Effect of yoga exercises on the body composition of fasting females

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of one-month fasting along with yoga training on the body composition of novice female athletes. Twenty trained women were randomly assigned to experimental (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. The experimental group participated in yoga training classes for 4 weeks, two 60-min sessions per week; the control group did not participate in any regular exercise programs. This study was conducted on two fasting groups in the month of Ramadan, 2012. The study variables including body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured in three stages: a week before Ramadan, the fifteenth day of Ramadan, and a week after Ramadan. The results showed that BMI in the fasting yoga group decreased; however the changes of BMI in the control group were not significant. Also, subcutaneous fat showed significant reduction in both experimental and control groups, though the changes were more significant in the exercise group; also, the results showed that waist-to-hip ratio significantly changed in the experimental group. As to the results, yoga exercises along with fasting can help overweight people to experience ideal weight loss; also for the athletes who stop exercising in Ramadan, yoga can be used as an alternative to maintain their weight.