Yoga 15 Minutes
Yoga has been practiced for generations as a source of spiritual development but these days we tend to use it more as a form of exercise the focus is centered around the postures involved as an exercise yoga is known for helping sculpt long lean muscles increase flexibility and better your mental and physical health but there's a few different forms under the general yoga umbrella with one of the most popular ones being hot yoga this style was developed from traditional asansis by bikram chowdhury in the early 1970s his fixed regimen consisted of 24 yoga poses and two breathing exercises the asansas and breathing exercises are performed in a room heated to 105 degrees fahrenheit the relative humidity of the room is maintained at 40 percent doing so can develop a lot of health benefits for your body and in today's video we'll tell you what they are from increased bone density better breathing improved flexibility stronger body to nicer skin and more Read until the end to learn about all of them.
Number one: improves flexibility it's thanks to the heated room that hot yoga can provide more calorie burning and flexibility than standard yoga at room temperature a study found that a 90-minute hot yoga session produced moderate metabolic responses robust heart rate responses and a substantially elevated core temperature increasing one's body temperature also increases their metabolism the warmer room makes it easier for your muscles to stretch the steamy temperature allows you to increase the range of motion and stretch deeper within each pose since heat makes muscles more pliable unlike stretching it out in a standard cool yoga studio the heat will have you feeling like a pro and extending further than you thought you could as far as flexibility goes the term warm-up before workout helps explain it when your muscles get heated they stretch more easily and are less likely to experience injury do you stretch and warm up before exercising have you ever been injured because you didn't warm up tell us quickly down below in the comment section.
Number two: builds bone density supporting your weight during a yoga pose can help you build bone density this is especially important for older adults and pre-menopausal women as bone density declines as you age a study of women who participated in hot yoga over a five-year period found that premenopausal women had increased bone density in their neck hips and lower back this leads researchers to believe that hot yoga may be an effective option for reducing the risk of osteoporosis in women.
Number three: helps you lose weight thanks to being really hot and physically intense hot yoga can help you burn a whole lot of calories a single 90 minute session burns up to a thousand calories which is just as good as any cardiovascular exercise the various poses and muscle contractions really make your heart pump and that translates to some serious weight loss furthermore the poses cause your digestive system to be more efficient and increase your metabolic rate a higher metabolism means that you can burn more calories and keep them from turning into body fat.
Number four: better balance a study looked at the impact of hot yoga on the steadiness and balance of young adults the results were powerful with certain subjects seeing a 228 percent increase in the length of time they could balance successfully it was concluded that a short-term hot yoga program in the case of eight weeks can improve your balance significantly as well as help with leg strength and muscle control.
Number five: good for your heart the extra heat and humidity make yoga poses more challenging for your heart this is a bonus if you want to kick your heart health up a notch a study found an association between spending prolonged periods of time in a heated environment like a sauna reduce the risk of hypertension this is important considering high blood pressure is associated with heart disease.
Number six: detoxifies your body one of the biggest benefits of hot yoga is that the heat helps to detoxify your body the high heat causes you to sweat like nothing else sweating is great for you because you aren't only leaking water when you sweat you also sweat out a long list of toxins chemicals and other unwanted compounds that shouldn't be in your body the next time instead of doing one of those juice cleanses when you want to rid your body of unwanted things you could do some hot yoga.
Number seven: better breathing practicing hot yoga regularly can help you learn proper breathing techniques the increased heat that comes with this yoga makes it harder to breathe this forces you to use proper breathing techniques to keep going without collapsing or feeling dizzy proper breathing is also useful in everyday life especially when it comes to things like walking up the stairs or sports proper breathing techniques allow you to take as much oxygen in as you can manage getting enough oxygen means that you won't get winded during exercise it also means that your muscles are getting more oxygen allowing them to work harder for longer also hot yoga is pretty intense so it also works out your respiratory system just like any other part of your body the more you train something the better it gets at its job in this case hot yoga trains your respiratory system to be more efficient work less for increased input and helps you breathe better in general the specialized breathing techniques used can even help prevent shortness of breath asthma emphysema bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
Number eight: strengthens your body hot yoga really pushes your body to the limits this is because the difficult poses work various areas of your body like your abs and glutes by adding humidity to the workout over time your body will become stronger as your level of endurance increases you may not be a pro right away but over time your body will become a powerhouse and executing difficult poses will become easier.
Number nine: good for your skin the steaminess of a hot yoga studio is much like a hot sauna at the spa steam is known to help open your pores and clean your skin although you'll be sweating during a hot yoga session it's actually good for your skin to be exposed to some steam moderately of course don't forget to clean your face with your favorite cleanser once you get home to get rid of any excess buildup and voila your skin will be pour free and glowing in no time.
Number 10: reduces blood sugar levels while any type of exercise can help burn energy and reduce circulating levels of sugar in your bloodstream hot yoga may be an especially helpful tool for people at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes a study found that a short-term hot yoga program improved glucose tolerance in older adults with obesity but it had less of an effect on young lean adults apart from hot yoga there are other ways to lower blood sugar levels as well learn more about these by watching lower your blood sugar with these 10 natural tips now back to reasons why you should do hot yoga regularly.
Number 11: prevents back pain multiple yoga poses have shown to actually prevent and reduce back pain the heat from a hot yoga session in addition to various yoga poses allows your muscles to relax and stretch so not only can you treat pain and discomfort but also prevent it yoga poses like the sphinx and thread the needle are known for targeting the spine area in order to ease tension.
Number 12: helps heal old injuries hot yoga can help reduce the pain of old injuries most pain is caused by weakness and inflexibility since hot yoga makes you stronger and more flexible it can help to alleviate various forms of pain this yoga also uses something called the tourniquet effect which blocks off blood supply from a certain area upon release of the specific pose the blood that is rich in nutrients and oxygen flows to the damaged areas this helps heal old injuries and deal with scar tissue.
Number 13: reduces stress many people turned to yoga as a natural way to deal with stress a study of stressed physically inactive adults found that a 16-week program of hot yoga significantly reduced the participants stress levels at the same time it improved their health-related quality of life as well as their self-efficacy or belief that you have control over your behavior and social environment yoga is well known to help you relax and improve your mood it may also be helpful therapy for reducing symptoms of depression additionally a study focused on yoga as a treatment for depression concluded that it's an effective way to reduce depressive symptoms.
Number 14: helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle the best thing about hot yoga is that it can lead to good overall health being able to exercise meditate and relax your body simultaneously can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle hot yoga can also help you stay active and physically and mentally healthy which is key to maintaining a balanced and wholesome lifestyle while hot yoga is very good for your body you can get an even better shape by combining it with regular exercise.
