The Surprising Truth About Lose Weight Hot Yoga! Unlock Your Dream Body

In my never ending quest to find enjoyable and effective ways to lose weight, I discovered Hot Yoga!

Hot Yoga has become popular for its ability to not only help us improve our weight and physical health but also our mental well being.

I’ll let you in on the secrets about how it helps us lose weight and how it all works for our body and mind.

Understanding Hot Yoga

Warm Room

Hot Yoga, often related to styles like Bikram yoga and hot Vinyasa is performed in a heated room.

It’s usually warmed up to around 90-105 degrees Farenheit. with 40% humidity.

The reason for heating it is for more sweating which burns more calories, improved circulation and for more flexibility.

Hot Yoga Styles

There are lots of different styles of Hot Yoga, which each will have their own set of sequences, breathing and poses

Bikram yoga, for example, has a 26 pose sequence with two breathing exercises in a standard routine.

Hot Vinyasa, has more flexibility with the poses incorporating energetic movements with the breath.

Mind and body

When you practice Hot Yoga of any type is targets your entire body and mind in multiple ways.

The heat and movement starts you sweating and detoxifying the body.

The mindfulness and meditative elements help us to gain more mental clarity and lowers stress levels.

Lose weight with Hot Yoga

Speed up metabolism and lose calories

Because of the heated room in Hot Yoga it intensifies the any movements, and burns more calories.

The after affects are that it increases your metabolism, if you combine it with a balanced diet it should result in weight loss.

Obviously the usual rules apply, less calories in than you burn and you will lose weight. This just speeds up the entire process.

In a study conducted by The National Library of Medicine “Subjects reported a number of general physical improvements that coincided with yoga practice and contributed to their weight loss. Among these physical changes were improved sleep and decreased pain. In addition, nearly every subject (90%) talked about feeling better physically, with most mentioning feeling more energized, which in turn allowed them to be more active”.

Fat burning and detox

When you sweat during the Hot Yoga session you aren’t just losing water, it also helps to break down fat cells.

The heat encourages the release of toxins from your skin, cleansing your entire system for a natural detoxification.

Live Strong says “You’ll build muscle, you’ll gain flexibility, you’ll sweat and chances are good that you’ll lose weight”.

Better heart health

The heart needs to work harder to pump the blood around the body to the muscles, particularly in the heated room.

Doing this on a regular basis can improve your cardiovascular health, because it has more practice at endurance.

Flexibility and muscle tone

When your muscles are heated up they become more elastic, this allows for more flexibility in poses and deeper stretches.

Most classes will go through a range of different poses, using different muscle groups.

This means that the more you use different muscles, the better the toning of them also.

Mindful eating

Yoga in general promotes more mindfulness both on the mat and off it.

The increased awareness of your habits such as the food you put into your body, results in healthier choices and often weight loss.

Tips for effective weight loss with Hot Yoga

1. Keep hydrated – It’s very important with Hot Yoga to drink plenty of water before, during and after a session. This makes sure that you replace the lost fluids while you are active but also afterwards.
2. Stay consistent – As with anything for weight loss it needs to become part of your habit, whether you do it three times a week or daily. It’s improtant to find a way to build it into your life and keep consistent.
3. Combine with a healthy diet – To really put your focus on losing weight you need to give your body every chance. That means eliminating foods which put on weight and eating a healthy, balanced diet. Focus on whole foods, eating a portion of protein at each meal and portion control with your meals.
4. Listen to your body – When you do Hot Yoga if any poses feel like they are too much or you get any feelings of dizziness listen to your body and modify the pose or sit out for a minute. Pushing too hard could end up with you getting injured and then your weight loss journey is halted for a while.

Other benefits

1. Less stress – I love even writing these words, I feel my shoulders drop and remind myself of the relaxation I feel when doing Hot Yoga. The controlled breathing and mindfulness leaves us with a feeling of relaxation.
2. Improved circulation – The combination of heat and movement in Hot Yoga improves our circulation. Better circulation allows for more nutrients to get into our cells and more toxins to get flushed out.
3. Community feeling – Joining a Hot Yoga class and sweating it out together gives you a sense of working on something together and a shared goal. It always encourages me to come bacl to class when I know others on the same journey will be there with me. It helps to share your weight loss progress with others also doing it.

FAQ’s

How many calories can you burn in one session of hot yoga?

It depends on so many factors like heat of the room, intensity of the movements, how long your session is for. As a general rule you can expect to burn 330-600 calories per hour of doing Hot Yoga.

Is hot yoga suitable for beginners?

It is, you just need to remember to start slow so that you can adjust to the heat of the room. As a beginner, you might find Hot Vinyasa or warm classes easier to tolerate than jumping straight into Bikram Yoga with the intense heat.

Can hot yoga help with reduce cellulite?

While it doesn’t focus on reducing cellulite, the increased circulation, detoxification and toning of your muscles can definitely help your skin texture over time.

What should you wear to a hot yoga class? 

I suggest you wear something lightweight and not restrictive. If you sweat alot and are conscious of this think about wearing singlet tops and leggings or lycra shorts. Perhaps bring a small towel to wipe away your sweat also.

How often should I do hot yoga for weight loss?

This is something that is really up to your own schedule and lifestyle. My suggestion would be at least 3 to 4 times a week if your goal is weight loss. Make sure you also combine this with a healthy diet.

What should you eat before a hot yoga class?

I have a tendency to feel dizzy if I go to class on an empty stomach. I usually try to have a light meal or snack before the class like fruit, nuts or a smoothie.

What are the risks of hot yoga? 

For most people Hot Yoga is very safe, as long as you stay hydrated and listen to your body. Some of the risks related to Hot Yoga are dehydration, heat stroke and heat exhaustion. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions its always best to chat with your doctor first and make sure it’s suitable for you.

Can hot yoga help you lose belly fat?

Hot Yoga reduces stress and cortisol levels, which are often the cause of belly fat, so the answer is yes it can help us with losing belly fat. Also it can help you to build lean muscles, increase your metabolism which can also help burn more calories.

Is hot yoga better than regular yoga for weight loss?

Due to the heat and the intensity of Hot Yoga, yes it is more effective for weight loss. In the end it’s best to do whichever yoga you love doing, because that way you’ll stick to it and reap the benefits.

Conclusion

So hopefully you can now see that Hot Yoga has many benefits that can help you to lose weight.

There is the increased circulation which helps to remove the toxins, increase your metabolism and also you’ll burn calories.

It’s definitely worth giving it a go to see if Hot Yoga suits you and your weight loss journey.

Just keep in mind you need to be patient, keep at it and eat a balanced diet to get you on the track to losing weight.