Yoga is a holistic practice that has been part of the culture for thousands of years, but it got mainstream popularity a couple of decades ago. Over the years, we have learned that it offers a plethora of health benefits such as decreasing stress, improving sleep, improving posture, flexibility and more. While people are aware of the benefits of this age-old discipline, there are several myths surrounding yoga. One such myth is yoga does not help weight loss! But Malaika Arora does not think so.

One of the fittest celebs in B-town, Malaika Arora often shares posts inspiring her fans to follow yoga as a way of life. Recently, the 49-year-old took to her Instagram to bust the myth that yoga does not work for people trying to lose weight.

Yoga helps you lose weight: Malaika Arora

If you think yoga is not for you if you’re trying to lose weight, check out Malaika Arora’s post that screams that it does!

Malaika captions the video, “If anyone’s telling you Yoga cannot help you burn calories, they’re wrong.”

Also Read: Busted! 6 myths about yoga you need to stop believing

It’s not just Malaika who thinks that yoga is good for weight loss, science is enough proof to show yoga can help you lose weight. A study published in the journal Obesity found that doing yoga can be beneficial for people trying to lose weight. Here’s how yoga helps you lose weight in more ways than one:

• Yoga helps manage stress, which is one of the most common causes of weight gain. Too much stress leads to the production of the hormone Cortisol, which can increase abdominal fat. It also leads to unwanted cravings, which can also lead to obesity.
• Do you crave ice cream in the middle of the night? Well, you can control these cravings by being aware of your body and yoga can help! It helps improve mindfulness, which in turn helps decrease stress eating, binge eating, and even emotional eating. All of this helps you keep your weight in check.
• A study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that yoga helps improve eating patterns by reducing fat intake. Another reason for you to add yoga to your regimen.

Also Read: These are the best foods you should eat before and after a yoga session

A warm-up routine before an intense workout is important

Malaika shares that she never misses warming up before a high-intensity abs yoga routine. “This is my warm-up flow, I add Vrikshasana or the tree pose to my side plank. It helps me engage the core muscles, works on the obliques, relieves stress, and enhances body balance,” she writes in the caption.

Studies have also shown that warm-up exercises are important for a number of reasons. A study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found that warm-ups help you perform exercises better.

Here are the benefits of performing warm-up exercises before an intense workout:

Improves performance

Jumping straight into any exercise without warming up can throw off your body and lead to muscle soreness. Studies have shown that warm-ups and cool-downs help you perform exercise better and help reduce muscle soreness after a workout.

Increases blood circulation

Warm-ups before yoga help increase flexibility, which helps you mentally prepare for a yoga session. When you stretch your muscles and connective tissues, you facilitate blood circulation.

Reduces injury risk

Performing warm-ups before any exercise are good for improving exercise performance, which helps reduce the risk of injuries to the muscles and tendons.

Better flexibility

Warm-ups can help increase the blood flow to your muscles, which also helps increase flexibility.

So, what are you waiting for? Since there is no doubt that yoga can help you lose weight, it’s time for you to try it and shed extra kilos.