If I do yoga will I lose weight?
The answer is a resounding YES – but maybe not for the reasons you may think!
We know without a doubt, that chronic stress causes the creation of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies, leading to those stubborn abdominal fat deposits in both men and women. So even when you are attempting to lose weight, your stress level and your body’s response to it, may be preventing any weight loss from happening – especially in your midsection. We also know that stress triggers the desire to eat more, which contributes to further weight gain due to the increase in calorie consumption.
It’s a fact – when you are in stress response mode your body prioritizes running away from dinosaurs over digesting food efficiently, sleeping soundly or cultivating calm. And most certainly your body is going to prevent you from shedding weight, just in case you need it soon for backup energy to help you outrun the danger.
This is where yoga comes to the rescue! When you practice yoga, one or more times per week, you will effectively reduce your stress level, and allow your body and mind to take a break from all of the fight and flight responses of the nervous system. Yoga when practiced regularly helps to put your body systems into their happy place – the balanced state of homeostasis that it craves. Once you begin to connect your mind, body and breath – reducing stress and encouraging self awareness of stress triggers and responses, you cultivate your ability to let go of stress and as a result, the extra unwanted weight.
When the body is finally able to let go of the extra weight, it is important to note you have to also create other habits that will help facilitate the change. Yoga alone will likely not produce the weight loss you are hoping for, but it is an important component of what I like to call “The Whol-e Trinity of Wellness”: Yoga, Fitness & Nutrition for whole health and wellness. The idea is that all body systems will work optimally as the result of a combination of these three things;
1) Yoga for connecting mind, body and breath – reducing stress and encouraging self-awareness,
2) Fitness to get the heart rate up, build strength with resistance training and move the body in ways that keep joints mobile and healthy, and
3) Good Nutrition to help find and maintain an optimal, healthy body weight.
So should yoga be part of your wellness routine – absolutely YES! Start where you are, begin your yoga practice and move closer to your weight loss goals from there!
By: Jackie Gaulton