Journal of Applied Medical Sciences

The effect of an 8-minute Yoga breathing program on fitness, weight loss and breathing capacity

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• Abstract

   

  This was a single blinded randomized study with an intervention group and a control group to examine a modification in lifestyle and an 8-minute exercise session each day to lose weight. Fifty-seven female subjects participated. Subjects underwent girth measurements at the umbilicus, hips, thigh and upper arm; weight, height (for BMI), body fat, heart rate, blood pressure, abdominal strength, leg strength, arm strength, sedentary O2 saturation, treadmill challenged O2 saturation, resting metabolism (which includes fat metabolism), and lung capacity. Measures were repeated at baseline and the end of the 6-week period. During the 6-week period, they followed a healthy recommended diet with high volumes of vegetables and fruit and 8 minutes of exercise each day. In the investigational group, the average weight loss was 4.85 KG over the 6-week period, BMI was reduced 1.79 at the end of the 6 weeks, a significant loss (p<0.01). Body fat in this group was reduced by 5.87 percent, the average girth at the showed an average loss in circumference of 5.9 cm over the 6-week period. For the hip, the average loss in circumference was 6.28 cm, for the thigh the average loss in circumference in the investigational group was 5.0 cm, and for the upper arm reduced girth by 2.61 cm. For strength for the investigational group, for the abdominals the increase was 11.3 Kg, for the leg it was 6.0 kg and for the arm it was 4.8 kg. All of these increases were significant (p<0.01). The basal metabolic rate, in the investigational group after the 6 weeks increased to 31.1 cc/kg lean body mass. The fat burning doubled in the investigational group. In conclusion, subjects slept better, had high oxygen saturation and better strength and excellent weight and fat loss with this program.