Turn up or turn down the heat in the yoga exercise room?
Turn up or turn down the heat in the yoga exercise room
?
Some yoga instructors and yoga schools believe in heating the exercise room. The idea is for the excess heat to warm and loosen your muscles, making them easier to stretch. People turn up the thermostats in exercise rooms for the same reason they take warm baths. Heat relaxes muscles from the outside in. It allows for a greater range of motion in the ligaments, joints, and muscles. Capillaries the extremely small vessels in body tissue that transport blood from the arteries to the veins dilate in the heat, which helps deliver oxygen to tissue and muscles.
Exercising in heat also offers some subtle benefits:
The heat may force you to slow down and do the exercises safely.
Your heart beats faster to cool down your body, and this stimulated circulation speeds up body metabolism.
The increased circulation and pumping action of your heart breaks down glucose and fat.
The heat gives you a cardiovascular workout.
The heat cleanses your body as you eliminate toxins through sweat.
Doing yoga with weights in a heated room sounds like a good deal. Stretching is a vital part of yoga with weights, and the heat helps you stretch. And the other benefits of exercising in a heated room aren't too shabby, either. You should run to your exercise area and turn up the thermostat immediately, right? The answer is: maybe. Exercising in a heated room has disadvantages, too.
Different people have different reactions to heat. Some of the reactions are harmless quirks:
You may get very uncomfortable when sweat pours down your back and your heart starts beating faster.
Sweat can be slippery on your yoga mat.
The heat can keep you from relaxing, and relaxation is an essential part of the yoga frame of mind a frame of mind that keeps you safe and growing in your practice.
Exercising in a heated room can also give you a case of lazy muscles. When a muscle gets too warm and relaxed, it can get lazy or groggy. It doesn't want to work anymore, and neither do you. If you've had the experience of sitting in a warm, comfortable bath and not wanting to ever get out, you know what lazy muscles are. You can find yourself stopping in the middle of a workout to use your yoga mat like a hammock rather than an exercise device.
Some reactions to heat are dangerous. Heat can add some unwelcome dimensions to the yoga practice:
If you have high blood pressure, and you're concerned for the health of your heart, exercising in a hot room and cracking a profuse sweat can be frightening. Avoid exercising in the heat if the health of your heart is compromised or if you suspect in any way that exercising in the heat is bad for your health. Consult your doctor before you decide to heat your exercise area if these thoughts enter your head.
If you put an emphasis on pushing yourself further every time you exercise, you may do more harm than good in a heated environment. More is not always better, especially when it comes to your joints. Because warmer muscle tissue yields more easily, you run the risk of stretching beyond optimal limits and compromising joint tissue. A loose joint that you overstretch is like a loose door hinge that prevents the door from closing tightly and fitting in the frame.
Exercising in heat pushes you to the edge, and some people like being there. In our experience, certain type-A personalities who like getting their adrenalin and endorphins flowing enjoy the extra challenge of exercising in hot rooms. However, exercising gung-ho style can get you in trouble. When you exercise, always work to your capacity without compromising the stability and integrity of your joints, connective tissue, and muscles. Going at it full bore in a hot room makes it harder to maintain the mindfulness and awareness that yoga with weights calls for.
Still, some like it hot. If you're that kind of person, and you don't have health concerns, go ahead and raise the room temperature to 85 or 90F. But remember that it isn't necessary to go that high to have a good yoga-with-weights workout; you can push yourself with 70 to 75F just fine. Don't expose yourself to drafts or a cold room when you exercise, because the cold air makes your muscles contract.
How To Get Six Pack Abs With 3 Effective Exercises Lose Weight - Exercise Techniques To Burn More Fat Simple Mental Exercise That Helps You Reach Success, by Keeping You Mentally Active Eye Exercises, Improving Eyesight Effective Ways To Exercise Your Brain The Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat A Guide To Pelvic Floor Exercises Free Grow Taller Exercises - Now you can get Grow Taller With Very Short Time Beneficial exercises to accelerate the weight loss process Plantar fasciitis exercise Owning An Exercise Bike Stretching exercises - Best option for Finger pain Top Cardio Exercises