Yoga may help keep weight off at mid-life
人到中年练瑜伽 有助减肥状态佳
The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn calories like a run on the treadmill. But a new study suggests it might help people keep weight off in middle age.
Researchers found that overweight people in their 50s who regularly practiced yoga lost about five pounds over 10 years, while a group in the same age range gained about 13 1/2 pounds over the same period.
Middle-aged people of normal weight generally put on pounds over 10 years, but those who did yoga gained less weight than those who didn't practice yoga.
The link between yoga and weight loss has nothing to do with burning calories, said Alan Kristal, one of the researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who co-authored the study.
"Except for very strenuous yoga practices, you don't really burn enough energy to make any difference in terms of weight," said Kristal, who has practiced yoga for 10 years.
Instead, he thinks yoga helps keep people more in tune with their bodies and eating habits and aware of bad habits, such as eating because of stress, boredom or depression.
The researchers collected data from 15, 500 people between the ages of 53 and 57 who were asked about exercise, weight, health and diet histories. The findings, published in the July/August issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, showed that those who practiced yoga tended to avoid junk food and overeating because they wanted to respect their bodies.
Mary Imani, a yoga teacher at 8 Limbs Yoga Center, said it's difficult to eat heavily and do yoga. "It's hard to do certain movements when you've just had a slice of pizza," she said.
Gary Miller, who studies obesity and weight loss at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, called the research encouraging, but said it's difficult to prove a direct influence from a single study.
Most yoga fans say weight loss is just an added bonus from the disciplined form of meditation, controlled breathing and prescribed postures.
做瑜伽时需要慢慢舒展身体，沉思冥想，进入忘我境界。这与骑自行车狂奔不同，不会消耗大量的卡路里，不过，最新的一项研究表明，做瑜伽可以帮助中年人减肥。
研究人员发现，经常做瑜伽的50多岁的肥胖者在十年的时间里体重下降了五磅左右，而处于同样年龄段、不做瑜伽的人的体重同期则增加了13.5磅。
一般来讲，正常体重的中年人在十年的时间里体重都会增加。但是，那些练习瑜伽的人的体重比不练习瑜伽的人的体重增加得少。
弗雷德·哈钦森癌症研究中心的研究人员艾伦·克里斯多指出，练习瑜伽能减肥并非因为消耗了卡路里。他同时也是这份报告的共同撰稿人。
“除非是做特别剧烈的瑜伽运动，否则你实际消耗的能量不足以减肥。”克里斯多说，他练习瑜伽已经有10年了。
实际上，他认为练习瑜伽可以使人处于良好的身体状态，保持健康的饮食习惯，防止不良的习惯，如因为压力、心情烦躁或郁闷而暴饮暴食。
研究人员调查了15500名年龄介于53至57岁的受访者，采集了大量数据，并详细询问了他们以往的身体锻炼、体重、健康和饮食情况。有关的研究结果发表在《替代疗法》杂志的7、8月合刊上。结果表明，练习瑜伽的人能够有意识地不吃垃圾食品、不吃得过饱，因为他们非常爱惜自己的身体。
玛丽·艾曼尼在八支瑜伽中心当教练。她说如果吃得太多就很难做瑜伽。“当你刚吃了一片比萨饼时，很难去做某些动作。”她说。
加里·米勒在北卡罗来纳州威克森林大学从事肥胖和减肥方面的研究工作。他称这份研究报告鼓舞人心，但同时又指出单靠这么一个研究很难证明做瑜伽对减肥有直接影响。
大多数瑜伽爱好者表示，减肥不过是做瑜伽的意外收获，毕竟做瑜伽可以使人有规律的进入沉思、调整呼吸节奏、保持良好的状态。
Vocabulary
yoga： 瑜伽，致力于训练一种能达到完美精神内省和宁静状态的意识的印度训练方法
treadmill： 踏车
strenuous： 使劲的，紧张的，热烈的
obesity： 肥胖，肥大
posture： 姿势，体态，状态
