How Many Calories Get Burned During Bikram Yoga?

Today I was curious about how many calories I burn daily doing 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga… so did a little research. I read several articles and got various numbers so I won’t quote any in particular, but I did like this particular article I read and thought I’d pass it along. This article is written by Benna Crawford.

Hot yoga classes are hot exercise choices for increasing numbers of fitness buffs. The combination of challenging sequences and serious sweating makes them an attractive option for a weight-loss program.

Bikram yoga is synonymous with the style of yoga practiced in a heated, humidity-controlled studio designed to induce sweating while focusing on a standard asana routine. But weight loss equals calories expended, so it’s worth knowing just how Bikram stacks up against other calorie-burning exercise programs.

Counting Calories

Weight loss follows a simple algorithm: fewer calories consumed than calories expended. The Mayo Clinic points out that each pound is worth about 3,500 calories, so if you carry a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, you can lose a pound a week.

Burning those calories is where it gets complicated. Aerobic activity that challenges the cardiovascular system is the number one calorie burner.

Low- to moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like most yoga routines, burns a high percentage of fat as fuel. Increase intensity with exercise like sprinting — or a demanding yoga routine — and you draw on greater amounts of carbs and protein for fuel. But high-intensity exercise burns more calories overall, so the tougher your workout, the more you lose. Building muscle mass through strength training also cuts calories because even resting muscle burns fuel for energy.

High-intensity yoga provides a vigorous cardio and resistance workout.

Bikram Protocols

Bikram’s hot yoga requires a series of 26 fixed poses, performed under the guidance of a trained instructor in a heated studio.

The poses are traditional Hatha yoga moves, but the performance is a kind of yoga boot camp. The room is heated to approximately 104 to 105 degrees F with a constant 40-percent humidity. During the 90-minute class, participants typically run through the routine twice. Bikram’s website claims that the heated studios quickly warm muscles and increase flexibility so you can work safely with a greater range of motion. You will sweat, so you will notice a water weight loss which does not translate directly to fat calories burned. But you work hard — a Bikram class is challenging enough to be an aerobic workout — and yoga poses use body weight for resistance, so you do some muscle building and high-intensity calorie burning.

Bikram Calorie Burn

Bikram yoga burns more calories than many other forms of exercise and yoga styles. According to Everyday Health’s Yoga Calorie Counter, a 160-pound person performing Bikram yoga for one hour uses 726 calories, compared to 508 calories for Ashtanga and Power yoga classes.

Most Bikram classes are 90 minutes, so the calories burned per session are 1,089 for Bikram versus 762 for other intense yogas. The Mayo Clinic calculates the caloric cost to a 160-pound individual for one hour of high-impact aerobics at 533 calories. For singles tennis, the cost is 584 calories, for swimming laps 423 calories and for stair treadmill 657 calories. As a bonus, yoga’s ability to reduce stress and increase fitness improves your chances of sticking to a diet.

Precautions

Bikram yoga is not for everyone. Hypertension, glaucoma, pregnancy, some forms of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease are all reasons to check in with your doctor before signing up for a hot yoga class.

If you do add Bikram to your calorie-burning strategies, drink plenty of water to counter the effects of vigorous exercise in a hot room. As the exercise boosts your metabolism you sweat more to maintain a healthy core temperature. In a hot studio with other sweaty bodies, your evaporation system has to work harder to release the extra heat. If you experience weakness, fatigue, dizziness or headache in a hot yoga class, you could be in danger of heat exhaustion or heat stroke and you should seek immediate medical attention. end of article.

So there you go. What I gained from this article for ME is Bikram Yoga good for me at this stage in my life. Today was day 12 doing Bikram in a row.

They say give Bikram 30-days will change your body and 60-days will change your life! Two weeks ago I was nursing a tennis elbow. I couldn’t play tennis due to the pain and working out at the gym had its limitations as well.

I sat quietly and asked my body what it needed and heard a rather loud “Whisper” : “Bikram Yoga”. Really???? I don’t even like yoga. But I listened and here I am enjoying the many benefits of Bikram Yoga.

Although I have NO IDEA if I have lost a pound on the scale, I do know that already my clothes are fitting better AND my flexibility and balance have improved a lot!

If you are stuck in a fitness routine that may no longer be serving you like I was consider sitting quiet and asking your body what it needs to keep you healthy and fit. You may be surprised that it is a new exercise program that you never would have imagined on your own.

Two products that seem to be supporting my new fitness activity are electrolytes to replenish the minerals I lose in sweat, and Quantum Relief Strips for balance, chi, energy to my body.

I’d love to hear from you. Do YOU like Bikram Yoga? Have you ever done 30 days in a row? Did you get fit, more flexible and lose body fat doing Bikram Yoga?

Joy Edgerton

802-846-7530

joyedgerton@gmail.com

www.DaveandJoy.com

Joy’s Journey, day 9 Bikram and other ‘Insights’ for the Day!

Today I enjoyed a little more time than usual before getting out of bed. My body needed the additional rest and we had decided to do our Bikram Yoga class at noon, rather than 9 am. Luckily I looked at my cell phone around 8 am and saw a message from the owner of the yoga studio. “There are only noon classes on MWF.”

“Oh, Okay”. We quickly adjusted our mindset and our plans and decided to go to the 9 am class. Isn’t it nice to be flexible in your thinking and in your schedule?

Isn’t it terrific to be your own boss and have flex time to go and workout and do things when you want without asking for time off? or living someone else’s schedule?

I can’t even imagine having a boss other than myself. Time flexibility is important in my life and has been for decades.

So, one of the ways we enjoy our early morning time is by visualizing, meditating, journal writing and setting the stage for a powerful day. When we take the time to do those things it ALWAYS helps bring out the best that any day can offer. We always begin our days with Gratitude as well. Gratitude IS the best Attitude!

One thing we watched this morning before Bikram was Oprah Winfrey’s inspiring words. It is worth watching, I guarantee!

 

Day 9 for me (Day 2 for Dave)- doing Bikram yoga… so proud I haven’t missed a day since joining. I’m proud of myself because it takes time and lots of energy to do a 90-min. yoga workout in 105 degree heat…. and have the energy and stamina to go on and also have an impactful day helping others on our team.

Each day, like anything else, seems to get a little easier. Still hard, because doing it the RIGHT WAY is the challenge. No short cuts with Bikram and doing it correctly yields the best therapeutic benefits.

Body image….hmmmm, I have to work on this one. When I had a tight, lean body with 12-17% body fat I was proud to show my mid-section but since menopause I have been embarrassed as I literally grew a ‘men-o-pot’. I know I need to get over it and will. I have promised myself…. especially after today, as the cotton tank top that I was wearing was drenched to the core and just weighed me down.

I read in the Bikram book to stay off the scale and I think it is a good idea. But, you think I listened? I rarely weigh myself but thought with all the sweating I’d certainly drop at least a pound or two a day. Not necessarily! Day 2 I was down 2 lbs. and then today up 3. So no scale for me. I did however try on my one and only pair of jeans that I call my “tester jeans” and noticed that not only can I zip them up, they are ‘wearable’. Good sign.

My reasons to begin BIKRAM YOGA: #1 reason is Therapeutic exercise for flexibility and longevity in life. (avoid injuries and stiffness as I age)

My #2 reason is to get in ‘shape’…. both mentally and physically. Yes, this means improved focus and drive in life but I really would like to get back to my pre-menopausal size.

Yes, dropping 15 lbs. and leaning out around the belly is HIGH on my list, I won’t lie! Weight lifting, walking and tennis were not working and I have been nursing a tennis elbow, so I am hoping that Bikram will help heal that injury and prevent others.

Once again, armed with the right tools for getting the best results. Electrolytes in my cold water to sip on throughout the session, a full Quantum Relief Strip below the belly button. Those QRS are amazing as they truly do help bring energy to the places needed most in the body. Don’t know where “those places are”- no worries, the body is intelligent and will attract energy to the parts of the body needed most. Similar to Reiki energy.

 

 

 

Are you practicing Bikram or are you involved in a form of exercised that is feeding your body and your soul? If so, I’d love to hear about it. When we take care of our physical body we also fill up our ’emotional and spiritual’ body which I call the ultimate Self-Care!!!!

