You won’t become Stretch Armstrong, but you’ll get plenty of benefits.
When you think of good exercises for losing weight, I’m guessing yoga doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Considering its slower pace than more cardio-centric stuff, it probably doesn’t seem like the best option. However, writing yoga off completely for weight loss would be a big mistake.
Yoga helps you lose weight in a bit more of a roundabout sense. Rather than burning up calories in large bursts, yoga helps you to become more mindful of your body and its capabilities. With increased mindfulness comes better self-discipline, which means lessened chances of snacking on fatty foods. Yoga is also shown to improve your sleep, which means a better metabolism and day-to-day recuperation.
Speaking of metabolism, Yoga has also been proven to improve your digestion. A combination of high-impact stretching and deep breathing reduces your stress and cortisol levels, which helps to keep your blood sugar and metabolism in check. Deep breathing is actually really good for the digestion in general.
Before you start going all-in on yoga, though, here’s an extra caveat to consider: experts have said that one burst of super high-impact yoga per week is actually less effective in reducing weight than daily yoga sessions at a relaxed, personal pace. Don’t feel like you have to twist yourself into pretzels from the word go; the entire point of yoga is to relax and balance your mind and body. You’ll gradually become tougher and more flexible, but never forget that main idea. Keep it cool, and the results will come in due time.
