Calorie expenditure in a hot environment

curiousgemfit
curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
in Getting Started
Hi all,
I have signed up for a hot yoga beginner class (1 hour long), and plan to wear my heart rate monitor to see the number of calories burnt.

But my friend told me that you cannot use a heart rate monitor to estimate calories in any type of "hot yoga" class. She added that even though heart rate is increased due to thermal stress, calorie expenditure does not increase.
Is this right?

So I have a question for all you "Hot Yogis" out there:
How do you calculate how much calories you burnt in a 1 hour session?

Thanks ! Appreciate all the advice.

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).
  • GrimesJames
    GrimesJames Posts: 1 Member
    As for heart rate and calories burned, I don't know. I do know that for every 1 (one) degree increase in body temperature your metabolism increases by approximately 17%. There are the calories burned
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?

    It's the same amount of exertion whether it's hot or cold so the same amount of calories. Sweating does not equate to calorie burn - both are a result of exertion rather than one being a result of the other. If you exercise in a room with a consistent temperature, then you can assume that if you're sweating more it's because you're working harder. But if you increase the temperature, you're sweating more because you're hot and being hot isn't exercise.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?

    It's the same amount of exertion whether it's hot or cold so the same amount of calories. Sweating does not equate to calorie burn - both are a result of exertion rather than one being a result of the other. If you exercise in a room with a consistent temperature, then you can assume that if you're sweating more it's because you're working harder. But if you increase the temperature, you're sweating more because you're hot and being hot isn't exercise.

    So does this mean that 'hot' yoga is no better for you than standard yoga?
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    It's the same amount of exertion whether it's hot or cold so the same amount of calories. Sweating does not equate to calorie burn - both are a result of exertion rather than one being a result of the other. If you exercise in a room with a consistent temperature, then you can assume that if you're sweating more it's because you're working harder. But if you increase the temperature, you're sweating more because you're hot and being hot isn't exercise.

    So does this mean that 'hot' yoga is no better for you than standard yoga?

    Well, it might be...I don't really know. It's probably good for making your muscles warm and super stretchy. It's also probably just as good as a sauna for getting a good sweat on which has detoxify/flushing benefits.

    Me, if I want a good schvitz I'll go to SPA CASTLE http://spacastleusa.com/ny/facilities/sauna-valley/ :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?

    Your HR is not directly correlated to your calorie burn...your HR is simply used in an algorithm in the machine as a reasonable estimate of the level of VO2 max that you are working...to have a reasonable estimate of VO2 max requires an aerobic event...yoga is an anaerobic event and a really ****ty measure of VO2 max...any calorie burn you get from you HRM for this activity is going to be wildly inflated.

    If your HR was directly correlated to calorie burn, I'd just have someone come into my office every couple minutes and scare the **** out of me instead of busting my *kitten*.

    Yoga, hot or otherwise is good for you...but it doesn't provide a very big burn.
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?

    Your HR is not directly correlated to your calorie burn...your HR is simply used in an algorithm in the machine as a reasonable estimate of the level of VO2 max that you are working...to have a reasonable estimate of VO2 max requires an aerobic event...yoga is an anaerobic event and a really ****ty measure of VO2 max...any calorie burn you get from you HRM for this activity is going to be wildly inflated.

    If your HR was directly correlated to calorie burn, I'd just have someone come into my office every couple minutes and scare the **** out of me instead of busting my *kitten*.

    Yoga, hot or otherwise is good for you...but it doesn't provide a very big burn.

    Thanks for the reply. I am starting to understand the concept of caloric expenditure in hot yoga a bit better now.
    Though it sure doesn't seem like a low calorie burn activity. At the end of the class, every one of us was sweating buckets.
    Too bad it doesn't actually burn that many calories.
    Ah well,.. it is a fun class :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    HRMs are good for steady state cardio.....walking, running, cycling, elliptical, etc.

    A hot environment won't help with calorie burn. If it did, using the sauna would be considered exercise.

    I'm sure someone can give you an estimate....the only yoga I do is hatha (very low burn).

    But then holding a tough yoga pose for a few minutes gets your heart beating really hard.
    The body is exerting itself to make it happen. How can that not burn any calories?

    Your HR is not directly correlated to your calorie burn...your HR is simply used in an algorithm in the machine as a reasonable estimate of the level of VO2 max that you are working...to have a reasonable estimate of VO2 max requires an aerobic event...yoga is an anaerobic event and a really ****ty measure of VO2 max...any calorie burn you get from you HRM for this activity is going to be wildly inflated.

    If your HR was directly correlated to calorie burn, I'd just have someone come into my office every couple minutes and scare the **** out of me instead of busting my *kitten*.

    Yoga, hot or otherwise is good for you...but it doesn't provide a very big burn.

    Thanks for the reply. I am starting to understand the concept of caloric expenditure in hot yoga a bit better now.
    Though it sure doesn't seem like a low calorie burn activity. At the end of the class, every one of us was sweating buckets.
    Too bad it doesn't actually burn that many calories.
    Ah well,.. it is a fun class :)

    Sweating buckets is not an indicator of anything other than your body temperature has increased and you are sweating to cool it down.

    In an hour of lifting weights I sweat my *kitten* off...and I burn maybe 200 - 300 calories or thereabouts. In an hour of cycling I can burn around 500-600 calories for perspective.

    I would also add that you should do exercise because you enjoy it...because it makes you feel good...because it's a huge part of living a healthful life...not because of how many calories such and such burns. Calorie burn is just a nice bi-product of fitness that allows you to eat more than you otherwise could...it isn't the purpose of exercise.
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    I would also add that you should do exercise because you enjoy it...because it makes you feel good...because it's a huge part of living a healthful life...not because of how many calories such and such burns. Calorie burn is just a nice bi-product of fitness that allows you to eat more than you otherwise could...it isn't the purpose of exercise.

    Nicely said! I agree :)

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