Thoughts on Yoga

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Jennis0212
Jennis0212 Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am thinking about taking a yoga class. I have seen a few of them going on while i was at the gym but it didnt look it was something that would give me a great workout. Dont get me wrong it looked hard sometimes but i am trying to lose weight, should i stick with upbeat cardio or would yoga do the trick too???
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Replies

  • ourgang
    ourgang Posts: 229
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    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!!!!!!!!
  • GingerDarlene
    GingerDarlene Posts: 164
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    Yoga will help stretch out your body and you can look more toned. If you are trying to lose weight; I would add it to your regular routine. I have been in some yoga classes that have my heart pumping as well.
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
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    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!
  • soozeeg
    soozeeg Posts: 14 Member
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    depending on what type of yoga it is it should give you quite a workout. You should notice a change in your body in like the first 5 classes.
  • monih10
    monih10 Posts: 578 Member
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    I've been wondering the same thing....interested in taking yoga classes....but does it burn adequate calories?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Power yoga is a good strength workout

    Hatha/strecthing yoga is great for working on flexibility & balance ......... they're all good! You can't go wrong here.
  • blondie1238
    blondie1238 Posts: 182
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    I loooooove yoga! I incorporate it 1-2x/week... it helps with flexibility and with your core! And some days, I leave sore!
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    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 :)
  • rossi02
    rossi02 Posts: 549 Member
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    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!
  • MyCoachNYLA
    MyCoachNYLA Posts: 158 Member
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    Yoga will not really address fat loss. Cardiovascular (particularly agility interval training) is a sure bet as long as your nutrition is in order and you don't carb load. I usually recommend a 40/40/20 or the zone 40/30/30 (protein, carbs, fats) ratio to help with that goal on the ratios within a food plan.

    If you have any questions or need some tips, message me anytime.

    Thanks for the topic.
  • trybefan
    trybefan Posts: 488 Member
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    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
  • Rikki444
    Rikki444 Posts: 326 Member
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    Yoga is a great workout.... make no mistake about it =) I'm partial to Bikram Yoga, but there's benefits from any type you choose to practice. Will you lose weight? It's possible.... even probable, try it!

    Namaste
  • dirtydirtydiana
    dirtydirtydiana Posts: 30
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    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.
  • EmanuelleLove
    EmanuelleLove Posts: 3
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    I have been going to yoga regularly for 2 years at my school's gym. From what I've gathered, there is the yoga meant for relaxing you and the yoga meant to build strength (the butt kicking kind). You would know the difference once you attend a particular instructor's class (did you sweat a lot?). Here is the #1 benefit of yoga for someone trying to lose weight: it strengthens your core. So what? A person with a stronger core can withstand more exercise...meaning you can get more out of those cardio workouts that you're using to shed pounds! I say go for it. Definitely not a waste of time. And you'll feel good too! :)
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
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    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.
  • spyork
    spyork Posts: 187
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    Yeh Yoga is great, give it a try, it will be very good for your core. I try and do some yoga at least twice a week.

    Have fun

    Scott
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
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    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!
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
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    Some types of yoga provide moderate strength training, which gives your body the ability to burn more calories in the OTHER things you do.

    Yoga itself helps tone muscle, keeps your muscles stretched and limber from your other activities (making you less prone to injury during your other workouts), and helps improve mental health, stamina, and balance. If you want total health and not just weight loss, yoga is a great thing to add to your routine.

    It's not all about calorie burn, after all.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
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    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.
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
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    YES!!!! I am a huge yoga cheerleader. For me its not a huge burn, but i always do a hot class so that burns a few more. Also I can see marked improvement in my balance and flexibility since starting it. A few years ago (before I did yoga) I had a pretty nasty ankle injury, broken in three places, torn Achilles, and many torn ligaments, resulting in a rod, plate, pin and 4 screws now calling my ankle home. One thing my PT pointed out to me was that had my flexibility been better, my injury may not have been so bad, so it probably also helps prevent injury in your more upbeat cardio workouts. Not to mention if I have a week where i have been pushing my body really hard, the yoga helps to relieve alot of tension in my back, shoulders, neck, as well as my mind. Give it a try! But i know for me it took about 3 classes before I was hooked, so maybe give it a few tries. Good luck!

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