Yoga- is it enough?

elastic_heart · February 2016

Hi,

I would love your opinions on wether yoga 30mins three times a week as well as brisk walking 45mins twice a week is enough exercise for fat loss?
I've suffered from disordered eating in the past and any other type of exercise tends to trigger me into old habits. But during my recovery my body fat percentage has gone up to 28% which is getting to unhealthy levels. I'd like to get it down to around 21-25% to be healthier.

I'm female, 25 and my Bmi is 21. I eat a healthy vegan diet which is very balanced.

Thanks for your help!

rybo · February 2016

Whether or not it's "enough" is solely dependant on your food intake.

ricejasminee · February 2016

I'm actually doing hot yoga

for me I like to take it slow but so far with my diet (I do eat small amt of meat) I see some results

& I really enjoy my yoga classes.

TavistockToad · February 2016

Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit

scolaris · February 2016

For someone already at a healthy BMI I think yoga & walking are a nice maintenance combo. They are both also really great life-affirming & inward looking 'feel good' activities which mend the mind as well as the body. Downward dog on sweet pea!
For body recomposition some heavy lifting will be your best friend.

ASKyle · February 2016

I think that depends on your body composition goals! What are they?

MostlyWater · February 2016

Yoga is not cardio unless it's the kind that moves fast. So no, that won't burn fat. You should be doing cardio along with yoga - take a spinning class, mix it up !!! See how the other half lives !!!

CaitlinW19 · February 2016

Yoga doesn't burn a lot of calories, but weight loss is 90% diet. You can't out exercise a bad diet, so as long as you've got that part down you are on the right track. The exercise part is more like a bonus :-) so it's not really about it being "enough"...it's enhancing what you are doing diet wise. Yoga will tone your muscles, and muscle burns a lot more calories 24/7 than fat does, so the win win is, the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body will burn fat.

WalkingAlong · February 2016

What are you measuring your body fat percentage with? Most home tools aren't very accurate. With a BMI of 21 and a healthy vegan diet, 28% body fat sounds a little suspect.

Good job on your recovery!

CassidyScaglione · February 2016

Look up Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior video. Available on YouTube actually. That burns calories.

PieAndLattes · February 2016

Other than very occasionally lifting some heavy things, I pretty much stick to yoga and Pilates exclusively. I like it, it's fun, there's always a new challenge and it's definitely making me stronger. As long as I eat well, it's enough for me.

vivmom2014 · February 2016

I think you've answered your own question. If any other type of exercise triggers you into unhealthy old habits, then what you're doing is right for you.

iangelab · February 2016

I have been doing yoga since 2007 and I even teach. I find that it is very beneficial for core strength, anxiety and stress reduction, lower blood pressure and much more. It should help to reduce the triggers you mention above and is a great way to become more mindful about what you eat and how you treat your body. For me though, I need some cardio to lose weight, I did only yoga for a few years and I am glad I took that time to heal my mind and body, then as I was ready to start back up with some cardio, I slowly added that back in. I cannot say that I truly ate per mfp during the time I was only doing yoga, so maybe it would have helped , I don't know but I now do yoga 3 times a week, cardio 2 x a week and strength/cardio 1 x a week. I also walk a mile at lunch 3-5 times a week as my schedule allows. You can do more of a flow with yoga, but you will never get your heart rate up the way that cardio does-that is the purpose of yoga, to move while reducing stress on the central nervous system so you learn to move without triggering the flight or fight response. I would stick with yoga for now and walk, you can add cardio in later if it is needed-but for you that may not be the case. at any rate, you will be better able to add it in later if you practice yoga for a bit. (try to find a yoga studio that is really practicing yoga though-not a fitness class-they are very different in approach and intention)

mean_and_lean · February 2016

Have you tried the DDP yoga program? I have the DVD's and it gets pretty intense. I was using it exclusively when I couldn't get to the gym and I lost inches with it.

quiltlovinlisa · February 2016

vivmom2014 wrote: »

I think you've answered your own question. If any other type of exercise triggers you into unhealthy old habits, then what you're doing is right for you.

This exactly.

debrakgoogins · February 2016

As others have said, what you choose for exercise will not make a difference in your weight loss goals. Take in less calories than you burn for weight loss. If yoga is something you enjoy and it gets you moving, then by all means do it -especially if it doesn't trigger a slide into an ED. Yoga increases flexibility, blood flow; strengthens your overall body, improves balance, increases oxygen saturation and it helps to lower stress and relieve tension. Done correctly, there is no down side to doing yoga.

Chieflrg · February 2016

Fat loss comes from eating at a calorie deficit soley. Nothing else will "burn fat"... nothing.

Using cardio, swimming, running, yoga etc can help assist you staying under your TDEE assuming you are logging correctly with a food scale, but none will burn fat on their own.

One does not need to exercise to burn fat.

lorrpb · February 2016

It's a good combo for you because it keeps you on track. If everyone said no, it's not enough, and you need to do xyz cardio, it wouldn't matter. That combo would not be healthy for you based on what you told us.

Yoga- is it enough?

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