I’ll always remember my first yoga retreat. I was so excited to dive into four glorious days of self-care and warrior poses. I packed my suitcase with every fabulous legging and top I owned, convinced I needed the whole wardrobe to rock at least two sessions a day.
Looking at the super fit host and teacher, I thought we’d challenge our bodies with powerful exercises. The type that fills you with a deep satisfaction of having moved your body, feeling like a champ after burning off all those extra calories!
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After four days, I realised that not everyone likes to sweat through their yoga pants when they roll out their mat. Most of the lovely women around me wanted the exact opposite. They were all about relaxation, giving their bodies and mind a well-deserved break. They were totally wiped out from everyday chaos and found pure joy just lying there, breathing in the invigorating scents of essential oils the teacher massaged into our foreheads.
And guess what? For many of them, yoga was their sole form of exercise. It was their version of a “workout,” and that got me thinking: is yoga really enough to stay fit in midlife?
In 9 out of 10 cases, it just isn’t!
Unless you dedicate a considerable amount of time to more challenging types, incorporating a vigorous flow of poses that require strength and endurance, most yoga sessions are basically a spa day for your mind. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to pump up those muscles and get your heart racing, strength training and cardio are your go-to power moves.
Why is that?
Yoga, while amazing for flexibility, balance, and mental relaxation, often doesn’t engage the body in the way that more physically demanding exercises do. Here’s why:
- Yoga prioritises flexibility and mindfulness: Most traditional yoga practices are focused on stretching and aligning the body, improving flexibility, and promoting mindfulness. While this is fantastic for calming your mind and improving posture, it doesn’t stimulate the muscles enough to build significant strength.
- Limited cardiovascular impact: Unless you’re practising more intense forms like power yoga or Ashtanga, most sessions don’t elevate your heart rate long enough to significantly improve cardiovascular health. For heart health and fat loss, you need sustained, high-intensity movements like running, cycling, or interval training.
- Strength-building requires resistance: To build muscle, you need resistance that challenges your muscles beyond their comfort zone. While yoga does engage bodyweight movements, it typically doesn’t offer the level of resistance needed to promote muscle growth the way strength training with weights or resistance bands does.
- Metabolism needs a boost: Muscle mass plays a crucial role in boosting your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Yoga alone, unless it’s highly strenuous, isn’t enough to create the metabolic demand that comes with lifting weights or doing resistance exercises.
Both yoga and more intense forms of exercise have their place in a well-rounded routine, but if you’re aiming for overall fitness, especially in midlife, you need to include a variety of movements that build strength and support cardiovascular health.
If you ever wondered why your body fat consistently increases and no matter how often you “exercise” that little pouch you’re trying to camouflage with extra large shirts is getting bigger every year, counting yoga as exercise could be part of it.
What to do instead
Think about how you can re-organise your spare time to allow for at least two sessions of resistance training to build muscle. Make this your exercise focus, but keep going to yoga on your rest days. Not only will it help you to calm your racing mind, it also gently stretches your muscles and lubricates your joints, which is so important during our peri- and menopausal years.
To truly see lasting results, especially in midlife, a balanced approach to exercise that combines strength training, cardio, and yoga is key. If you’re looking for a tailored plan to help you lose weight and feel your best during menopause, check out my 8 Weeks to Successful Weight Loss While Facing Menopause program. It’s designed specifically for women navigating hormonal changes and will guide you towards building strength, boosting metabolism, and achieving sustainable results.
