When temperatures reach scorching levels in the Summer we tend to slow down and feel lazier. That listlessness we experience is due to the body using its energy to keep cool. When we feel overwhelmed by heat the last thing we feel like doing is exercising. But, research shows that exercise in heat such as Hot Yoga optimises you in hot weather.
The research we refer to was conducted by Santiago Lorenzo, a researcher at the University of Oregon and a former Olympic athlete. Lorenzo conducted a study where 12 trained cyclists were put through a heat acclimation program.
The results of Lorenzo’s 2010 study discovered that exercising in the heat can boost aerobic capacity by 8% after 10 days of heat training. As the body and mind acclimatise to the heat, you improve your physical and mental endurance. So, after heat training, you find it easier to function even when it’s roasting hot.
Any exercise that gets your heart rate up in the heat will enhance your physical and mental performance. It doesn’t matter if you’re running, cycling, climbing, or doing Hot Yoga.
What Is Hot Yoga?
Hot Yoga is well known as a high-intensity routine loosely based on Bikram Yoga. This style of Yoga incorporates a sequence of 26 poses with 2 breathing exercises in a heated room of 42℃. During a Yoga session, your body works extra hard to keep cool. Yogafurie’s Primal Furie sequence is an adaptation that incorporates 32 poses and 2 breathing sessions to give your body an intense workout. Yogafurie Hot Yoga in Bristol has also curated 7 other styles of Hot Yoga, some more nurturing and delivered at a slightly cooler temperature to help newcomers adapt.
Practicing Hot Yoga regularly, will acclimate your body to the heat and increase your fitness levels.
The Biology of Heat and Hot Yoga
So what’s happening when we do Yoga in sweltering heat? And why does it increase our ability to function during heatwaves?
Well, put crudely, your body acts like an air conditioning system in the heat. The body’s organs work in synergy to keep the body at the right temperature. After regular Hot Yoga practice, your body is accustomed to cooling itself down efficiently. These changes result in higher physical fitness. Here’s why.
Heat Gets the Heart Working Harder
During a Hot Yoga session, the body’s core temperature rises. To cool down, the body needs to pump more blood to the skin and muscles, so the heart beats faster. Resultantly, cardiovascular fitness improves because the heart gets good at pumping blood and so you use more oxygen.
Aerobic fitness is how much oxygen your body uses at maximum effort. The more oxygen you use, the harder your muscles can work.
Heat Increases Blood Plasma
Another change that occurs when you exercise in the heat is your blood plasma volume increases considerably. To get more blood to the heart, skin, and muscles, the blood increases in plasma. Plasma is the liquid part of blood that helps to shoot more blood to the skin to cool down.
Increased plasma volume is good for you because it creates higher blood volume. When you have a higher blood volume, you can work out harder for longer.
Heat Makes You Sweat More
Sweating is cool!
When blood reaches your skin during Hot Yoga, your skin releases water. The water evaporates on the skin and cools the body’s core temperature. Without sweat, your organs would literally cook.
Sweating boosts circulation so your skin ends up with a healthy glow. It’s a common misconception that sweating releases toxins from the body. But research shows that the body releases only minuscule levels of toxins.
Sweat also helps to release fat from the body. So if you’re slimming down with a wholefoods, healthy diet and lifestyle, Hot Yoga will boost weight loss.
Summary
The physiological processes that occur during Hot Yoga prime you for hot weather. After just one or two classes, you will begin to notice a difference in your energy levels and aerobic stamina.
Exercising in the heat is like performing maintenance of your internal air conditioning unit. So, it optimises you in hot weather. This means that your body won’t have to work so hard to fight the sloth. And, you can function way better during a heatwave.
Also, don’t forget about the amazing endorphin rush after a tough Hot Yoga session.
Fire up that energy now and book into a Yogafurie Hot Yoga class. If you’re new to Yogafurie you get a special deal of unlimited lessons in one month for £30. To learn more or book a class visit https://yogafurie.com/hot-yoga-bristol/,
