We are seeing a steady rise in obesity rates due to the unwise lifestyle choices of the 21st century. Unhealthy eating, sedentary life and not exercising enough have led to a significant chunk of the population becoming overweight. Thankfully, many of them have realized the dangers associated with those unwanted kilos and have made up their minds to lose some weight.
Once that decision has been taken, another question pops up. How should you go about it? Everyone knows that the two best ways you can lose weight without any equipment are running and yoga. But how do you pick between the two?
Weight loss boils down to using up more calories than you consume. Calories are your body’s fuel, it burns them to release the energy needed to carry out all the different functions of the body. But, when you take in more calories than your body needs, they get converted to fats that deposit all over your body. In such cases, you will have to create a calorie deficit by reducing the quantity of food you eat. It’s only then the body will use up the fats to power itself and you will start losing weight.
Aerobic excercises are better in weight loss and yoga is not a aerobic exercise in true sense. I personally recommend running for weight loss.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Running burns more calories every minute than any other cardio activity, anything between 10-17 calories/minute depending on your weight.
Running speeds up your metabolism, which regulates your energy consumption. The faster your metabolic rate, the more quickly you will lose weight. Moreover, running reduces your appetite so that you won’t be tempted to snack in between your meals. Some forms of running, such as high intensity running or uphill running continue to burn calories at a fast pace long after you have completed your run.
Also Read About: 4 Health Benefits of Running Daily
Yoga burns fewer calories per minute than running. It is a slow but steady path to weight loss. What works in yoga’s favour is that its effect lasts much longer than a morning run. Like, running, yoga too improves your metabolic rate, which means your body will continue to burn calories faster throughout the day. But in the case of running, this effect does not last the whole day.
If you want yoga to burn calories faster (though it can never match running when it comes to calories burnt/minute), you will have to opt for the more active versions of yoga such as Bikram, Ashtanga, Iyengar and Power yoga. With yoga, you also get the added benefit of adding muscle mass to your body, which is not the case with running.
Apart from diet modifications, steady aerobic exercise like brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day are helpful in the long run, to induce gradual weight loss and maintain a healthy body.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Also Read: Benefits of Walking Backwards: Unveiling the Science Backed Advantages
While it may seem like running for weight loss is the overall winner here, you don’t need to choose between the two. Yoga can be beneficial for runners in many ways. Yoga helps to tone your muscles and develop core strength, especially if you choose to perform the more intense poses. Yoga poses like sun salutations also help to improve flexibility through repetitive forward and backward bending.
As a runner, this can help you improve your overall strength and flexibility but also works for those days you are unable to run. If you get injured or do not have time to maintain your daily running routine, you can use yoga as a supplementary exercise to help you stay fit. This is not going to be a substitute, after all, running is a more demanding workout. But it can keep your body in shape till you’re able to get back to running.
Lastly, you can use yoga as a complementary exercise to your regular routine. It can help you relax, cool off and improve circulation to your leg muscles, making it a great tool to go along with running or other cardio exercises. Running and Yoga for weight loss both work, but doing them both will be even better.
Also Read About: 5 Health Benefits of Yoga
Running will help you reach your weight goal faster. But, yoga can help you lose weight too, albeit at a slower pace. So if you want to lose fat as soon as possible, running is more suitable. If time is not of the essence and you want to add muscle mass as well, yoga is a better option.
Must Read About: 8 Exercises That Help with Weight Loss
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
International Yoga Day is finally here! Should 21st June be just another day on the calendar for you? Or will you let this be the day when you make a decision that will protect you from the pandemic?
A strong immune system can protect you from COVID-19 and other illnesses. There is no better way to boost your immunity than with yoga. Yoga prevents autonomic changes that impair your cellular immunity. By curbing stress and inflammation, it empowers your immunity.
If you don’t practice yoga, it’s never too late. Take that step today to have an alert mind and a healthy body! Are you wondering which yoga postures, in particular, will help your immune system? We have made a shortlist for you-
Yoga will seem hard at the beginning if you are new to it. But with just a few days of dedicated practice, your body will become more flexible.
It is an easy yoga pose and terrific for suppressing stress. Lie down flat on your tummy and extend your arms forward. Lift your neck slowly, all the while relaxing your glutes. Hold the pose and breathe in and out slowly for as long as you are comfortable.
This pose gets your life energy flowing through your body and that preps you for the challenges of the day ahead.
Trikonasana also begins with the tadasana. Now exhale and widen the gap between your legs until they are 3 ½ or 4 feet apart. Raise your arm along your sides and make sure that they are parallel to the ground. Now bend your upper body to the left. Bend from the waist. Grip your left ankle with your left hand. The right arm should be pointed towards the ceiling and perpendicular to the ground.
This pose improves your lung capacity and protects them from respiratory illnesses like the current pandemic.
Stand in the mountain pose or tadasana (standing pose), inhale and lift your arms. Exhale and bend your knees. Push your hips back and bend your upper body forward. Now twist your body. One arm will face the ceiling and the other arm will support you with the palm placed flat against the floor next to your feet.
This posture not only increases your flexibility but is good for your gut bacteria that strengthen immunity. It increases the production of digestive enzymes and detoxifies your body.
This looks like a simple exercise, but executing it perfectly can take some getting used to. All you need to do is stand straight, raise your arms and make sure they are parallel to your ears. Now start bending back as far as you can go.
This posture stretches out your backbone, shoulders and neck muscles and is tremendously good for your heart. It ensures that more blood is pumped to all parts of your body. This translates to a greater oxygen supply to each cell, which makes them immune to diseases and oxidative stress.
This is a balancing act. It rights your body’s equilibrium, keeps the body grounded and enhances blood circulation by releasing tension and knots in your muscles. Your life force flows uninterrupted and toughens up your immunity.
Start with tadasana. Standing on your right foot, cross your left thigh over the right. Now point your left foot down and hook it around your right shin. Stretch out your arms in front of you and parallel to the ground. Cross your arms (right arm over the left) and bend the elbows. Then raise both forearms (they should be perpendicular to the ground). Ensure that the backs of the palms are touching each other.
Now turn the right hand to the right and the left hand to the left so that the palms face each other. Make sure that your right thumb passes in front of your left little finger. Stretch your fingers towards the ceiling. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds, unwind and continue with the legs and arms reversed.
Stress and anxiety lower your body’s defences. Meditation is complementary to yoga and together the two can beat stress to strengthen your immunity.
Yoga is an inexpensive path to wellness and health. So make it a part of your life to enhance your wellbeing.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
If you haven’t already joined the yoga bandwagon and are wondering what the hype is all about, we can tell you that the storm of enthusiasm it has created worldwide is for a reason. Yoga is as ancient as time itself and is a wonderful science. It can do miracles to improve your health – both psychologically and physically.
Here are some health benefits of yoga that will convince you to incorporate it into your daily schedule:
This is one of the chief benefits of yoga. Yoga can help you deal with everyday stress and anxiety, the levels of which have shot through the roof over the last few decades. Stress can be a killer. It drives up your blood pressure and exerts unimaginable pressure on your heart that can lead to a host of other ailments. Unmitigated stress can even be fatal.
Regular yoga suppresses the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenal, which means your heart will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Moreover, yoga is instrumental in psychological rehabilitation. If you have endured trauma, yoga will help you put the scars behind you and move on with life.
Read More: Effects of Stress on Body
One of the top reasons for heart disorders is the collection of plaque along the blood vessels leading to the heart. To prevent that from happening yoga helps good cholesterol level out bad cholesterol and keep the vessels flexible.
Yoga can stabilize blood pressure and lower pulse rate. Even if you have contracted heart disease, yoga can actually slow down its progress. It can also lower cholesterol levels.
Inflammation is actually your body’s defence mechanism trying to fight off disease triggering pathogens. But sometimes your immunity can malfunction. And this leads to excessive inflammation. It is linked to several dangerous ailments such as heart disorders.
The long-term practise of yoga can suppress inflammation and prevent it from surfacing.
Also Read: Top 10 Anti-Inflammatory Foods You Can Eat
Depression is an overlooked but shockingly prevalent psychological disorder. It can make a person lose interest in life and eventually prove to be lethal. Not enough is done for people who are in a state of clinical depression. But, if you find yourself slipping into melancholy, force yourself to practise yoga. Science has proved that yoga reduces cortisol levels – one of the triggers for depression. It reduces most of the symptoms of this dreaded disorder. It also enhances the production of feel-good hormones.
Also Read: Poses of Yoga for Stress Relief
Chronic pain such as the kind induced by arthritis can become unbearable and people inevitably turn to medication that has the potential to damage their health. Instead, you can try yoga. Yoga can help you process pain more efficiently.
Yoga serves many other benefits, from ensuring a good night’s sleep, reducing the intensity of migraine attacks to easing the symptoms of chemotherapy, you can’t go wrong with this age-old practice. So, what are you waiting for? Enrol yourself at a yoga studio!
Read More: How to Stay Fit and Healthy?
Disclaimer: The above information has been prepared by a qualified medical professional and may not represent the practices followed universally. The suggestions listed in this article constitute relatively common advice given to patients and since every patient is different, you are advised to consult your physician, if in doubt, before acting upon this information. Lupin Limited has only facilitated the distribution of this information to you in the interest of patient education and welfare.
