Wimbledon star Emma Raducanu swears by 'low impact' exercise routine

Emma Raducanu started off her Wimbledon campaign with a win over Welsh player Mimi Xu, and has sailed through to the second round. This is the 22-year-old's fourth time playing at the tournament and during her on-court interview she told reporters it was "really nice to be back".

Last year, Raducanu reached the fourth round of Wimbledon - which marked her best performance at a Grand Slam since her 2021 win at the US Open at just 18 years old. It turns out the athlete includes a mix of workouts into her training schedule - and there's one activity she swears by - hot yoga.

Raducanu has raved about hot yoga, explaining it is her favourite type of exercise. She told The Independent it makes her strong in the heat, which will come in handy this week as temperatures are set to reach past 30 degrees in Wimbledon.

She said: "Afterwards you feel great 'cause you sweat so much. It's just a great feeling after all the endorphins." The player said hot yoga is also good for the "deep core work", which in turn is helpful for the back.

Earlier this year, when Raducanu was suffering from injury, she told Women's Health she was still enjoying yoga or Pilates, as they were both forms of low-impact exercise. She explained: "Having been through such big changes, wellness to me now is the inner stillness I feel."

As well as hot yoga, wellness to the athlete means reading, learning, and studying - essentially doing "anything to cultivate my mind".

But what actually is hot yoga? Nike explains that it is a form of yoga where the room is heated to anywhere from 26 to 38 degrees. The heat makes the exercise more challenging, and it can also bring health benefits like increased flexibility and greater lung capacity, the corporation explained.

Other positive effects can include better bone mass, burning calories, regulation of blood glucose levels, stress management, and improvement of depression symptoms. Hot yoga can also boost heart health, and improve your skin's health.

However, it is not for everyone. Dr Edward Laskowski, co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine, explained that the intensity of the workout and temperature can "have the potential to cause heat-related illness". Anyone with health concerns or who is pregnant should check with a doctor before trying hot yoga, he said

Before, during, and after the workout you should make sure to drink lots of water, and stop if you feel lightheaded, dizzy, or sick, Dr Laskowski encouraged.