Sweat is FAT CRYING. I feel like I am cleaning out the old and breathing in the new. Thank God I listened to my body 10 days ago when I heard the ‘whisper’ to do Bikram Yoga.

Interested in learning about the TAVALA TRIM or Quantum Relief Strips? Go to www.TryOurSamples.com

 

Joy Edgerton

802-846-7530

joyedgerton@gmail.com

www.DaveandJoy.com

Joy’s Journey Day 6 & 7: BIKRAM YOGA and more….

Today is Day 6 today…. Is it true what they say that the more you do something each and every day, the easier it is to become a habit? I am pleasantly surprising myself with my new habit of 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga daily- but that is the kind of person I am once I make a decision.

Whoever said it was going to get easier as time goes on was inaccurate with my 6th day of Bikram. I am not sure but I felt more exhausted than days 1 and 2. I think my body needed a break…. my muscles and tendons, etc. had been taxed thoroughly the 5 days prior and I simply had not recovered enough. BUT YOGA is your ‘own practice’ so you DO what you can and do it right and you STILL receive the benefits.

BE-DO-HAVE… BE in harmony with yourself and intentions, DO-whatever it takes…HAVE the results you are looking to attain. In my case, it is a healthy, limber, strong and lean body! I want to age gracefully!

True, day 6 was very physically (not so much mentally) tough, even keeping my arms straight and to the front or to the sides took a lot of effort.

When I left the yoga studio my husband looked at me and thought he’d literally have to carry me to the car. I was POOPED beyond pooped. I had NO EXTRA energy to draw from. My body was depleted….

That is OK. I did it, felt like my own HERO or should I say “Shero“.SHE/HERO….

I hydrated myself after I got home and ate a huge bown of chilled watermelon. Watermelon never tasted so good in my life!

I promised myself to take it easy for the rest of the day to rejuvenate my muscles and be strong for Sunday, my 7th day in a row. As it turns out, Dave and I played a little tennis later in the afternoon- which was good for two reasons. 1) cardio 2) to confirm that Bikram Yoga is what I am supposed to be doing. Tennis HURT MY ELBOW, which was beginning to heal with yoga. hmmmm.

DAY 7-
I was excited for the day and for Bikram Yoga. I KNEW from when I woke up that my experience would be different and more energized than yesterday. Heck, when I lift weights at the gym, some days I am far stronger than others. Same here with Bikram Yoga.

By the way I highly recommend trying this form of yoga – it is not only a physical but it is a spiritual experience.

One week ago today I went into the studio after the morning class to see if I wanted to begin Bikram on Monday. Both Jess and Alex were there and welcomed me. I then emailed the owner Marla to introduce myself. By having a positive experience with staff from ‘before day 1’ made a difference for me as I was more than nervous to take up Bikram. I was downright petrified! I highly recommend Queen City Bikram Yoga. Thus far, I have experienced 4 different instructors in the 7 classes and they are all wonderful!

Today was a wonderful class. Was it challenging? Heck yeah, but I love a challenge!

Was it therapeutic? You bet. My tennis elbow has improved considerably since working with these stretches and poses.

I put on a new Quantum Relief Strip again today and I really do believe it helps with balance and bringing energy to the parts of my body needed most. For me, it is the right forearm, right elbow and the dan tien area below the belly button.

Am I going to continue? You bet. Next Saturday, due to a previous schedule, I won’t be able to do class so I may double up on Friday….we’ll see.

My goal, is day to day, I’ll decide- but ideally 30 classes in 30 days. As long as I don’t let myself down I am happy.

If you take Bikram Yoga I’d love to hear from you. Does it continue to challenge you but also give you rewards that you couldn’t see on days 1-7?

Joy Edgerton

802-846-7530

joyedgerton@gmail.com

www.DaveandJoy.com

I am blessed that I work for myself (Thank you TAVALA) and can take Bikram yoga whenever I wish. Luckily at Queen City Bikram Yoga there are many options with times. This past week I did all the classes at 9 am but may change it up this week.

Feeling blessed!