December 29, 2014 6:00 AM EST
S till searching for a New Year’s resolution? New research suggests that adopting a yoga practice can do wonders for your health.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology , reviewed 37 randomized controlled trials — the gold-standard of study designs — including 2,768 people and a nearly even gender split.
Compared to people who don’t exercise, those who did yoga showed significant improvement in their BMI, blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol, the review found. In fact, yoga performed just as well as exercise, like cycling or brisk walking, at weight loss and blood pressure measures.
You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver?Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me?
Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It?
From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2.Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME How much you need to practice to reap the benefits remains unclear, the study authors note, as does the mechanism. But they think they may have an inkling: the authors credit stress reduction as one potential way that yoga improves metabolic and heart function, as well as inflammation.
MORE : You Asked: Is Hot Yoga Good For You—And For Weight Loss?
As yoga captures the minds and bodies of more and more people around the world, there’s a real need for more rigorous research, the study authors write. “This review demonstrates the potential of yoga to have an impact on concrete, physiological outcomes that represent some of the greatest health burdens today.”
See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images Burlington, Vt.
Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids
This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long.Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com Silicon Valley, Calif.
Best Place for Workplace Wellness
With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job.Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Best Place for Aging Well
Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down.Getty Images Denver and Boulder, Colo.
Best Place for Keeping Fit
The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape.Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis Plano, Texas
Best Place for Staying Safe
Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together.Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME Portland, Ore.
Best Place for a Healthy Environment
Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city.Getty Images Boston, Mass.
Best Place for Health Care
This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all.K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital Provo and Orem, Utah
Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being
A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease.Getty Images More Must-Reads from TIME Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You? The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision