The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Other exercise with Bikram
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Other exercise with Bikram
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Hello! I am new to this forum and have really enjoyed reading a lot of older posts. I took my first hot yoga class last summer and was immediately addicted! I had not been doing yoga long at all at that time. Anyway, I have been doing regular(non-heated) yoga over these last several months and trying to walk etc. when I can. My main question is, I LOVE hot yoga (or any yoga really:) and am wondering if I really need another form of exercise on top of the yoga. I clean other people’s homes three days a week and am shooting to do 5 days a week of hot yoga. The fact that my job is so physically demanding makes it hard to do anything else besides yoga.
Okay, I have another question:) Will doing hot yoga make me hungrier at first? I know they say it burns a bunch of calories, but I don’t want to just eat the calories back! Not trying to lose weight really, just worried about gaining if I am hungrier:) I love how it is recommended on this forum to toss the scale as I have been a slave to it for TOO long!
Thanks for any input 🙂
KimberlyHi Kimberly 🙂
I’m sure others will weigh in with great and more detailed feedback, but I personally have found you CAN rely solely on yoga. I used to run 3 days/week and when I started hot yoga only did it twice a week. Initially, it was a supplement to training for half-marathons. Then, I got addicted to yoga, started practicing 4x/week, and pretty much dropped the running. I just feel so much better than I have in years, and I’m in even better shape than when I ran.As for the hunger thing… hmm. People will probably have different responses, but I’ve found my body fluctuates. A couple weeks will pass when I have little appetite, and then the opposite: I’m like a machine! But my weight has stayed stable. Hope this helps! I bet the yoga helps with your physically demanding job.
I dont think there is one right or wrong answer here… everyone is different and has different needs. Some do just yoga and love it, while others feel the need to branch out to other forms of activity as well. I LOVE my workouts and feel best when I have a balance of cardio weights and yoga. Listen to your body and it will tell you what is right for you.
PS that goes for the food too ;-P just honor the messages you get from yourself and you cant go wrongThanks ladies for your input 🙂
I do love to walk when I’m not cleaning or doing yoga, but I enjoy it more if I don’t focus on it so much as ‘exercise’. The last time I went for a walk, I was trying to walk a certain distance in a certain amount of time and while it was nice to be outside, I really was asking myself why I was doing that! I just LOVE yoga and particullarly hot yoga! The hot yoga makes me feel SO good where as regular yoga would sometimes leave me feeling stiff and drained. My joints were hurting a lot when doing regular yoga too and they are now beginning to feel better–woohoo!
As for the hunger thing, I think I am not eating enough. I got on an online fitness website last night to figure out what I would eat today. I plugged in the foods that I would pretty much consider ‘normal’ for me and had a VERY hard time even getting to 1,000 calories. I kept adding food and I think I finally got it to around 1,300. I know looking at numbers is discouraged on this forum, but I wanted to see how much I’m really eating vs. what I think I’m eating. I have digestive issues (celiac and other allergies) and eat very little grains which makes it hard to get enough calories I think. No wonder I sometimes feel like I want to eat the whole house 🙂
Blessings,
KimberlyHi Kimberley, I have been practicing hot yoga for just over two years now and have tried it both with and without other exercise. Initially I came to HY as I had so many overuse injuries from my 5 years as a fitness instructor that I really needed to take a complete break from normal cardio/strength training activity. What I found was my core strength and wellness improved, and my injuries abated to the point where I felt I could return. I was trying to lose weight at that stage and so did find I needed the extra cardio and strength training to get to where I wanted to go (and the hot yoga made that training possible again). HOWEVER, my practice took a step backwards by diverting my energy to this cross training, so I found I was not progressing my yoga any further than where I was when I diverted. The theory is that hot yoga is the most complete exercise offering something for every part of your mind, body and spirit in perfect design. I would certainly say that if you are otherwise active, and are not specifically trying to shed extra pounds, your yoga practice will progress further and be more fulfilling if it is your primary focus (from my experience). You must eat properly and stay very well hydrated or you will fall over (literally)!
Thanks OZinOC 🙂
I am SO excited at the moment!!! I found a new yoga studio closer to my home than the one I had been to before. For the first week, I can go as many times as I want for $20! I’m going to my first one tomorrow. I just went and bought coconut water to hydrate with. Anyway, your comment was encouraging because I REALLY want yoga to be enough but have always felt like I should also be able to do other exercise and felt guilty if I didn’t have the energy for yoga plus whatever. It’s good to hear your experience 🙂
I am so excited I probably won’t sleep a wink 😉
My pleasure – I am so happy for you – having a studio nearby is a real gift. Enjoy!
🙂
Today will be Day 6 of Hot Yoga for me:) I am not doing any other form of exercise, other than my job of cleaning other people’s homes part time. I LOVE the new studio I found and can’t wait to go to class this evening. I went ahead and paid for a month of unlimited classes–yipee!
I am still feeling pretty hungry and am wondering if and when my appetite will reglulate?! I don’t feel like I’m stuffing myself, but I am definatley eating more. I have read that you will naturally want to eat less. Why isn’t this happening for me? Just curious–not freaked out about it 🙂
The other day I went to class and for the first time in YEARS was able to face myself in the mirror and think ‘I AM NORMAL’!! I have struggled with body image and eating disorder for a LONG time and am learning through yoga to appreciate my body! I was in a room full of college kids and was able to feel good about what my 40 yr. old body could do 🙂 That is a good feeling!
Earlybirds, I thought you needed to eat more? Isn’t this a good thing? I realize you struggle with body image, but yoga has a normalizing effect on the body. Is it possible you need to eat more, despite what you fear about the body image or possibility of gaining weight? People that need to eat less can learn to do so through yoga and vice-versa. I’m not a doctor so please don’t take what I’m saying as gospel truth! But you indicated you were only getting 1000 calories. That’s nowhere near enough if you are doing yoga–remember, it burns at least 500 calories and adjusts the metabolism. Trust that the yoga is doing what your body needs to be done 🙂 Listen to the body, not the mind.
I know, I know, easier said than done, right? 🙂
Thanks! Easier said than done for sure 🙂
This trusting my body thing is pretty new to me–so yeah, it’s a little scary. I realize that I am probably burning several hundred calories AND I think I had a pretty high metabolisim BEFORE hot yoga. I guess you’re right 😉
I am not counting calories, nor am I weighing myself. That alone is a great victory for me!
Namaste,
Kimberly -
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