You may be wondering if (and how) the low impact nature of yoga can help you lose weight. If you’re new to yoga — and more specifically, to our high-energy brand of power yoga — you might not think of it as something that can aid with weight loss.
How can we blame you? More often than not, the images we see of yoga in pop culture and the media portray super serious yogis in a state of quiet meditation. Not exactly what comes to mind when you want to burn some calories, right? Wrong! Yoga for weight loss can (and should) be fun! According to Men’sHealth, the toughest step to make is the first one … and it’s usually the most rewarding!
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Trying yoga to reach your goals has never been easier!
Yes, Yoga is One of the Best Exercises to Lose Weight 🙌
We want to make it very clear that we love all body types in the Bulldog community. And there’s something for absolutely everyone here!
If, however, you do want to lose weight, here’s a little more info about how you can make that work with your Bulldog low impact cardio yoga workout routine.
It’s no secret that our fast-paced, perfectly-soundtracked Bulldog Yoga classes make every other yoga studio look boring. Beyond that, though, the energy that sets our cardio yoga classes apart from the pack also gives you a leg up on your weight loss goals… if you happen to have those.
Think about it this way: our class leaders across our online yoga classes — are there to pump you up with fitness-fueled flows set to playlists of your favorite songs. And if you’ve ever taken one of our classes, you know that this ends with some sweat flowing and your heart pumpin’!
According to Medical News Today:
“Exercise typically triggers an increase in heart rate, which explains how you feel after a few minutes of bulldog yoga.”
While experts don’t necessarily advise fitness enthusiasts to work out at their maximum heart rate for an extended period of time, they do recommend finding a place somewhere between that rate and your sitting heart rate, where your ticker actually helps you burn the max amount of fat. Low impact yoga is also effective for losing weight. Per Parade, yoga is one of the best exercises to strengthen your core. Enter Bulldog Yoga!
Yoga Helps Your Mindset
There’s other evidence out there pointing to the weight loss benefits of yoga. Some of those benefits stem from the mental side of things.
According to a 2016 study from the Department of Nursing Research and Transitional Science at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center,
“Yoga does reduce body mass index, body weight, body fat, and waist circumference, at least partially because of the way it encourages its practitioners to get more in touch with their bodies.”
Per the NIH’s study, people who have gained a new sense of mindfulness from a yoga practice tend to more effectively turn down unhealthy foods and avoid emotional eating. We’ve been trying to tell people for years that yoga helps fight cravings, and we’re glad to finally have the science to back it up!
Yoga Improves Sleep
Studies show yoga helps you sleep better which can help with weight loss efforts. And, if you’re feeling like you want to give meditation a shot, that can help too!!!
According to a 2018 study published in the journal Sleep:
“People who sleep well consistently lose more fat than people who don’t.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine has proven in multiple studies that a regular yoga practice improves sleep quality. Yoga more, sleep more, lose more weight.
Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss is Great for Your Mind & Body
Basically, yoga’s weight loss benefits are two-fold — a high-energy version of the practice can get your heart pumping while you’re actually exercising (sounds like our brand of yoga workout classes fits that bill 🙌), and the body/mind connection it promotes helps you maintain healthy habits even when you’re off the mat. No wonder it’s one of the best exercises to lose weight… it’s working for you ‘round the clock!
If you’d like to lose weight and are ready to learn more about how you can start to integrate one of the best exercises to lose weight (yoga!) into your routine more frequently, check out the convenience of low impact online yoga classes!
We’re pretty confident that you’ll find doing yoga at home is a total game-changer, and that consistent yoga can help you lose weight!
It helps to follow a workout schedule to keep yourself on track
Or take the quiz to have a custom workout plan designed for you!