortable, because you're so out of it," Juliano explains. "You have no connection to what you're eating. You're eating a pint of ice cream and can't even taste it. Or you go to make yourself some toast and before you know it, half the loaf is gone."

Mindful yoga directly challenges the habit of dissociating from your body and your present-moment experience. "The whole point of yoga is to stay connected to your body. You learn it through practice, through breathing, and through breathing through the sensations."

ninerbuff

HRM's aren't designed for anaerobic exercise. So that 700 you burnt is inaccurate. You probably burned just half of that.

Rule of thumb: Exercise (though it can help with calorie deficit) is for fitness and health. Calorie deficit is for weight loss.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

RuchikaPal

Yea, even i thought it was over estimating...