For a former athlete, who hopped off the wellness wagon after knee injuries in college, I have been more or less on the sidelines for 20 years now. So I must say, going from zero to sixty out of the blue, well make that zero to 105 degrees, may cause some surprise for folks around me.
The first question most girls in my "hood" ask is "Does Bikram help with weight loss?"
My answer usually is, "I assume that exercising 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees and 40% humidity probably could be helpful in that area." After all, even in my fittest days I never was fully drenched with sweat, including every single strand of my long hair...so its gotta be good, right?
Here is some feedback I have gathered from assorted sources:
1. It is well known that an effective workout should make you sweat and increase your heart rate. (Check!)
2. Warm muscles burn fat more efficiently.
3. Muscles become stronger and more supple, allowing for more effective exercise and aiding in shedding any excess weight loss.
4. Positive metabolic effects occur in conjunction with body detoxification and healthy circulation facilitated by Bikram Yoga.
5. It has been asserted that Bikram Yoga enables many of your bodily systems and functions, such as digestion, respiration, lymphatic, endocrine and elimination processes work in greater harmony.
6. Regular students of Bikram Yoga testify that as a result of consistent practice, personal appetite normalizes, unhealthy cravings decrease and mental strength and willpower begin to significantly increase over time.
7. It has been recommended that new students attend a minimum of ten Bikram sessions, with three or more sessions per week highly encouraged to gain maximum weight loss benefits.
8. Bikram students have shared that 13 seems to be a consistent number of sessions to jump start your body into the level of optimal benefits. It takes about three classes to get a pretty good idea of what is expected in the postures, and then ten sessions after that to really start to "get the hang of it."
