Yoga Body Diet

Kristen Schultz Dollard, who is a yoga teacher in New York and the digital director of Self Magazine, is the creator of the Yoga Body Diet.

She says ‘a yoga body is the one you have now, only healthier’ and her book is the complete guide that will help you get it.

The Yoga Body Diet is a 4-week plan that shows you exactly how to eat healthy and balance your body. Yoga assists with stress management and boosts immunity.

It also pulls muscle toward bone, which creates a lithe and lean frame rather than the bulky look that can occur with weight training.

Yoga Diet Basics

In week one you take a quiz to identify your dosha – a body type – based on the ancient tradition of Ayurveda. This will influence the recommendations for the types of foods that are best for you as well as the style of yoga suitable for your body.

You will start to incorporate the principles of mindful eating and breathing. You are also advised to eat three satisfying meals each day and to stop the habit of snacking between meals. By learning to get in touch with your body and relax you will no longer experience intense cravings that occur when you are constantly in overdrive.

Week two of the Yoga Body Diet concentrates on getting started with your yoga practice and improving the quality your diet as well as learning how to shop effectively.

In week three your yoga practice becomes more intense. Dieters are also introduced to the concept of eating a smaller dinner with lunch being the main meal of the day. This is said to improve digestion and increase your ability to burn fat.

Week four involves even tougher yoga workouts. You reduce the size of your dinner even more, as well as eating it earlier. Attention is also given to improving the quality of your sleeping pattern.

Once you have completed the 4-week Yoga Body program you then move into the maintenance phase, which is designed to help you sustain the positive improvements over the long term.

Recommended Foods

Fruit, vegetables, oats, whole wheat bread, rice noodles, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, soy milk, chicken, tuna, tilapia, shrimp, eggs, low-fat yogurt, goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil, avocado.

Sample Diet Plan

Breakfast Homemade granola with soy milk Herb tea

Lunch Pesto pasta Green salad Biscotti with cranberries and thyme and lemon glaze

Dinner Chicken quesadillas Cilantro mango salsa Herb tea

Exercise Recommendations

Yoga is obviously the recommended form of exercise and The Yoga Body Diet includes illustrations and instructions for a large number of yoga postures. Each week you gradually increase your duration and intensity of your yoga workouts so that by week four you are doing yoga three times a day.

Costs and Expenses

The Yoga Body Diet: Slim and Sexy in 4 Weeks (Without the Stress) retails at $21.99.

Available from Amazon →

Pros

• Encourages the intake of organic foods.
• Program is customized to suit the individual.
• Acknowledges the role of stress management for effective weight loss.
• Gradually increases physical activity levels over the 4-week plan.
• Includes a sample menu and recipes.
• Includes an illustrated yoga guide.

Cons

• Some dieters do better with snacks or frequent small meals rather than three large meals.
• Encourages the consumption of high-mercury fish.
• Will not appeal to people who don’t enjoy yoga.

Conclusions

The Yoga Body Diet will appeal to dieters who are interested in starting a regular yoga routine. It will also help to increase awareness about eating behaviors and healthy foods, while assisting with the management of stress.