My local branch of the health club I joined a few months ago has yoga classes. I did yoga sporadically about five years ago, but reverted to my usual gym routines, which I still do today. The only difference now is that I’m doing slightly less weight training, and considerably more cardio than I used to.
I’ve always liked yoga; I liked the way it makes me feel, and I like the way people who do yoga always seem to look. But I would get discouraged by my tightness and inability to do such things as as a forward bend accomplishing more than a 90-degree angle. Or to even dream of doing a handstand even though I have plenty of strength for that.
Now that it’s a few years on, given my age and gender is it even worth giving it another shot? And if I do, will I burn the same calories as I would have on the eliptical trainer? I know that in a typical Hatha class, by the time you get through the sun salutations you know you’ve had a workout, but has anyone investigated the calorie expenditure involved?
Absolutely! I started taking a Pilates class when I was 46, and it made a huge difference in my strength and flexibility. Did I ever get to the point where I could bend double and touch my forehead to my knees? Nah. But I don’t care. (I’m female, by the way.)
Just a WAG, but I doubt yoga would burn as much calories as an elliptical trainer, depending, of course, on how hard you go at each. But the yoga would be a good complement to the cardio.
You are supposed to burn around 225-245 calories an hour doing yoga (sweeting). No matter your age you can always increase your flexibility too. It all depends on your goal. Personally, my body is happier if I do yoga with weight training. Keeps everything flowing;-)
It was mat Pilates, which is so deceiving. I mean, how hard can it be? You’re lying down most of the time! :rolleyes:
If Reformer Pilates (which I assume is the kind that uses various sorts of appartus?) had been the only option, I probably would have been too chicken to try it.
You might like Ayengar yoga. This makes use of various apparatus to allow people at any level to benefit from the postures. You probably have to go to a yoga studio rather than a health club since the tools are fairly specialized. I took a one-time class in it and learned moves that unkink me in a whole new way.
For me I suspect yoga doesn’t burn many calories, with the exception of something called “power yoga” that I tried once. It used a step like step aerobics and really was intense. But yoga may help you stick with the cardio since you might not get as sore or be less prone to injury.
This is exactly opposite to what my instructors have all said. Do the postures properly, and you’ll get the benefits, whether you can touch your toes with your nose or just your hands. So yeah, your starting flexibility isn’t important, as long as the posture is correct.
Incidentally, I’m doing Bikram yoga now, and one guy wears one of those watches with a calorie-burn guage on them, and it usually reads 700-800 for a 90-minute class.
FlyingDragonFan, I lose ~1230 calories per 90 minutes of Bikram. I go twice a week.
What Helen’s Eidolon has said is pretty much what you reflected, and what my instructors have said: do your best to get into the position, but don’t worry if you can’t get your forehead to the floor/knees to your nose/leg over your head. You will still reap the benefits.
Spectre: Try this site to calculate your calorie burn.
I’ve been “practicing” Bikram yoga twice a week for a little over a year. For those who don’t know, Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures over 90 minutes taught in a 105°F room. The postures focus on strength, balance and flexibility. After a year I have seen remarkable improvement but still don’t even come close to getting fully into some of the postures. (I don’t know if I ever will be able to fully do that fucking standing head to knee pose.)
As the other Bikramites have said, the key is to do the posture correctly and not worry about how deeply you can get into it. If you do not do the posture correctly, you will not get the full benefit and you risk injury.
I took my first class when I was 41 and I was a disaster. Now I feel better than I ever have and take much better care of myself in general. I am in the best shape of my life.
Definitely give it a try and try a couple of different types of yoga to find out which style suits you the best.
Thanks for all the answers everyone. Unfortunately my gym doesn’t have Bikram, at least not at a time when I can go. I’ll have to see about the traditional morning class; even that’s a little awkward for me, but doable.
If I have to give up either weights or cardio to fit this in, which should it be? A little of both?
You rock. I’ve built up my strength to the point that I can easily stay in the first position for the whole first set at least. My legs just aren’t flexible enough for the second step which is more of a problem than the strength aspect.
On the other hand, my Cobra kicks ass. I’m even better than her.
As soon as I finish this post, I’m going to put on some shorts and head to the studio!
My Cobra is not the best, but my Eagle will kick your Cobra’s ass and eat it for dinner.
Spectre, it depends on what you’re looking to accomplish. What sort of weights work are you doing? How’s your general health? If it were me (but I’m not you!), I’d give up weights.
Yes, to clarify, I meant that it doesn’t matter if you never look like the model pictures of professional yogis in the postures, but if you do the best you can, you will get a lot out of it.
That fucking standing head to knee is my absolute worst pose. I have problems with my knees, and locking them out like that is tough. I’m lucky if I can just stand with my knee locked for 60 seconds, much less extend my leg out. My triangle rocks, though.
Give up cardio or weights? I’d say it depends on the particular yoga you have access to. Most yogas will work your lower body pretty heavily, but maybe not your upper so much (but again, it depends). I know you said you don’t have Bikram, but maybe others are similar in that they do get your heart going pretty well, so it’s a little bit cardiovascular. Like one of my instructors said, “It’s not sitting and talking to your candle for 90 minutes, it’s work!” A good yoga class is a pretty well-rounded workout, and people that do it regularly (and with no other exercise) look amazing, and tend to feel that way also.
I wouldn’t sacrifice either cardio or weights in favor of yoga, especially at your age (I can say that: I’m only three years behind you). The cardio is essential for heart health and diabetes prevention and a slew of other health benefits, and the weights will help you to preserve muscle and bone as you get older, which is important for both men and women. If you absolutely can’t spend more time at the gym (and, really, if you’re spending any substantial time at the gym, you’re doing better than 90% of Americans), I’d say give up a little of each to add the yoga in. It won’t burn many calories, but I think the increase in flexibility and general feeling of well-being is really worth it.
I did mat Pilates for a year and was even trained in and taught a “core fitness” (read “Pilates, but we didn’t bother to spend the money to get our instructor certified” - ah, non-profits!) class for six months before my Y hired an actual Pilates instructor. I think it’s a great program and you can get a lot of benefit from it. I still like yoga a whole lot better.
If you can get in three sessions a week of cardio, two of weights, and sneak in a couple of yoga classes on top of that, you’ll be in great shape!
My Eagle is nothing to be sneered at either, Babe. Now I’m not trying to say that I have one pose mastered or anything but let’s just say that around my studio they call me Mr.Awkward Pose.
BTW, it should be very obvious that we are joking around here. One of the worst things you can do in a yoga practice is to be competitive.
To hijack a little bit more, one of the best things that I did was to take a semi-private posture clinic with one of the instructors. It was $50 each for a semi-private class. The deal is that you choose your favorite in instructor and take a regular class with them. After class you drink some water and relax for a half hour or so and then go back in the room and do the clinic. You go through every one of the poses with the instructor watching and they give you hints for improvement. It is very worthwhile.