Gym or Yoga, Which one is considered better if you are trying to lose weight is a common question that is asked by many especially teenagers in India.
Both gymming and yoga help in weight loss, but the time required to achieve the results varies. We all know that the key to weight loss is cardio, regular exercise, a proper diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These four factors for losing weight are dependent on each other.
Calorie management is the main mantra when it comes to weight loss. To lose 1 kg of fat one needs to be in a calorie deficit of 7500-7700 calories. Burning calories is extremely essential when it comes to losing fat.
The gym is considered way more effective compared to yoga when it comes to losing weight. Doing yoga for 30 minutes will allow you to burn about 90 calories whereas cardio and gymming for 30 minutes allow you to burn about 150 calories. The calories you can burn while doing physical workouts and gymming are double compared to yoga.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you can just push off yoga and concentrate just on gymming. There are certain disadvantages of gymming where yoga holds the upper hand when it comes to weight loss. Let’s see why.
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Pros and cons of yoga
Even though cardio and physical training are considered to work more efficiently when it comes to burning fat, yoga has other advantages to offer.
Pros
1. Yoga helps in improving the flexibility of your body. So if you are someone who wants to stay fit till an older age, yoga should be your priority.
2. Yoga burns fewer calories compared to exercising within a given range of time. Results witnessed from yoga take time but the process is efficient. On the other hand, physical workouts although provides result very quickly, you should always remember that gymming is not possible after a certain age. This is where yoga becomes so efficient. You can perform yoga even in your 80’s.
3. Yoga keeps you energized and keeps you free from stress, anxiety and depression. This is highly necessary, especially in this fast-paced lifestyle.
4. Yoga acts as a relaxation therapy that unleashes your ability to focus and improves your overall concentration power.
5. Performing yoga regularly keeps joint pains, back pains and arthritis away. Yoga keeps you fit and healthy by maintaining the proper circulation of blood.
Cons
1. Some yogas are extremely time-consuming and may not be suitable for people leading a fast-paced lifestyle.
2. Results witnessed from yoga are very slow but steady. One needs to be patient and perform it regularly to experience good results.
Pros and cons of gymming
Intense workouts, immense physical exercises, and cardio all fall under the gymming section. Gymming is considered great if you have serious bodybuilding, muscle building and weight loss goals.
Pros
1. Gymming is efficient if you are trying to build muscles or have serious body-building goals.
2. When it comes to weight loss, physical workouts and vigorous training help you to burn fat and lose a lot of calories within minutes. The results are actually very quick compared to yoga.
3. Gymming and exercises help in maintaining the proper circulation of the body and also boost metabolism which further helps in weight loss.
Cons
1. Gymming is never recommended for children under a certain age and people who are above 70 years old. Yoga is a better option for them.
2. Gymming does not improve your focus or concentration power. Yoga is considered better for maintaining proper mental health.
Gym vs Yoga – Which is better?
As we can see both yoga and gym have pros and cons in their own ways. Choosing one between them depends on the purpose and the conditions.
1. The time factor
If you have serious weight loss goals and want to achieve them within a short period of time, physical workouts and gymming is your best option. But if you are someone who has time to spare and wants a fit and healthy body you should definitely choose yoga.
2. The age factor
The gym is not everyone’s cup of tea. Aged people just cannot suddenly join a gym and start intense training to lose weight. This is because hormones start depleting with growing age. Gymming is not suitable for young children. So aged people and young children can shift to yoga to maintain their weight.
3. The flexibility factor
There is a huge difference between muscle building and developing a flexible body. If you have serious body-building goals there is no better option than going to a gym. But if you want a flexible body you should choose yoga over gymming. In most cases, body flexibility is finished if you are into regular workouts. Too much weight lifting and cardio exercises cause stiffness. The warmup is always essential to maintain flexibility and volume.
4. The weakness factor
If you are hitting the gym on a regular basis and not getting enough rest you feel weak throughout the day especially if you follow a fast-paced lifestyle. Rest is very important after a high-intensity workout. If you do not give enough rest to your body you feel lethargic throughout the day. But this is not the case with yoga. Doing yoga in the morning is actually refreshing and keeps your mood uplifted.
5. Chances of injury
The chances of developing an injury go up if you are gymming to lose weight. People generally tend to achieve everything quickly. If you are new to gymming and not properly following the instructions given to you by your gym instructor, chances are that you will develop injuries. But when it comes to yoga, there are very less risks of developing an injury.
Is yoga better than gym?
The efficiency of both yoga and gymming entirely depends on your purpose. Gymming mainly focuses on muscle building and yoga maintains overall mental and physical fitness. If you want to lose weight, both help in serving the cause as both contribute to burning calories. The difference lies in the time taken to witness the result. Intense workouts and physical activities help you to achieve your weight loss goals quicker.
Can you lose weight by yoga?
Yes, definitely you can lose weight by yoga as yoga also involves burning of calories and fats. Performing various weight loss asanas like trikonasana, sarvangasana, surya namaskara, virabhadrasana helps you to lose weight.
Is yoga better than gym for weight gain?
Yoga helps you to burn calories, boosts mental power and keeps you energetic throughout the day. Yoga can never help you with weight gain as it involves strengthening muscles and burning calories. Yoga can help you with weight loss but not weight gain.
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