Yoga?

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sexymom04
sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is yoga good for weight loss and toning? Or should I just stick to running and aerobics?

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  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,975 Member
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    I did Bikram yoga for almost one year to rehab and ankle injury -- those classes are held in a 105 degree room at 40 percent humidity -- many people loose weight by doing that regularly and I did loose a little but I did gain a lot of flexibility and its a great core conditioning activity. I currently run, lift weights, and do spinning but if I had time/money available I would add yoga back into my workouts.
  • ChristinaOrr65
    ChristinaOrr65 Posts: 112 Member
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    I love yoga and it can be good for toning, flexibility and overall wellness, but not too sure it is the best thing for weight loss. I think you would need to incorporate some cardio and heavier weight training to see real results with weight loss and toning. https://www.myliporidex.com/blog/weight_training_versus_cardio/
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i believe it can help with some muscle gain
    cardio is more for fat loss
    calorie deficit will lead to the most fat loss
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    sexymom04 wrote: »
    Is yoga good for weight loss and toning?

    A good strength training program would give better results. :+1:
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    You might get stronger and more flexible but unlikely to gain muscle.
    I do it to keep me from eating for an hour and a half.

    Seriously, I have to sort out my hamstrings so I love me some yoga. I burn 100 calories maybe so if I was eating at maintenance that would be a pound a month loss right there.
  • Darjaurhziva
    Darjaurhziva Posts: 28 Member
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    You will be a better runner and better at aerobics, if you add yoga in your workout schedule and you will stay away from injuries.
  • cosmiqrecovery
    cosmiqrecovery Posts: 171 Member
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    i wouldn't rely on it for any kind of serious calorie burn, but it's great for flexibility and recovery from harder workouts. for a runner, just make absolutely sure you take care of your knees if you decide to do yoga. there's a lot of ways to injure yourself.
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
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    I love yoga and do it daily. It's not really going to speed weight loss but it will definitely improve strength and flexibility. If you're doing it just looking for weight loss and changing your body shape you're definitely better off sticking with some cardio and strength training.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Some of the leanest people I know ONLY do yoga.
    They just are very good with their calorie intake.

    Weight loss is all about calorie deficit. Whether it's dietary, yoga, ballet, walking, sprinting.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Maybe yes, maybe no...it really depends on how much you are eating.

    As a matter of general fitness, yoga doesn't cover all of the bases...nothing does really. I do yoga as part of my overall training to help me with flexibility and balance and it's great for my mental health...it has little to no value for cardiovascular fitness...that's what cardiovascular exercise is for and while there is some benefit in regards to strength and what it can do for your physique, it's fairly nominal compared to actually doing some kind of resistance training unless you are very much brand new to it.

    Keep in mind that exercise is for fitness and general health and well being...you can't out exercise a bad diet...you can do all the exercise in the world and you can gain weight, maintain weight, or lose weight depending on how much you're eating, not necessarily the exercise you are doing.
  • TaraTall
    TaraTall Posts: 339 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I do yoga as part of my overall training to help me with flexibility and balance and it's great for my mental health

    Echo.

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Maybe yes, maybe no...it really depends on how much you are eating.

    As a matter of general fitness, yoga doesn't cover all of the bases...nothing does really. I do yoga as part of my overall training to help me with flexibility and balance and it's great for my mental health...it has little to no value for cardiovascular fitness...that's what cardiovascular exercise is for and while there is some benefit in regards to strength and what it can do for your physique, it's fairly nominal compared to actually doing some kind of resistance training unless you are very much brand new to it.

    Keep in mind that exercise is for fitness and general health and well being...you can't out exercise a bad diet...you can do all the exercise in the world and you can gain weight, maintain weight, or lose weight depending on how much you're eating, not necessarily the exercise you are doing.

    This. Yoga helps me do my other "stuff".
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    K thanks everyone
  • HeatherWitherden
    HeatherWitherden Posts: 1 Member
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    I enjoy the mindfulness of yoga, and if that helps me focus on other healthy aspects of my life, I think it's worth doing! <3 Namaste
  • Ngegee
    Ngegee Posts: 35 Member
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    Darjaurhziva wrote: »
    You will be a better runner and better at aerobics, if you add yoga in your workout schedule and you will stay away from injuries.

    Absolutely, yoga should help improve posture and reduce injuries, go for it
  • ltworide
    ltworide Posts: 342 Member
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    I do some yoga as offday light activity as a way of recovering & giving me something to do between harder workout days. I find it helps a lot with flexibility, balance, coordination & mind-body awareness. My heart rate monitor says calorie burn is 150 calories for a 1 hour class, not sure how accurate this is though. Definitely a very poor calorie burn.

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