Cellulite can be a cause for insecurities and feeling overly cautious, especially among women. Although harmless, the lumps and dimples may prevent you from feeling beautiful and confident, especially when wearing outfits that show off your outer thighs, hips, and butt. While some can easily get rid of their cellulite, others may have a harder time in doing so. Luckily, there are many exercises and practices today to keep cellulite at bay, and one of these is Bikram yoga.
So what are the benefits of Bikram yoga for cellulite? Bikram yoga has heat, humidity, and muscle-toning properties that can help with reducing cellulite. It enables a faster calorie burn rate, improves blood circulation, and stretches muscles to ultimately move fat cells in the body and flush them out eventually. Of all the different products and practices that claim to treat cellulite, many women swear by Bikram yoga as an effective way to smooth out their cellulite.
Also known as “hot yoga,” Bikram yoga is the practice of performing yoga poses and breathing exercises in a very hot room. Created by yogi Bikram Choudhury, the 90-minute yoga class must be done in a room that meets certain temperature and humidity levels, so expect to really sweat it out.
The combination of heat and humidity may sound like an uncomfortable experience – and for first-time yoga practitioners, the hot environment can be unbearable. But yoga practitioners claim that they learned to acclimate to the practice and have gained several benefits from practicing it.
Bikram yoga must be done in a room that’s 105° F (approximately 41° C) with 40% humidity to maximize the effects. Some yoga studios offer different experiences: some hot yoga sessions are quiet and serious, while other yoga teachers involve more upbeat music and interactions with others in the class.
One 90-minute hot yoga class includes 26 yoga poses and 2 breathing exercises. These poses can vary between the hot yoga studios you go to, but these poses and exercises are done in the same order in every class.
It’s unknown what causes your fat to form cellulite, but what doctors do know is that the tissue that connects your skin to the muscle makes a huge impact – the dimples you see, to be exact. Connective tissue pulls the skin’s surface while pushing its surrounding fat upwards. This gives the lumpy, uneven, cottage cheese appearance we recognize as cellulite.
Even with weight loss and fat loss, it can be difficult to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Cellulite shows up in areas like your thighs, hips, butt, and abdomen, making it difficult for popular exercises to target fat in that area. Bikram yoga, however, provides a combination of heat, humidity, and muscle-toning practices that are ideal for strengthening your body, especially in the areas prone to cellulite. Aside from weight loss and fat burning, Bikram yoga can reduce cellulite through the other ways it affects your body.
Sometimes, patients may not have cellulite caused by fat cells. Rather, water retention in your body is causing the appearance of cellulite. One cause of water retention is sitting or standing for long periods of time. Gravity keeps your blood in your lower extremities, and results in poor blood circulation, especially in areas like your thighs and butt. On top of water retention, the nutrients that can’t be distributed properly weakens your connective tissues and, in turn, makes dimples in your skin more prevalent.
Taking a hot yoga class can improve blood circulation in three ways. First, the heated environment is ideal for improving blood flow because it can increase your body temperature. When your body has a hot core, your internal temperature can improve your blood pressure and allows your blood to flow better to deliver oxygen to more areas of your body. Second, the heat and humidity can lower the amount of fluids in your body, which can help reduce bodily fluid water retention. Lastly, the yoga poses and breathing exercises can help you relax your muscles, enhancing the natural effects of Bikram yoga. Your muscles can relax and stretch further under hot conditions. These poses and breathing exercises can help your body with its blood flow by exercising your heart, lungs, and muscles.
Regular yoga on the average person can reach a calorie burn rate of 183 calories per hour. Bikram yoga, on the other hand, can help lose as much as 330 calories for women and 460 calories for men in the span of 90 minutes.
Bikram yoga also increases your respiration and metabolic rate, helping you burn fat more effectively. While some yoga practitioners claim that Bikram yoga has helped with reducing cellulite, not all weight loss programs result in less visible cellulite.
Certain yoga poses used in Bikram yoga can strengthen areas like your thighs, abdomen, and leg muscles. Aside from reducing fat in the area, hot yoga can tone your muscles for firmer-looking results.
Hot yoga isn’t for everyone. If you have pre-existing conditions that can make you prone to heat stroke, exposing yourself to extreme heat isn’t a good idea. If Bikram yoga isn’t looking like a viable option for you, there are other ways to treat cellulite and reduce its appearance. Some safe aesthetic treatments include:
The effectiveness of remedies and treatments you can do at home can have varying results. Some easy, at-home activities you can consider include:
Bikram yoga is a good option for those who want intense exercises that can physically and mentally strengthen you while treating your cellulite. However, cellulite isn’t caused by excess fat, so even those with a regular body weight can still have stubborn signs of cellulite. If Bikram yoga or any DIY treatments don’t work for you, consider aesthetic treatments that can effectively reduce the appearance of cellulite.
At the Cellulite Treatment Center of New Jersey, our QWO treatment provides quick and effective cellulite treatments. From mild to severe cellulite, our doctors can treat the right areas and smooth out your skin without the need for invasive cellulite reduction procedures. Begin your transformation and schedule a consultation with us today.
