aerobics or yoga?

Jeanne143
Jeanne143 Posts: 11
edited November 12 in Motivation and Support
Is it all right to do yoga and no aerobics? When I do aerobics i gain weight. I can't figure out why and it's not because I'm building muscle. Once I gained forty pounds. I kept doing more & more aerobics and kept gaining. Now I am afraid to keep doing aerobics. Also, I'm afraid not to do aerobics because I need to burn the calories.

Replies

  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    Do you mean aerobics classes or aerobic activity? If the former, sure you can walk or do something to get your heart rate up that isn't an aerobics class - if the later, yoga, while having many benefits, will not get your heart rate up for a sustained period of time.

    You could be eating more if you gain weight when you exercise more. It's hard not to. You could try just doing 20 minutes a day and not think of it as burning calories - try to think of exercise as taking care of your body or a time to relieve stress.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    High intensity aerobics makes some people very hungry. Have you tried low intensity steady state cardio?

    Leslie Sansone - Walk at Home comes to mind, but there are lots more. Lower intensity workouts may take longer (to burn same calories as high intensity) ... but some people do better here.


    Yoga comes in many "flavors." Some is intense & keeps your heartrate up, others are relaxing & work solely on flexibility. I'm not a yoga expert, so I can't point you in the direction really. "Power" yoga should be more intense, but I've done some videos labeled as such .... and they were not as advertised.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Is it all right to do yoga and no aerobics? When I do aerobics i gain weight. I can't figure out why and it's not because I'm building muscle. Once I gained forty pounds. I kept doing more & more aerobics and kept gaining. Now I am afraid to keep doing aerobics. Also, I'm afraid not to do aerobics because I need to burn the calories.

    There is no way you gained 40 pounds just because you did aerobics.

    You can do whatever you want, but yoga doesn't burn a lot of calories on its own.
  • dis5150
    dis5150 Posts: 157 Member
    Bob Harper Yoga Warrior DVD will get your heart rate up!! And you will sweat!
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,134 Member
    We are aerobic all the time! Unless you stop breathing that is... You can put your body into a state of stress while doing too much cardio which raises cortisol and could result in weight gain if you are not careful. Yoga is fantastic but to lose fat you have to look at your diet, not your exercise. I do about 15 minutes of yoga/stretching after every workout. My sister is really into yoga and has the strongest core I've ever seen!

    Do whatever workout you love - that's the key. Don't force yourself to do steady state cardio if you don't like the results.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,971 Member
    You gained weight because you overate, not because of the aerobics.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    How did you gain 40 lbs doing aerobics? Because it made you hungry and you ate more??
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    Jeanne--

    I think the point is balance. If you are moving, it is better than not moving. Perhaps when you do a lot of aerobics it makes you hungry and you eat more. So don't try to run a marathon. Take a nice relaxing hike in the woods. Don't have a super sweat session on the treadmill--do something fun. The fun things "feed" us and then we don't need to feed our faces as much.
  • SimplyShanRunning
    SimplyShanRunning Posts: 885 Member
    Is it all right to do yoga and no aerobics? When I do aerobics i gain weight. I can't figure out why and it's not because I'm building muscle. Once I gained forty pounds. I kept doing more & more aerobics and kept gaining. Now I am afraid to keep doing aerobics. Also, I'm afraid not to do aerobics because I need to burn the calories.

    were you eating while doing aerobics?
  • nammer79
    nammer79 Posts: 664 Member
    yeah sounds like you might have over done it in the calorie department... I know I sometimes feel like eating more than I should. I normally walk away and see how I feel 15 mins after I ate the 1st serving.
  • Loko_Ino
    Loko_Ino Posts: 544 Member
    Is it all right to do yoga and no aerobics? When I do aerobics i gain weight. I can't figure out why and it's not because I'm building muscle. Once I gained forty pounds. I kept doing more & more aerobics and kept gaining. Now I am afraid to keep doing aerobics. Also, I'm afraid not to do aerobics because I need to burn the calories.

