Yoga for weight loss? Sounds like a bit of a (ahem) stretch, doesn’t it? I mean it’s not like running a marathon, or taking a high intensity cardio program at a gym, so logically may not be the first weight loss activity that springs to mind. But it can be an effective tool to have in your tool box nonetheless. Here are 7 ways yoga can help you lose weight.
- Though it’s a gentle form of exercise, yoga still is an aerobic activity. Your muscles are working constantly for the whole class, (except for savasana the final resting pose) lengthening and strengthening and doing core work (except for savasana the final resting pose)
- Yoga reduces binge eating because it teaches you to be present and deal with the emotions that cause overeating
- Yoga helps you stop gaining weight. A four year study showed that people who participated in yoga one day a week lost five pounds. Those in the group that didn’t do yoga gained 13 lbs
- Yoga lowers stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity, signaling the brain to burn food for fuel rather than storing as fat.
- Yoga teaches you to love and accept yourself as you are now, regardless of your shape and size. This loving acceptance will help you stop punishing yourself with bad food choices that lead to weight gain.
- Yoga encourages you to love your body for all it does for you rather than despising it for not currently conforming to your view of what it should be
- Yoga’s inward focus makes you more aware of how your body feels throughout the day. It has the power to shift how you feel and think about your body which can stimulate other positive behavior, such as eating when you are hungry (not when the clock says to) and stopping when you are full rather than continuing to eat till you are over full.
So there you have it – 7 ways Yoga can help you lose weight. With the added bonus of helping you love yourself more! Yoga anyone?