If you are thinking of exercising to help lose weight you probably think that you need to do some sort of high cardio exercise. High cardio exercises aren't the only type of exercise for weight loss, yoga is one exercise type that you might want to consider. Most people think that yoga is slow and still and wouldn't help you to lose weight but is this really the case?
Yoga can actually help you to lose weight as well as give you many other health benefits. There are different types of yoga and some are more effective for weight loss than others. Yoga also works better if combined with other exercises to speed up weight loss and improve your overall health.
There are some types of yoga that are more aerobic like and give you a great cardio workout. With this type of yoga you will really work up a sweat and increase your heart rate and oxygen intake. This type of yoga still involved yoga poses but they are done with much quicker movements.
This aerobic type yoga is known as 'Power Yoga' or 'Hot Yoga'. Power yoga is usually done in a room that has a higher temperature than normal so that you sweat even more. Whether the excess heat does help increase weight loss is a subject of much debate, but the exercises themselves definitely work well for weight loss.
Vinyasa yoga, also known as flow yoga, is one of the best types to assist with weight loss. There are a number of different yoga styles even within the Vinyasa group. For example, Power yoga is Vinyasa yoga performed in a hot room.
One of the most popular Vinyasa yoga exercises is the Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga yoga still uses the same yoga poses that are used in regular, slow paced yoga but it also combines some athletic movements.
The main difference between a fast paced yoga and a slow paced yoga is the speed of the movements between the poses. Also the time held in a post is not as long. So instead of moving slowly between poses and holding the pose for a certain time period, one would move much faster between poses and only briefly hold the pose. The movements between poses are much more athletic.
You shouldn't start out with a power yoga class if you are new to yoga. Start off with a regular yoga class as this will still have weight loss advantages. Yoga will also help tone your muscles and make your body more flexible.
If you have never done yoga before you may find it difficult to believe that this gentle form of exercise will possibly help with weight loss but it really does. When you are holding poses you are developing muscle control and balance. When you improve muscle tone and balance your body will burn calories much more efficiently.
When you practise yoga it will also benefit you when you do other types of aerobic exercises. As your body becomes more flexible and your muscles become more toned and stronger you will become more efficient at aerobic exercises.
It can be very beneficial to do some aerobic exercises two or three times a week and also do some yoga exercise for weight loss two or three times a week. You will be amazed at your weight loss results when you combine these exercise types.
