Yoga for weight loss?

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  • threedaysfromyou
    threedaysfromyou Posts: 32
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    I enjoy the podcasts at Yoga Journal (www.yogajournal.com/video) and YOGAmazing (www.yogamazing.com). The podcasts are free on iTunes, though there is a per episode charge on yogamazing.com. on Yoga Journal you can choose a session by difficulty, length, instructor, or focus area. YOGAmazing is just one guy, but he does episodes with different themes. I like these for the variety and customizability. If my shoulders hurt, I can focus on that. If I've done a long run and I need to work my whole body over, I can do that.
  • healthyhawaii
    healthyhawaii Posts: 11
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    Definitely add yoga in. It would benefit anybody and athletes of any sport. I wake each morning with a light 30-minute yoga routine that gets my energy channels/circulation/etc. flowing, and I have been trying to add in a similar routine in the evening to wind down, as I've noticed that this helps me to sleep better. For cardio, I am almost strictly a runner. On recovery days (from running), I do pilates and sometimes more advanced yoga than the mornings/evenings. Unfortunately, I'm not able to go to a gym to use weights (and only have 3-lbs at home), so I rely on calisthenic/gravity-utilizing exercises - as well as hill and stair training in my running - to keep/build muscle. It seems to work well for me. Yoga has been so incredibly complementary.

    A few of the general benefits that you'll notice which will help your performance:

    1. Teaches you to breathe more deeply (in and out), especially when the muscles are stressed or the body is in a posture;
    2. Teaches you to relax the muscles despite the presence of pain or discomfort, which will help you to conserve your energy and train you to focus your energy/deepen your breath as you choose;
    3. Strengthens the muscles;
    4. Improves flexibility in a safe way;
    5. Improves stamina/endurance;
    6. Provides stress relief;
    7. Provides pain relief;
    8. Improves posture

    ... The list could go on. All of these things will help your athletic performance and improve your quality of life.

    As for your heart rate, yoga is like any other exercise and does temporarily increase your caloric burn/metabolic activity (i.e., keeps your metabolism "red hot"), although by how much depends on the style of yoga. Overall, with regular practice, you can expect an improvement to your cardiovascular system, muscular and skeletal systems, neurological system, etc. etc. This improved overall fitness level will, in turn, reflect in a lower resting heart rate, which is desirable. The lower your resting heart rate is the less your heart needs to pump, as it has grown stronger and more efficient. Athletes commonly have RHR in the 40s and 50s.

    HTH!!

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