Does yoga count as moderate exercise?
You know you should get a 30-minute dose of moderate exercise, 5 days a week. So does your yoga class count? Maybe not. Moderate exercise means getting your heart pumping about 130 beats per minute – or walking to the beat of the song “YMCA.” And most yoga classes fall short of that heart-rate goal. However, you don’t have to stick your yoga mat in the closet just yet. It has major benefits as far as improving balance and strength and reducing stress. And if you want it to count as moderate exercise, you need to move through poses faster and focus on ones that engage your core. If you want to see what that looks like, Google Cardio Yoga and you’ll see examples. Otherwise, keep doing yoga for the other health perks, but add in moderate heart-pumping exercise 5 days a week.