Yoga is a holistic practice that has been part of the culture for thousands of years, but it became popular a few decades ago. Over the years we have learned that it offers a plethora of health benefits such as reduced stress, improved sleep, improved posture, flexibility and more. While people are aware of the benefits of this age-old discipline, several myths surround yoga. One such myth is that yoga does not help with weight loss! But Malaika Arora doesn’t think so.
One of B-town’s fittest celebrities, Malaika Arora often shares posts inspiring her fans to follow yoga as a way of life. Recently, the 49-year-old took to her Instagram to bust the myth that yoga doesn’t work for people trying to lose weight.
Yoga helps you lose weight: Malaika Arora
If you think yoga isn’t for you if you’re trying to lose weight, check out Malaika Arora’s post that screams it is!
Malaika captioned the video, “If someone tells you yoga can’t help you burn calories, they’re wrong.”
Read also : Broken! 6 yoga myths you need to stop believing
It’s not just Malaika who thinks yoga is good for weight loss, there’s enough science to show that yoga can help you lose weight. A study published in the journal Obesity found that doing yoga can benefit people trying to lose weight. Here is how yoga helps you lose weight in several ways:
- Yoga helps manage stress, which is one of the most common causes of weight gain. Too much stress leads to the production of the hormone Cortisol, which can increase abdominal fat. It also leads to unwanted food cravings, which can also lead to obesity.
- Craving ice cream in the middle of the night? Well, you can control those cravings by being aware of your body and yoga can help! It helps improve mindfulness, which in turn helps reduce stress, binge eating, and even emotional eating. All of this helps you control your weight.
- A study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that yoga helps improve eating habits by reducing fat intake. Another reason for you to add yoga to your regimen.
Read also : These are the best foods you should eat before and after a yoga session
A warm-up routine before an intense workout is important
Malaika shares that she never fails to warm up before a high intensity yoga routine for the abs. “This is my warm-up flow, I add Vrikshasana or tree pose to my side plank. It helps me engage core muscles, work obliques, relieve stress and improve posture. ‘body balance,’ she wrote in the caption.
Studies have also shown that warm-up exercises are important for a number of reasons. A study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found that warming up helps you perform exercises better.
Here are the benefits of performing warm-up exercises before an intense workout:
Improves performance
Jumping straight into any exercise without a warm-up can jerk your body and lead to sore muscles. Studies have shown that warm-ups and cool-downs help you exercise better and reduce muscle soreness after a workout.
Increases blood circulation
Pre-yoga warm-ups help increase flexibility, which helps prepare you mentally for a yoga session. When you stretch your muscles and connective tissues, you facilitate blood circulation.
Reduces the risk of injury
Performing warm-ups before any exercise is good for improving physical performance, which helps reduce the risk of injury to muscles and tendons.
Better flexibility
Warm-ups can help increase blood flow to your muscles, which also helps increase flexibility.
So what are you waiting for? Since there is no doubt that yoga can help you lose weight, it’s time for you to try it and shed those extra pounds.
