Why you should give Yoga a try

There is a lot of hype about Yoga, and the health benefits of doing Yoga on a regular basis. I have been a bit reluctant to try it out for several reasons. First of all, I like to do cardio works outs that make me sweat (funny how I used to not like that part of exercising), and something where I feel like I am burning a ton of calories and making some progress in my weight loss or maintenance. I tend to do exercises like running, swimming, and the elliptical machine. After those work outs, my body just knows that it worked out. This again shows me that I am making some progress, and I feel good about what I have done. So now back to Yoga. When I think of Yoga, I have to admit, I thought it was just a little boring and maybe a little too easy?

I went to my first Yoga class a couple of months ago. Let’s just say all of my previous thoughts about Yoga were pretty much dissolved. I realized I wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought, and by the end of the class, not only did I sweat because of the amazing workout, but I was calling myself a “pansy” for not being able to do some of the “simple” and “boring” moves that I thought Yoga was all about. By the next day, the way my whole body felt, I knew this was something my body needed and wanted more of.

Not to my surprise, I wanted to do some more research on the benefits of Yoga.

Flexibility

I thought this was a bit of an obvious find, but still wanted to mention it. Not a lot of exercises will help with flexibility like Yoga does, and I believe that by gaining some more flexibility with Yoga, it will help out with your other exercises that you are doing. Worried you aren’t flexible enough? No need to worry. Do the poses the best you can, without causing yourself pain. You will soon find poses you couldn’t do, with time and practice, eventually you can do them. Everyone is at a different level, and you don’t need to feel like you have to be a pro your first time around.

Strength

If you want and all over toned body, Yoga is for you. Remember how I said I felt like a “pansy” after Yoga? There is a good reason for that. You have to use your muscles for the poses, and if you aren’t strong enough just yet, you can be by doing yoga on a regular basis. If you can’t do the pose yet, don’t worry. Keep practicing on a regular basis, and you will find you can start doing poses you couldn’t do a month ago. You can see your progress right before your eyes! If it makes you feel any better, there were strong guys in the class who were still struggling with some of the poses, which leads me to my next benefit of  Yoga.

Balance

Yoga will help you with your balance, which is one of the reasons some guys who were very strong still had some struggles- they were learning how to balance their bodies, and use their muscles in ways they never had to before. You will notice the more you practice these poses using your balancing techniques, you will start to get a little better and better with each practice.

Reduces Stress

Even though your first Yoga experience may be more difficult that you could have imagined, it might just surprisingly be quite relaxing all at the same time. If you are in a class setting, usually the Yoga instructor will put on some soft and relaxing music, and may even dim the lights (depending on type of Yoga). With Yoga you get to focus on breathing, flexing, relaxing, holding positions, all at the same time. If you ever have a tough day at the office, Yoga might be a good way to relieve the stress, which is obviously something good for your body-inside and out.

“Where can I do Yoga?”

-If you have a gym membership, that might just be a great place to start. A lot of gyms will have Yoga classes, as well as others like Spinning, Aerobics, and Dance. Find out what classes your gym offers, and if you are new to Yoga, feel free to talk to the Instructor before or after class and let them know if you have any questions, or if you need help with some of the poses.

-You might want to try a Yoga Training DVD, which is great because if you want something convenient, you can do this in the comfort of your own home. It can be like having your own personal trainer at whatever time of day you want to do Yoga.

-The Internet not only has plenty of reading material on Yoga, but it also includes Yoga videos. Try doing a search on Yoga in your Search Engine, or even go to a site like YouTube for Yoga instructional videos. Just realize the instructor may not be licensed, but still may know what they are talking about. Take it for what it is.

If you haven’t already given Yoga a chance, I urge you to now. If you are already reaping the many benefits of Yoga, feel free to comment about your experiences with Yoga.

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Twinkie’s Favorites

New to health food? Maybe you are starting to get sick of eating the same healthy food all the time because you don’t know what else is out there?

I like to try new things. When it comes to food, I get bored easily. I just can’t seem to eat the same thing over and over again. So, as I am grocery shopping (something I just love to do), I take my time looking at what products are out there. I come home with new things all the time to just try it out, and hopefully find something new my husband and I will both love. Some things I have brought home haven’t been so successful. I have thrown away some food because of this (not something I am proud of), but I am hoping by posting about some of the more successful finds, it will help you find something you too will enjoy.

Don’t be scared to trying new things…you never know what you will discover.

Bon Appetit!

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Twinkie’s Challenge: Say “No Way!” to Fried foods

If you can do one thing for your health..stop eating fried foods.

What is considered  ”Fried foods”?

Anything cooked in a lot of grease or oil, at very high temperatures. Fried foods are things like french fries, most potato chips, onion rings, doughnuts, and in most cases, anything with the word “fried” in the title (though many products can be sneaky with their names!).

Why try to give up Fried foods?

Fried foods have little to no nutritional value, and if you have learned anything from my posts, your body needs good-for-you-fuel to survive and function properly. Those fried onion rings? Not helping you in any way. Fried foods are drenched in unhealthy oils-most commonly used are Canola, Vegetable, or Peanut oil-that are not good for your body. These oils become even more harmful for you when they are heated at such high temperatures to cook your food. Adding your food-whatever you may decide to fry- just decreases the nutritional value, and actually making things worse for your body. How bad can it be? Ever heard of the obesity epidemic? I guess fried foods fuel one thing-obesity. Fried foods not only cause obesity, but it also has been found to cause heart disease, clogged arteries, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the list unfortunately goes on. Nothing good can come from frying your foods- nothing!

What are my alternatives to Fried foods?

Steaming, Baking, or Toasing your food! Trust me, not only will you be preparing better-for-you foods (you know, the ones where your body can actually benefit from what you are eating), but you will enjoy a variety of benefits from not frying your foods.

I believe your food will taste better. You will consume much less calories! Your body won’t feel so sluggish, and you should experience more energy (more noticable for those who eat fried foods on a regular basis and then suddenly stop). You can feel better- an excess of fried/greasy foods always made me feel really sick- literally. It was my body’s way of telling me “No more Fried foods”, and that it just wasn’t benefiting my body in any way. I finally wisened up, and avoid Fried foods.

Twinkie’s Challenge

My challenge for you: No more Fried foods! Take it one day at a time. If you are used to eating Fried foods on a regular basis, it may take a little bit of time to get out of the habit.  When you go grocery shopping, don’t buy fried potato chips or doughnuts. When you go out to eat, don’t get fried chinese food or don’t get the french fries at the Burger joint. Your body will thank you.

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