A Regular Yoga Practice Greatly Contributes to Weight Loss
Researchers for National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland have done an excellent study showing how effective yoga is for weight loss.1 It drew from a lot of data. “In the population-based, longitudinal vitamin and lifestyle (VITAL) study of 15,550 adults, individuals who practiced yoga for at least four years were two to four times less likely to gain weight as they aged than individuals who did not practice yoga.”
Yoga Leads to Anti-Inflammatory Chemicals Being Released
There’s a biological reason it works so well. As the researchers explained, “Yoga interventions have been shown to reduce binge eating and preoccupation with food. Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ, secreting adipokines that impact energy intake, fat storage, and metabolism such as adiponectin, which is anti-inflammatory, enhances insulin sensitivity, and is inversely associated with obesity, as well as leptin, which is highly correlated with obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. In a cross-sectional comparison study involving 25 novice female yoga practitioners and 25 expert practitioners matched for age, fitness level, and abdominal adiposity, levels of leptin were 36% higher, and levels of adiponectin were 28% lower, in the novice group than in the expert group , suggesting that long-term yoga practice may affect metabolism.” Doing yoga improves your metabolism, leading your body to burn calories quicker.
Getting More Involved With Yoga is Your Best Bet
More intensive involvement with the yoga lifestyle tends to lead to better results. The researchers wrote that, “In a review of 55 research studies examining yoga for weight-related outcomes, Rioux and Ritenbaugh (2013) found yoga interventions to be effective for achieving weight loss and improving body composition; the most effective programs were residential and longer in duration, required more frequent and home practice, included a yogic diet, and incorporated a variety of yoga practices as opposed to exclusively focusing on a single practice such as the physical poses or breath work.” If you want yoga to work for you, give it your all. There is a good feeling that comes from getting involved with the yoga community.
- Ross, A., Brooks, A. T., Touchton-Leonard, K., & Wallen, G. R. (2016). A Different Weight Loss Experience: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Behavioral, Physical, and Psychosocial Changes Associated with Yoga That Promote Weight Loss. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/2914745
