Huffington Magazine Issue 83 | Page 82

Exit THE THIRD METRIC HUFFINGTON 01.12.14 in body mass index, as well as no increases in blood sugar levels. IMPROVED SENSE OF BALANCE. Practicing an Iyengar yoga program designed for older adults was found to improve balance and help prevent falls in women over 65, according to a 2008 Temple University study. ASCENT XMEDIA/GETTY IMAGES AFTER YEARS STRONGER BONES. A 2009 pilot study by Dr. Loren Fishman showed that practicing yoga could improve bone density among older adults. “We did a bone mineral density (DEXA) scan, then we taught half of them the yoga, waited two years, and did another scan,”Fishman previously told The Huffington Post. “And not only did these people not lose bone, they gained bone. The ones who didn’t do the yoga lost a little bone, as you would expect.” HEALTHY WEIGHT. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found an association between a regular yoga practice and decreased weight — or at least a maintained weight — Yoga could boost arousal, desire, orgasm and general sexual satisfaction for women.” among more than 15,000 healthy, middle-aged adults. “Those practicing yoga who were overweight to start with lost about five pounds during the same time period those not practicing yoga gained 14 pounds,” study researcher Alan Kristal, DPH, MPH, told WebMD. LOWER RISK OF HEART DISEASE. As part of a healthy lifestyle, yoga may lower cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, according to Harvard Health Publications.