S W E A T . I T

With temperatures on the rise and the promise of a nice toasty 42 degrees today exercise might be the last thing you want to do with just the thought of trying to pull your training tights up over your clammy butt making you feel exhausted. Believe me when I say, ME TOO. With my pasty British skin, mad moisture repelling frizzy hair and heat tolerance of around 30 degrees (that's a heatwave in England) I am beyond sweating, I look like I have stuck my finger in a socket and honestly I think my internal organs have turned to soup.

BUT... despite all that, there is something about sweating through exercise that I really enjoy. It sound pervrse I know, but I have never been a particularly sweaty person until moving to Queensland and now I could probably water my garden with the amout of persperation I create on the daily. But for me sweat is the extraction of toxins and negativity, it's my way of flushing out everyday what my body doesn't need and renewing it as I rehydrate.

My yoga classes are designed to build heat, we move fluidly with purpose and as anyone that comes to my sessions knows - WE SWEAT.

So... is exercise in extreme heat safe?

Absolutely.

As long as you take care of yourself and listen to your body.

It is important to keep hydrated, drinking water is a must, so always bring a bottle with you to class. If you start to feel nauseous or dizzy stop what you are doing, slowly + carefully take yourself onto the floor sitting against a wall for support making sure there is nothing that could cause you harm if you were to collapse. Tell your teacher or another student that you dont feel well. If you are asthmatic and the heat affects your breathing (especially with the dust filed air at the moment) always have your inhalers with you, just in case.

But these are extreme cases, and more than likely nothing will ever happen to you if you exercise in the heat, except for sweating. And feeling wonderful for it.

Yoga is especially good for when you are over-heated and feel like you are in the depths of hell...

Practicing yoga calms your body and mind. Our breath is powerful, by sitting still and chanelling our breath we CAN lower our body temperature - pretty cool huh?

I don't know about you but being over heated makes me bothered, a little bit short tempered and very anxious. I find unnecessery arguments occur and patience wears thin, so yoga an meditation to slow down my thoughts and channel my energy is how I have stayed out of prison from not murdering anyone.

This so far has told us how yoga is good for us in the heat, but how is the heat good for our yoga practice?

You will have all of heard about Bikrim yoga, purposly heated studios to rediculous temperatures? Well yoga in Gundy is just that - even with the air conditioning on! Although there has been much controversy around Bikrim, moreso to do with his personal ethics than his practice style, someargue that yoga in a heated room doesn't have any science backed evidence for being better for you than non heated yoga...but from my personal experience I strongly believe that there is a lot you can get from your practice in high heat that you don't get being at a comfortable temperature:

Exercising in the heat improves your ability to cool yourself.

Exercising in hot conditions causes increased blood flow to your skin to cool your body down.  Over time, you will adapt, becoming more responsive to the demands of workouts and more resilient in the hotter weather. - Here's to hoping anyway!

This increased blood flow is also great news for your cells, the blood flow pumps oxygen around the body helping create new cells and rejuvenate current ones. This is why quite often people start to look younger after exercising for a period of time ansd why you can seem 'glowy' after a workout.

You become superhuman.

Exercising in the heat increases the stress load of your training. When your body responds by increasing circulation and sweating, you become more efficient at working out across a range of temperatures and conditions.  This means that you’re more likely to find your next yoga session 'easier' regardless of temperature and condition.  You also experience these benefits quickly.  As little as five sessions of high-temperature exercise are sufficient to lead to improvements in heart rate and sweat rate.

A 2010 study demonstrated that the physiological adaptations from heat acclimation include reduced oxygen uptake at a given power output, muscle glycogen sparing, reduced blood lactate at a given power output, increased skeletal muscle force generation, plasma volume expansion, improved myocardial efficiency, and increased ventricular compliance.

Improves flexibility.

You may already know that stretching after you warm up your muscles is safer than stretching cold muscles. So, it follows that an environment like a hot yoga studio can make yoga poses easier and more effective. The heat allows you to stretch a little further and achieve a greater range of motion.

A 2013 studyTrusted Source of Bikram yoga found that after 8 weeks, yoga participants had greater flexibility in their low back, shoulders, and hamstrings than the control group.

Burns more calories.

A 160-pound person can burn around 183 calories an hour with traditional yoga. Turning up the heat can help you burn even more calories.

According to researchers at Colorado State University, the calorie burn can be as high as 460 for men and 330 for women during a 90-minute Bikram yoga session.

Hot yoga, even if it’s not quite as intense as a Bikram session, will burn more calories than a traditional yoga workout.

Builds bone density.

Supporting your weight during a yoga pose can help build bone density. This is especially important for older adults and premenopausal women, as bone density declines as you age.

A 2014 study of women who participated in Bikram yoga over a 5-year period found that premenopausal women had increased bone density in their neck, hips, and lower back.

This lead the authors of the study to believe that Bikram yoga may be an effective option for reducing the risk of osteoporosis in women.

Reduces stress.

Many people turn to yoga as a natural way to deal with stress.

A 2018 studyTrusted Source of stressed, physically inactive adults found that a 16-week program of hot yoga significantly reduced the participants’ stress levels.

At the same time, it improved their health-related quality of life, as well as their self-efficacy — the belief that you have control over your behavior and social environment.

Eases depression.

Yoga is well known as a technique to help you relax and improve your mood. According to the American Psychology Association, it may also be a helpful therapy for reducing the symptoms of depression.

Additionally, a 2017 reviewTrusted Source of 23 different studies that focused on yoga as a treatment for depression concluded that yoga is an effective way to reduce depressive symptoms.

Provides a cardiovascular boost.

Striking different yoga poses in high heat can give your heart, lungs, and muscles a more challenging workout than doing the same poses in a lower temperature.

According to a 2014 study, just one session of hot yoga is enough to get your heart pumping at the same rate as a brisk walk (3.5 miles per hour).

Hot yoga also revs up your respiration and metabolism.

Reduces blood glucose levels.

While any type of exercise can help burn energy and reduce circulating levels of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream, hot yoga may be an especially helpful tool for people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

A 2013 studyTrusted Source found that a short-term Bikram yoga program improved glucose tolerance in older adults with obesity, but it had less of an effect on young, lean adults.

So, if you were going to use the sweat poring from every orifice as an excuse NOT to exercise, flip it and use it as a reason TO exercise.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of your ruck and onto your mat.

Classes this week & next:

Mon - 8.45am / 5.30pm

Tue & Wed - 5.30pm

Thur 8.45am

Sat - 8.30am

Reseach from healthline.com & mensjournal.com