Hot Yoga Does Not Burn More Calories Than Regular Yoga

Contrary to popular perception, researchers at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse have found that people who perform hot yoga do not burn more calories than those who opt for regular yoga. Hot yoga is a form of performing yoga exercises in hot and humid conditions, with temperatures often above 105 Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius), and has gained popularity among Hollywood celebrities. However experts say that while doing hot yoga is not harmful, it does not make the body work harder or burn more calories.

In the study, commissioned by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the researchers observed two dozen healthy adults performing hot yoga in classes with an average temperature of 33C (92F) and regular yoga classes and found that there was no difference in the increase in core temperature or heart rate among the participants.

“The benefits are largely perceptual. People think the degree of sweat is the quality of the workout, but that's not reality. It doesn't correlate to more calories. An increase in core temperature would suggest the person is storing heat, and depending on how high, would be at risk for heat injury. We didn't find that”, ACE’s chief science officer Dr Cedric Bryant said.



Source-Medindia