A popular new trend in fitness classes? Turning up the heat--literally--in the room to over 100 degrees!
These specialty fitness classes boast increased flexibility, more calories burned, weight loss, and detoxification, all thanks to the added heat in the room.
It's no surprise that these classes will make you sweat more, but is the torture and hype really worth it? Shape Magazine set out to answer just that.
"The heated room intensifies any practice, and I found it to be a perfect accelerator for Pilates," Shannon Nadj, founder of Hot Pilates, LA's first heated Pilates studio, told Shape Magazine. "The heat speeds up your heart rate, intensifies the workout, and makes it more challenging. It also ensures that you warm your body faster," she explains.
"Aside from the physical benefits, the mental connection you develop to your body during a heated class is also different from non-heated classes," says yogi Loren Bassett, whose popular Hot Power Yoga classes at Pure Yoga in NYC are always packed. “The discipline, the pushing through when you are uncomfortable, and finding comfort in discomfort—if you can overcome that, then you can translate that to your life off the mat. When the body gets stronger, the mind goes along for the ride.”
Not only that, but in a 2013 study from the American Council on Exercise suggests that hot yoga was just as safe as regular yoga. Researchers monitored the heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, and core temperatures of participants doing yoga at 70 degrees and at 92 degrees. They found that the heart rate and core temperature of all participants were about the same during both classes. However, they noted that their research suggested that at temperatures of 95 degrees or more yielded different results. Still, while their core body temperature and heart rate remained the same, participants rated the hot class as more difficult.
What do you think about hot yoga classes? Let us know your thoughts and reactions in the comments!
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