Thoughts on Yoga

I like to throw a yoga or pilates into my workout 1x a week for the stretching and toning it offers.. Not as much calorie burn, but a great workout and it really engages your mind!!!!!!!!

Yoga is a great thing to add to your work out routine. I weigh 210lbs and burn approx 200 cal in 45-60 minutes of yoga. Not a huge burn but you are still burning. But teh real benifit is teh strength training you get as well as the increase in balance and flexibility. latly I love the calming effect yoga has on my. I am uptight and yoga really relaxes me. I hope on the treadmill for 20 min or so before class to up my calorie burn for the day. Good Luck!

I've been wondering the same thing....interested in taking yoga classes....but does it burn adequate calories?

I loooooove yoga! I incorporate it 1-2x/week... it helps with flexibility and with your core! And some days, I leave sore!

So sorry to hijack, but Ourgang, I couldn't help but see this in your signature.

"I had Surrogate Twins in June. I gained 30 lbs during pregnancy and I have lost a total of 50 lbs before starting MFP in August."

I just wanted to say.. what an awesome thing to do! :flowerforyou:

.....sorry, now back to the orignal conversation!

A must, at least one time per week. I do the P90X version. I put my ipod in because Tony talks too much, but man, what a workout

You can do yoga maybe once a week in between days when you do vigorous cardio workouts. It's a good workout and helps with flexibility.

Totally depends on the type of yoga class. I know I sweat more in a power yoga class then anything else I do. I've worn my HRM before and I usually stay in the 70-80% of my max heart once we're past the warmups. I haven't worn it in awhile but an hour yoga class usually burned 300-600 calories for me. It's a lot like weight training where calories burned can vary greatly.

I think yoga is a good workout, but I don't care for it. I love workout classes like Zumba and Jazzercise, but for ME yoga bores me!

Yes to yoga.

If not the best calorie burner focus on other benefits. Mental health is as important as physical health, and yoga helps you practice a form of moving meditation that can really decrease your stress.

Totally worth it

Yes, yes, yes! I'm uncertain as to how many calories it actually burns. MFP gives me about 185 for a 75-minute class, but there is just one general entry for yoga. Other places on the internet, I have seen calorie burns for vinyasa or ashtanga yoga (which is what I do most days) in the 300-500 range. My own HRM is useless in this instance because it requires you to enter an "activity factor" from 30-99 (where 99 is a full-on dead sprint), and while the chart that came with my HRM lists a number of activities such as aerobics, running various speeds, biking various speeds, etc, yoga is not on the list so any number I put in is only going to be a guess. I just use MFP's number.

BUT - there are far more benefits to yoga than just the calorie burn. It is a good strength builder, increases flexibility, and can result in lower stress levels. When your stress is lower, you have lower levels of cortisol in your system which translates to better fat loss. Additionally, doing yoga can increase your mind-body connection and make you more mindful overall of what you are eating. It's a nice way to get a little calorie burn in on an "active rest day" when you would otherwise be taking a break from hard cardio or weights.

And I think it's fun :-) I normally do it 3-4x a week (sometimes on the same day as other exercise) and right now my studio is doing a 25-day challenge (practice 25 days out of 30) so I am going 6x a week in addition to my other exercise! There are some awesome deep stretch classes that feel divine after a run.

I don't like yoga. In my class we have to chant and make weird whistling noises. I burn hardly any calories and had it not been for the fact I have paid for the 10 week course I wouldn't go.

I do Vinyasa Yoga and sweat through my shirt and pants. I'm usually dripping by the time the class is over, and it isn't even Bikram! Ashtanga doesn't necessarily give me the sweat, but I almost always get sore after. I not only feel more flexible after class, but stronger as well. I'm beginning to see definition in my arms and back, and it is mostly from yoga. I disagree with the calories burned that MFP has, but don't have a HRM to figure it out myself.

I do yoga 7 days a week. I'm hooked (: It makes you so stretchy!