    I am gonna go out on a limb and say you were doing something wrong if you gained 40lbs while doing aerobics.
    Might wanna find a reputable trainer to get some basics down.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Is it all right to do yoga and no aerobics? When I do aerobics i gain weight. I can't figure out why and it's not because I'm building muscle. Once I gained forty pounds. I kept doing more & more aerobics and kept gaining. Now I am afraid to keep doing aerobics. Also, I'm afraid not to do aerobics because I need to burn the calories.

    I am gonna go out on a limb and say you were doing something wrong if you gained 40lbs while doing aerobics.
    Might wanna find a reputable trainer to get some basics down.

    Perhaps ...... you took the calorie count from the machine as accurate. Many people (who don't have heart rate monitors) only eat back a percentage of their calories. Machines counts can be way too high.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
    The fun things "feed" us and then we don't need to feed our faces as much.

    Huh. I like that train of thought. Especially if you're just starting to exercise. I know I have to trick my brain into exercising by doing fun things. Maybe that would help you. Also, unless you have an actual HRM, don't take MFPs calories burned at face value.
  • itsirkmr
    itsirkmr Posts: 24 Member
    I alternate yoga and aerobic workout days. The yoga workouts that I have help increase my flexibility (important to prevent injury), upper body strength, focus and stamina. My HR does increase during yoga, but not to the degree it does with my tae bo workouts. I gain and enjoy different benefits from each kind of exercise.
  • Jeanne143
    Jeanne143 Posts: 11
    I mean aerobics class. Maybe I should just do more aerobic activities like you said 20 min. throughout the day. What do you think?
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I mean aerobics class. Maybe I should just do more aerobic activities like you said 20 min. throughout the day. What do you think?

    My answer has not changed. You did not gain 40 pounds just because you attended aerobics classes.
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    I think both are important because they really have different goals.

    I look to yoga for strength, flexibility, and mental well-being. I don't get as much of that from straight up aerobics.

    And like others have said, aerobics itself will never make you gain weight.
  • Jeanne143
    Jeanne143 Posts: 11
    Okay, everyone it's me again. I love doing aerobic classes. I am 65 years old and can't do high impact anymore. I do low impact aerobic classes. Also do yoga stretch for seniors. I can't get on the mat on my knees because I had bilateral knee replacements last year. I started back exercising last June & have gained some of the weight I lost after my surgery. When I said I gained 40 pounds after doing aerobic classes, I should have made myself clearer. It was 30 years ago that I gained all that weight doing step aerobics 5 days a week which was the start of my knee problems. Over use injury!
    I don't know if I am eating more because I'm hungry. Just started tracking my food a couple of weeks ago. What doesn't make sense is I lost weight doing PT & no aerobics. As soon as I went back to class I started slowly gaining. Over Christmas, I ate too many desserts but it's March & I'm still gaining. Seems like I can't eat much or I gain. Thank you, everyone for all your comments and help. I appreciate it.
  • Jeanne143
    Jeanne143 Posts: 11
    Just thought of something else. When I do an aerobic class, I get stressed. Maybe I am stress eating. :sad:
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Just thought of something else. When I do an aerobic class, I get stressed. Maybe I am stress eating. :sad:

    Why do you get stressed? Maybe you need to find another type of class that doesn't make you feel stressed out. The classes I take are fun for me. If they weren't fun, I'd do something else that was.

    I agree with the others that aerobics won't make you gain weight unless you're eating more than your maintenance level of calories.
  • Jeanne143
    Jeanne143 Posts: 11
    Dance classes don't stress me out, so maybe that will be my choice for aerobics. They are a lot of fun. So, dancing & yoga with some strength training. I'm gonna try that. :smile: :smile: :smile:
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    Dance classes don't stress me out, so maybe that will be my choice for aerobics. They are a lot of fun. So, dancing & yoga with some strength training. I'm gonna try that. :smile: :smile: :smile:

    That sounds like a lovely idea.
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