Is Yoga Or A Gym The Best Way To Lose Weight?

Burning more calories than you take in results in weight loss. Physical activity is key to burning calories. However, the best plan for consistent participation in calorie-burning activities is only as good as your willingness to follow through. Identify the pros and cons of yoga and gym-based activity programs. Then match your readiness to perform these weight loss promoting options with the results they deliver and make your first move.

In order to lose a pound, you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories. Burn more calories than you take in and you'll lose weight. You'll lose weight faster by exercising in ways that burn the most calories in the time you have to exercise. Aerobic activities will have the greatest impact on calorie burning. Resistance training and stretching exercise doesn't burn as many calories. However, lean muscle will increase metabolism and boost weight loss. Consider your choices based on your fitness level, special conditions and your interests in order to enhance your compliance. Exercises that you can safely participate in long term are the best choices.

Facts

Research on yoga for weight loss is sparing. Yet it is easy to compare the caloric cost of yoga and various gym activities. For a 150-lb. person, 30 minutes of hatha yoga would burn 85 calories. The same person performing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer, running, or bicycling burns 126, 340 and 340 calories, respectively. The energy demands to restore the body to resting levels after exercise also impact total calorie cost of exercise. Aerobic exercise and strength training exercises have the largest post-exercise energy demands.

Considerations

While yoga is not the exercise that will burn the most calories, it can help you make a better connection with your body. Increased self-awareness may just improve your connection with not only your activity but your energy intake and stress levels. Conditions for weight loss will occur when you make better choices about nutrition and activity. Yoga could be a positive step toward more activity than you're currently doing and help you transition to an active lifestyle. You don't have to consider it an either or choice. Yoga and gym-based activities compliment each other well. While yoga promotes high levels of flexibility and muscle endurance, gym aerobic activity and resistance training provide cardiovascular, strength and muscle endurance activity.

Warning

If you are currently not exercising at all, yoga could be a start. Other high-impact or more intense forms of exercise might not be appropriate for you. Don't assume, however, that all forms of yoga will be easy simply because they are lower intensity than resistance training or aerobic exercise. Many forms of yoga can be challenging and also come with some risk. Find the right type of yoga for you before you weigh in on your final decision.