If you've dismissed yoga as a chill workout that's just a bunch of stretching and deep breathing, consider this: A growing pile of research backs its many physical and psychological benefits. Want to slim down and reshape your body—and feel really freakin' good? Read on.
Secret Slimming Powers
Yoga calms your mind, but it can't possibly help you lose weight, right? Wrong. For starters, you'll sweat, blast calories, and tone and shape your entire body, especially if you practice a more physically active style of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa, or Bikram (hot yoga). In fact, you can torch 400 calories in one Bikram class, roughly the same amount you'd burn by running for 40 minutes at a moderate pace—but with a lot less stress on your body.
That said, calorie burning is not where the bulk of yoga's weight-loss power lies. An added benefit of yoga, even from gentle styles, is that it helps you get a handle on what your body needs to be healthy. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found a strong link between yoga practice and weight maintenance, and researchers attribute it to "mindful" eating. Down-dog devotees, they say, learn to stay calm in the face of discomfort, and this tendency spills over into other parts of their lives—for instance, making it easier to turn down not-so-good-for-you foods, no matter how tempting they are.
The study found no such link between mindful eating and other types of physical activity, such as walking or running. Mindfulness is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to weight. In studies on what causes obesity, researchers have found that overweight people tend to underestimate how much they eat while overestimating their activity. In one study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists tracked the diet and exercise habits of people who claimed they couldn't lose weight even though they cut calories. The upshot was that the volunteers had dramatically underreported their calories by 47 percent and overreported their activity by 51 percent. And their failed "diets" had nothing to do with sluggish metabolisms. When the researchers compared the participants' ability to burn calories with that of a control group, there was no difference.
Once you learn mindfulness, you'll be better able to figure out what makes your body and mind healthy. For example, maybe you'll start to notice how great your food tastes, and then you'll slow down so you can savor every delicious bite—which is a good thing, because studies have found that when you take your time at the table, you eat less.
Scientists at the University of Rhode Island had 30 volunteers eat two identical meals in a lab. During one, they were basically told to shovel the food down with a soup spoon. At the other, they were instructed to eat with a teaspoon, pause between bites, and chew each mouthful 20 to 30 times. The volunteers practically inhaled the first meal in a zippy nine minutes, on average. But when they lingered over their food, the meal stretched to nearly 30 minutes. And here's the kicker: They ate 10 percent less.
Researchers believe that when you eat more slowly, your body has more time to register fullness and satisfaction, so you stop feeling hungry before you dive into a second—or third—helping.
The Stress/Food/Weight Connection
Another crucial factor in yoga's pound-melting ability: It's proven to relax you—and that has a positive effect on your waistline. In a recent American Psychological Association survey of more than 1,800 people, 43 percent of respondents admitted they overeat when stressed. And women were more likely to stress-eat than men were.Stress is like your own personal bodyguard that launches into defense mode in the face of a threat. At the center of this effort are your adrenal glands, which protect you by unleashing the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. You probably have a good idea what adrenaline does: It gives you an instant megashot of energy so you can deal with conflict or get away from it altogether (the fight-or-flight response). Cortisol is more like an overprotective mother whose sole mission is to feed and nurture you, and its effects are hard to miss: It can make you want to eat everything in sight, preferably foods that are high in fat and sugar, energy sources your body can use in a hurry.
Some scientists believe that cortisol also messes with signals that control appetite and feelings of fullness, which is why being stressed out may make you crave dessert even after a big meal. What's worse, when chronic stress causes your cortisol levels to stay high, it can have long-term effects on your weight, because the hormone encourages your body to store fat rather than burn it. Cortisol also lowers the production of testosterone, which is worth noting if you're trying to slim down. Chronically low testosterone can decrease muscle mass, which ultimately slows your metabolism. And this means you burn fat less efficiently. Not what you want!
But yoga can help reduce your stress and cortisol levels. Researchers measured levels of that hormone in female volunteers before and after they participated in yoga classes for a study published in the Medical Science Monitor. Their findings showed that the women's cortisol levels decreased after taking yoga. And another study, in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, found that people who practiced yoga regularly for four years or more actually gained less weight over time than those who didn't do yoga.
The routine below builds mindfulness and helps rein in cortisol so you can eat better, kick-start your metabolism, and burn fat effectively.
Fry Fat on the Mat Routine
In this routine, your body will move through challenging positions that call upon all of your muscles to work in novel ways so that you burn the most fat. Holding these poses isn't easy, but it does wonders for building strength and focus.Hold each pose for five deep inhales and exhales, unless noted otherwise, then repeat the entire sequence on the other side. Practice this routine four times a week and watch the fat melt away. Keep a towel by your side—you will sweat!
1. Plank
Get on your hand and knees. Tuck your toes under and straighten your legs so you're in a horizontal line. Bring your shoulder blades together, extend forward through the top of your head, and reach back through your heels. Hold for 60 seconds.
2. Down Dog
Come down on all fours. Spread your fingers wide on your mat. Tuck your toes, lift your hips up and back, and extend your legs. Press your shoulders toward the floor and relax your neck. Press your palms against the floor. Walk your feet back, pull up through your hips, and press your heels down.
3. Down Dog Split
From down dog, raise your right leg behind you, foot flexed. Keep your hips even with the floor. Reach the back of your leg straight up.
4. Down Dog, Knee to Forehead
From down dog split, inhale, rise up onto the toes of your left foot, and bring your right knee to touch your forehead. Keep your hips lifted high. Exhale and return to down dog split. Repeat four more times.
5. Low Lunge
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Step forward with your right foot. Bend forward from the waist and press your fingertips to the floor on each side of your right foot. Bend your knees slightly and step back with your left leg into a low lunge. Push through your left heel and sink your hips low.
6. High Lunge
From low lunge, lift your hips until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms straight up next to your ears and relax your shoulders. Put some weight onto your left foot, reach your heel out behind you for stability.
7. High Lunge with Twist
Reach your left arm forward and your right arm back, and turn your torso to the right. Relax your shoulders and look back over your right hand.
8. Rotated Triangle
Lower the fingertips of your left hand to the floor outside your right foot. Open your shoulders to the right and extend your right arm up. Bring your left foot forward about 12 inches and press your heel down so your toes point a little out to your left side. Straighten your legs
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