Yes, I said Hot Yoga in the Summer

Get ready for your friends to widen their eyes in horror.

"You do hot yoga in the summertime? Are you crazy?"

Yea...crazy like a fox.

If this is your first summer of hot yoga, get ready: summer is hot yoga season. Because once you get the heat, the humidity, the humility of hot yoga inside you, August is a breeze again...just like when you were a kid. 

Why is hot yoga such hot fun in the summertime? Let me count just five of my favorite reasons:

Top 5 Things I love about Summertime Hot Yoga...

1. Hot yoga beats the heat

Those 107 degree days of August are coming around again but you can be ready: hot yoga tunes up your body's internal cooling system so those dog days of summer won't get you down.Hot yoga acclimates you to withstand higher heat, tuning up your natural cooling abilities including the sweat glands -  and that makes summertime fun again. So while your friends and co-workers are feeling irritable, impatient and just plain hot, thanks to hot yoga, you don't feel so bothered.

2. Hot yoga beats the blahs

Summer heat can leave you limp. Hot yoga is about better circulation which means increased energy. Because hot yoga employs something called the tourniquet effect - a systematic aligning and holding of each yoga pose designed to momentarily cut off the circulation to  a particular part of your body - when you release the pose, you get a fresh rush of oxygenated blood, like unkinking a garden hose. By the time you've finished 90 minutes of hot yoga, you've hyper-oxygenated the entire body, for a burst of energy. The more consistently you practice hot yoga, (three times a week is optimal), the better your circulatory system functions - even when the weather would normally leave you sluggish.

3. You get nature's warm up

Everyone knows the importance of warming up the muscles before exercise. But warming up in a cold environment doesn't work. Because even your warm-up stretches are still a form of stretching, and when you stretch something cold there's resistance, even possible injury. Whats the best way to warm up? Apply heat.  In summer your body is already warmer, your muscles are more relaxed, and your flexibility increases naturally. Going deeper in yoga poses feels easier in the summer.

4. Save Money

I used to need my air conditioning at 65 degrees to get to a good night's sleep on those airless August nights. Since doing hot yoga, I can turn it down - to 75 degress - and I sleep like a baby. My body now feels that 75 is a lot cooler. And I cut my summer energy bills in half - from $400 during those heat waves to about $225.

5. Beach Body? Bingo

Hot yoga can help you lose excess fat and inches but there's more: it tones you up in places you forgot you had. Arms, abs, inner thighs and more. Hot yoga transcends the body, but it sure can make you enjoy shopping for a new bathing suit.

And feeling good about yourself is nothing less than you deserve, in all the seasons of your life.

Now 5 Tips for surviving Summertime Hot Yoga

1. Hydrate Properly

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day to maintain proper hydration levels - even more when you're doing hot yoga - but try not to drink so much during hot yoga class, please. Drink between 24-32 oz after class. 

2.  Replenish Electrolytes

They include: potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.  Other than in food and vitamins, electrolytes are found in these two of our favorites:  Trace Minerals drops like 40,00 Volts of Electricity and Amy & Brian's Coconut Water - and we have both at the studio.

3. Eat, drink and be a hottie

Since you burn 800+ calories in one hot yoga class, you need fuel to burn. But eating lightly is the key. You can even do hot yoga on an empty stomach if you have a high metabolism, otherwise just eat light foods easily digested up to an hour before class: fruit (apple with peanut/almond butter), Sweet Salvation bars, nut mix, avocado, carrots or celery with hummus...check our full list

4. Dress with Less

Sweating is the body's primary way to normalize against over-heating; bare skin allows your body to release more heat.  We carry what I think are the best hot yoga clothes out there: Yoga Bela. Yes, th're revealing - shorts, camisoles and bra toos - but they are also very flattering and they move with you during hot yoga, so nothing hangs out. You're covered in all the right places.  PS - refrain from covering your head- this includes bandanas.

5.  Cut the Caffeine. 

Caffeine is a diuretic and a stimulant.  A diuretic increases excretion of water from the body.  Drinking lots of caffeine can lead to dehydration.  Consider cutting back on your caffeine intake and increase your water consumption.  Water flushes away toxins and keeps your brain sharp!

Comments

[KristinaS]

I agree with Rhonda on #4 - I love hot yoga in the summer because I get all my sweating done in class - then when I'm outside at parties and picnics, I'm already acclimatized and don't sweat as much! Much better then when I was a red, dripping mess!

Hot yoga also works great in the winter - your body gets used to extremes and seems to be able to cope better.

[Ellen]

I LOVE hot yoga in the summer. I definitely agree with Rhonda and Kristina- I feel much more comfortable in the summer while doing hot yoga. Even going into a 90 degree day from the 105 degree studio feels fine :)

[Becky]

I love hot yoga in the summer! Specially cause my muscles are already warm so i can get deeper into the poses much quicker. And yes, well everyone around is sweating their tushes off Im like " oh its not really that hot"