When is the best time for hot yoga class?
Now there's an even better reason to jump out of bed and do hot yoga:
Turns out that exercise first thing in the morning can set you up for easier weight loss by reducing food cravings all day long.
Hot yoga to reduce hunger; that's new benefit to add to the list of hot yoga goodies.
Most people think exercise makes you want to eat more. But do you really feel like eating a full dinner after evening hot yoga?
Recent research proves what we always felt - oftentimes just a smoothie will do - and goes one step further: if you do hot yoga first thing in the morning, that "full" feeling can last you all day long. Less hunger, less eating, more weight melting off more easily.
According to Dr. Mercola, recent research shows that 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning is all it takes to reduce those daytime food cravings.
And we've got 90 minutes of warm, vigorous morning hot yoga 7 days a week.
A recent study was performed on 18 women of normal-weight, and 17 who were clinically obese. Their brain-response to images of food was measured on a morning following exercise, and on a morning when they did not exercise.
Images of flowers were used as a control. Flowers or food....what do you think they chose?
You guessed it: the women's responses to images of food decreased after a brisk walk...and that's a cake-walk compared to hot yoga. Imagine what a 90 minute, full-body, hot yoga class will do for you first thing in the morning.
According to co-author of the study, James LeCheminant:
"This study provides evidence that exercise not only affects energy output, but it also may affect how people respond to food cues... We wanted to see if obesity influenced food motivation, but it didn't. However, it was clear that the exercise bout was playing a role in their neural responses to the pictures of food."
Now it just gets better: because in both groups of women, morning exercise also resulted in an increase in total physical activity that day.
And another surprise: they did not compensate for the energy expended during exercise by eating more later in the day.
So starting the day with hot yoga leads to more energy, more activity, and less eating.
It's just one study, but Dr Mercola says the evidence supporting exercise for normalizing weight and food is so overwhelming, you really don't need to wait for more confirmation here.
Roll out bed one morning (mornings are cold and hot yoga is so WARM!) and get to the 9:30AM hot yoga ...or how about that 6:45AM Monday morning music hot yoga class before work....or the 8AM Music Hot Yoga on weekends....or the 10:30AM hot yoga class on Saturday and Sunday morning.
Getting yourself hot first thing in the morning might just be the diet tip you've been looking for. And it's been here all along.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Reader Comments (8)
Hi, Rhonda!
Any chance you guys will ever offer a 6 AM class on weekdays? I know it's super early, but it's always such a nice experience, and for those of us who have to be showered and at work by 8:30, it's the only time that works...
Thought it was worth a shot to ask!
Hey Mary-Rush - our Monday 7AM class is Music Hot Yoga and it ends at 8:15AM - skip the shower! Towel off, change into your work clothes, and head out. Honestly, no one will notice the missed shower - they'll even say things like, "Did you change your haircolor? " or "You look really awake today" or "What skin cream do you use?" Honest.
Argh! I commute in from Jersey City on Mondays--the curse of living in two places. But I can give the non-shower a shot if another 7 AM music class pops up... hinthint...
I get the hint LOL! Name your day and I'll see if I can move the Monday 7AM to another day 7AM...
Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays would work for me! Hopefully they work for some other people, too. Can't imagine how great a music class would be before work. Wow....
Actually, I love the idea of more morning classes, but I think in the earlier direction, not the later direction. I've done a hot class after a night shift once. I spent the majority of it in Savasna, but I got my "workout" in on the way home and could rest until the next shift started a mere 9 hrs later...that being said, any extra morning classes would be great for that week of nights.
Hum interesting ideas here, i have been toying with the idea of switching to an early morning practice... starting tomorrow and see if i enjoy it
It's always great trying something new in your practice - let me know how you like the morning hot yoga, Becky