RESEARCH REVIEW
YOGA TO MAKE
YOU SWEAT
Yoga is a firm fixture in most fitness facilities these days – so what effect does the more vigorous, fitness-
based variety have on heart rate and body temperature?
Review by Dr Mike Climstein PhD & Joe Walsh
Title: Heart Rate and Thermal Responses to Power Yoga
Authors: Dr’s Schubert and colleagues. (Department of Kinesiology,
California State University USA)
Source: Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 32, 195-199
Introduction: I’m originally from the South in the US, so it’s fair to
say that I like the heat and humidity, grew up on it, so it really doesn’t
bother me. Having also completed most of my training in the western
US, where it snows and snows (Park City Utah and other resorts
there get 12.5 to 13.7 metres of snow each season), I can confidently
say that, having been there done that, it’s way too cold for me.
So when my partner Claire decided it was time we visit Uluru in
Australia’s red centre I thought it was a brilliant idea, and off we headed.
In February. Mistake number one. After a three-hour direct flight from
Sydney we landed. Because it’s a regional airport, there’s no air bridge,
so we descended the plane’s steps onto the tarmac and hit a wall of
heat. The temperature hit 41°C every day we were there.
The itinerary that I had drawn up had
us walking around the base of Uluru. The
Traditional Owners, the Anangu people, do
not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual
significance and have long requested that
visitors follow this example, partly due
to the path crossing a sacred traditional
Dreamtime track, and also due to a sense
of responsibility for the safety of visitors
(many people have died climbing Uluru,
mainly from heart attacks). From 2019 this
request will be replaced by an outright ban
on climbing the rock.
So, now we were ready for mistake
number two. My research told me that it
was only a 10.6km walk around the base of
Uluru, so I figured that, hydration-wise, our
1.5 litre and 0.75 litre water bottles would
NETWORK SUMMER 2018 | 45