If you’re trying to lose weight with aerial yoga, then you’ll be happy to know that it’s a great way to shed those stubborn pounds! Aerial yoga is a relatively new concept that’s taken the world by storm – both fitness enthusiasts and couch potatoes have taken up this new fitness trend. This article is specifically about aerial yoga for weight loss, with plenty of tips for you to lose weight with aerial yoga.
Diet and weight loss is something that millions of people all over the world find a challenge. In America, obesity is now an epidemic and is reaching the tipping point. Traditional weight loss and exercises are very off-putting to someone who is new to fitness and wellbeing. Try telling someone who has lived on fast food and sits on their butt at all day that they need to eat vegetables and go jogging! With modern gym equipment, there are more fun and engaging ways to workout.
Losing weight is difficult. It’s a struggle that millions of people are facing right now. You are not alone.
In this article, you will learn…
- How aerial yoga helps with weight loss
- The myths around exercise and losing weight
- What you need to get started with aerial yoga
How Does Working Out Make You Lose Weight?
Working out is generally split into two categories:
- Cardio (Burning fat)
- Strength (Building muscle)
Working out alone will not help you lose weight. Let’s get that myth out of the way right now. Most weight loss will come from eating a balanced diet with limited sugar, junk and processed food.
Working out will help your body process food more efficiently and keep you healthy for the long-term. It is not a quick fix to help you lose a few pounds quickly. Weight loss requires a lifestyle change rather than adding some exercise into your routine, although starting small is not a bad thing if you’re trying to change your lifestyle.
Sugar and foods that are high in carbohydrate are one of the biggest causes of stubborn weight gain check out these effective ways to reduce sugar from your diet.
Cardio Training
Cardio exercise is typically any psychical activity that causes you to sweat and your heart rate to increase, such as jogging, cycling, swimming, track/field, football, soccer, dancing, or gymnastics, etc.
During a cardio workout, you’re burning calories because your body is using more energy than usual. Where do you find this extra energy from? Your bodies’ fat stores, of course! Try to imagine your body using all the areas of stubborn fat like a fuel injection system in your car. Every time you push yourself, your body is taking a bit of fat and using it up as energy!
See Also: Best Weighted Hula Hoops for Weight Loss
Strength Training
Strength training is generally any physical activity that builds muscle. This could be lifting weights, doing push-ups, pull-ups, yoga poses, squats, etc. Strength training builds muscle by causing blood to flow to the muscle and putting enough stress to help the muscle repair itself. This is why you ache after strength training – your muscles have torn themselves but the ache is them repairing themselves to become stronger. You’re acclimatizing your muscles by working them hard.
Some forms of strength training cause weight gain, not weight loss. This is because muscle weighs more than fat, so unless you’re burning more fat than muscle gain, you can gain weight by doing a lot of strength training. To avoid this, don’t lift heavy weights, perform bodyweight exercises and repetitions with lighter weights instead.
How Aerial Yoga Helps with Weight Loss
Aerial Yoga is one of those activities which is both cardio training and strength training. By performing tricks, poses, and inversions, you’re encouraging blood to flow to all the muscles in your body. You’re also engaging several muscle groups at once, which in itself burns more energy than cardio alone.
This makes aerial yoga the perfect formula. The ratio of cardio:strength is perfect for someone who is new to fitness, or someone who wants to take their yoga workouts, quite literally, to the next level.
Hanging from the air and holding yourself upside down is quite a strenuous task for your body to do! Even though it sounds difficult, the technique is actually very simple. With an experienced instructor, you can soon be hanging upside down, feeling that rush of exhilaration!
Aerial yoga is a full-body workout, so it works every single muscle in your body during a 1-hour class. This means that you can burn upwards of 400 calories in a single class.
You could also combine aerial yoga with mat yoga, or other cardio and strength training to ensure you get a holistic workout within your weekly routine.
There are loads of other health benefits to aerial yoga, such as reduced back pain, more refreshing sleep, improved flexibility and so many more!
Read more: The Health Benefits of Aerial Yoga
Get Started with Aerial Yoga
To get started with aerial yoga, you will need at least one of the following:
- A local aerial yoga class near you
- Your own aerial yoga swing and DVD/Online instruction
It’s recommended to have an experienced instructor with you at first, to teach you the technique before you start self-learning at home, in case you pick up any bad habits!
As aerial yoga is becoming so popular, more and more classes are opening up all around the world. Your local gym or yoga studio is the first place you can ask, and, of course, Google is your friend!
But, perhaps classes are not convenient for you. Maybe, you want to level-up your aerial yoga game by practising and working out at home. Fitness classes aren’t for everyone, sometimes they’re just simply at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or life just gets in the way.
If you commit to working out at home, you’ve only got yourself to blame!
Being able to practice aerial yoga at home also gives you the ultimate flexibility to create your perfect workout regime that fits around your current lifestyle.
Aerial Yoga Equipment
When it comes to the equipment you’ll use when practising aerial yoga, it’s very simple. You have:
- Rigging – an exposed beam or door-frame bar works best. Alternatively, a freestanding aerial frame with extendable legs that you will hang the hammock, swing or silks from.
- Yoga swing / Yoga hammock – the actual fabric that you will use to perform inversions and tricks
- Connectors/accessories – this is what you use to attach the hammock or swing to the rig itself, there are various types of connectors, carabiners, rotational connectors, static connectors and more
See the Best Yoga Hammocks of 2021
Are you currently on a weight loss journey? Are you using aerial yoga as a workout to help you lose weight? Did aerial yoga help you lose weight? Did you notice any other benefits?
We’d love to hear from you! Let us know and help our readers at the same time by leaving a comment below.
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