Yoga Great for Strength, Balance And Flexibility; Not So Good for Weight Loss

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We can thank yoga for getting a lot of middle-aged people into fitness who otherwise wouldn't. But as with most forms of exercise, it's best to mix it up during the week, to blend in strength training, cardiovascular training and flexibility training. Focus on only one and you will not be all round fit.

A recent study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has found that the average yoga class fails to raise the heart rate sufficiently to burn calories or improve overall cardiovascular health.

"Yoga is designed to relax the body and help to improve musculoskeletal fitness…"

-- Cedric Bryant, Chief Exercise Physiologist for ACE

Yoga is fantastic for building strength, balance and flexibility, but it should be supplemented with more intense cardio activity for overall good fitness.

Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for ACE, said yoga should be performed in addition to regular cardiovascular activities such as running. "Yoga is designed to relax the body and help to improve musculoskeletal fitness," he said.

Researchers tested 34 women for flexibility, balance, aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance. The women were then divided into two groups. Half the women participated in 55-minute Hatha yoga classes three times a week over eight weeks while the non-yoga group were barred from any form of exercise.

Great for Strength, Balance And Flexibility

The study concluded that while the yoga group showed improvements in strength, balance and flexibility, they did not burn a significant amount of calories.

The women taking yoga burned less than one kilojoule each per class on average, about the same amount they would expend in a 55-minute stroll.

Dr. John Porcari, professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and lead author of the study, said the women in the yoga group experienced a 13% improvement in flexibility compared with pre-study measurements, with significant gains in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Yoga is More of a Holistic Approach

Hilary Sullivan, who runs the City Yoga Center in Sydney, Australia said yoga was not about losing weight. "It's not like a gym where we are pumping iron and working the cardiovascular system," she said. "Yoga involves taking a holistic approach to health by learning breathing techniques, relaxing the mind and body, and developing strength and flexibility."

Ms Sullivan encourages customers to do cardiovascular exercise in addition to yoga. But she said many people needed to develop body strength and flexibility before beginning high-impact exercise. "We often recommend that people also do cardiovascular exercise like swimming and walking to get the heart rate up, but most people who come to me have chronic back problems and they physically can't go into a gym class and do step-aerobics.

"They first have to build themselves up by strengthening their spines and their muscles, toning the body and increasing their flexibility."

Ms Sullivan said yoga also offered people a form of peace and stillness that was necessary to maintain good health.

Posting date: 11/02/2005

Source: Clara Pirani, The Australian

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