How Often Should I Practice Yoga to Lose Weight?
Many who want to achieve an ideal weight search for the perfect physical activity to help. Of that sounds like you, we recommend that you practice yoga in order to try to lose weight in a different way.
To see results, the important thing is perseverance and discipline. All physical activities require a minimum daily or weekly commitment in order for the body to change and the person to begin to look and feel better. Yoga is not the exception; it also requires perseverance and effort.
However, don’t think that this discipline is only good for meditation and stretching the muscles; in fact, it also helps you lose weight.
But why?
Why Yoga Helps You Lose Weight
When practicing yoga, your whole body is in constant movement. However, the level of effort and demand varies according to the type of yoga you practice. In general, asanas help tone all of your muscles.
When your muscles are toned, it increases their energy consumption. This means they naturally burn more energy (or calories).
In addition, the practice of yoga improves digestion. Therefore, it prevents the accumulation of fat.
Plus, it also reduces anxiety and stress, the main responsible factors and motivators for well-known “binge eating.”
In addition, your cortisol levels will decrease if you practice regular yoga. This, in turn, will help decrease your accumulation of fat.
Therefore, yoga helps you channel your energy to reduce the negative thoughts for the sake of your body and mind.
Yoga Poses for Losing Weight
Although all yoga poses are beneficial for keeping your body in shape, there are some that are more effective than others.
That’s why we recommend these asanas to lose weight:
Cobra pose
With this posture, the body burns fat more quickly, especially in the abdominal area. It also helps tone your thighs, buttocks and strengthen your back.
Warrior 1 pose
When you perform this asana, you work on your body’s balance and improve your posture. You will feel most of the work in your legs. After all, this exercise helps to slim and strengthen them.
Other muscles that this position strengthens are the abdominal muscles.
Sun salutation
As you should know by now, the sun salutation is the most complete yoga pose as it combines several asanas that work the entire body.
This way, all your muscles get toned.
Also read: Exercises to Define and Tone Muscles
The plank, or kumbhakasana
A plank is an exercise that is usually done in abdominal routines, but it is also a yoga pose.
It helps to eliminate fat in the abdomen, and it strengthens your arms, shoulders, back, thighs and buttocks, which makes it a fairly complete exercise.
How often should I practice yoga in order to lose weight?
Yoga should be practiced just like any other conventional weight loss exercise.
Normally, you perform between 45 minutes to one hour of physical training with cardiovascular exercises, abdominal exercises, push-ups, among others. The same should be done with the practice of yoga.
Don’t miss this article to learn more about abdominal exercises: 6 Abdominal Exercises You’ll Enjoy Doing at Home
It’s recommended that you have a lot of discipline and practice at least four times a week in sessions of one hour. You can also practice every day for the same amount of time. However, you must alternate intense routines with easier ones so as not to exhaust yourself too much.
There are two kinds of yoga that help you lose weight more easily: Ashtanga Yoga and Bikram Yoga.
- In the first, asanas are performed faster which causes you to sweat more.
- As far as Bikram Yoga, it is usually practiced in rooms where the temperature is 40°C, which also increases sweating and helps eliminate fat.
As with any exercise, you will notice the physical changes in a few months. The important thing is to be consistent and accompany your training with a balanced diet.
Of course, yoga will help you control your cravings for food when your body does not really need it, but you must also do your part to see results in less time.If you eat only when you are hungry but do not eat something nutritious, you will sabotage yourself, and this will slow down your weight loss effort.
It might interest you...
