And if losing weight or improving your body composition<\/a> without restricting yourself seems hard to believe, Lawson had some strong words of advice: \u2018No one should be put on this earth to go on a diet! No one should eat themselves ill either. As you get on in life, you value feeling well as opposed to looking well. Yoga certainly makes you feel great, and you want to carry on feeling great. I just do a bit in a very slow way.\u2019<\/p>\n Seven years on, she was still practicing. \u2018I do it with a trainer who comes in the morning,\u2019 the now 66-year-old said in a separate interview with Good Housekeeping<\/a> in 2022. \u2018I have to do something I enjoy, otherwise I wouldn\u2019t do it.\u2019 <\/p>\n Iyengar yoga<\/a> is one of the slowest forms of yoga that involves holding poses for longer, with a focus on precise alignment and controlled movement. It\u2019s relatively low-intensity and while research<\/a> has shown it has a lower energy expenditure (calorie burn) than faster styles of yoga like Vinyasa, it\u2019s a stronger form of the practice that could therefore build muscle<\/a> faster. <\/p>\n Nigella Lawson at a book signing in 2018<\/p>\n By holding poses for longer, you build muscular strength and function; muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning the more you have, the more calories you burn at rest. This could explain Lawson\u2019s claims that she was \u2018in better shape\u2019 after starting. (When someone mentions “being in shape”, they’re usually referring to having relatively low body fat and enough muscle definition to make the muscles visible.)<\/p>\n There\u2019s another important lesson to take from Lawson\u2019s approach. She said she genuinely enjoys Iyengar yoga and wouldn\u2019t continue with it if she didn\u2019t. Yes, Iyengar yoga might not be a particularly high-calorie-burning workout, but she\u2019s found something she genuinely enjoys and can stay consistent with, which is far more effective than forcing yourself through a workout you hate and only going a couple of times a week. As cliche as it is, consistency really is key when it comes to seeing results.<\/p>\n Whatever form of exercise you choose, increasing your overall physical activity will increase the amount of energy you expend, which can support weight loss. Just make it something you like; punishment won\u2019t get you anywhere.<\/p>\n As Women\u2019s Health UK\u2019s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.<\/p>\n After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine\u2019s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!<\/p>\n![\"nigella](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bfa19681-ccfc-447a-b5d1-9ae9a6895a43.jpg\" "\\"nigella")
Brandon Williams\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790107332_475_3c8d88e6-1a98-41e9-804d-2de8b0b9d75a_1741783208.file.png\" "\\"Headshot")
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