It's no stretch that yoga can keep weight under control
By Anne Kim
Associated Press
Published August 5, 2005
SEATTLE -- The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn calories the way a run on a treadmill does, but a new study suggests it might help middle-age people keep weight off.
Researchers found that overweight people in their 50s who regularly practiced yoga lost about 5 pounds over 10 years, while a group in the same age range gained about 131/2 pounds over the same period.
Middle-age people of normal weight generally put on pounds over 10 years, but those who did yoga gained less weight than those who didn't practice yoga.
The link between yoga and weight loss has nothing to do with burning calories, said Alan Kristal, one of the researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who co-authored the study.
Except for very strenuous yoga practices, you don't really burn
enough energy to make any difference in terms of weight,
said
Kristal, who has practiced yoga for 10 years.
Instead, he thinks yoga helps keep people more in tune with their bodies and eating habits and aware of bad habits, such as eating because of stress, boredom or depression.
You become very sensitive to the feeling of being stuffed,
he
added.
The researchers collected data from 15,500 people between 53 and 57 who were asked about exercise, weight, health and diet histories. The findings published in the July/August issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine showed that those who practiced yoga tended to avoid junk food and overeating because they wanted to respect their bodies.
Mary Imani, a yoga teacher at 8 Limbs Yoga Center in Seattle, said it's difficult to eat heavily and do yoga.
It's hard to do certain movements when you have just had a slice
of pizza,
she said.
Gloria Supplee, a 59-year-old who has practiced yoga for five years, said yoga has seemed to help her maintain her weight.
Having your body in a balanced position, your body is more likely
to desire nutrients,
she said.
Gary Miller, who studies obesity and weight loss at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, called the research encouraging but said it's difficult to prove a direct influence from a single study.
Most yoga fans say weight loss is just a bonus with the disciplined form of meditation, controlled breathing and prescribed postures.
Yoga does many things,
said Kathleen Hayes, who has practiced
yoga for four years and manages a yoga studio in Seattle. It builds
strength, flexibility and clarity.
At 54, she says it has helped her maintain her weight.
For the 47-year-old Imani, a yoga practitioner for nearly two decades
whose weight has fluctuated since she became menopausal, It's all
about trying to find harmony and balance.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune