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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Nutrition Counts in Calorie Counting

Nutrition. So many words and thoughts come to mind…

I started eating extremely healthy and began exercising on a regular basis, but I wasn’t losing any weight. Turns out, I was consuming quite a bit of calories, and If it weren’t for my daily exercise routine, I probably would have been gaining weight! Yes, gaining weight on carrots and apples. Ok, not just on carrots and apples, but I think you get my point. What I have come to find is, our bodies are like a math problem. We can figure out how many calories you need each day living your life and maintain your current weight. You can also figure out by simple math how to lose or gain weight.

If you want to lose a pound of fat, you need to either burn 3,500 extra calories or eat 3,500 calories less, or a combination of the two. Combination of the two is preferred (and I think it’s easier!). For example, If you just wanted to lose 1 pound a week, you could burn 300 calories a day by doing some cardio, and then consuming 200 calories less than you normally eat.

It might be a good idea to count calories until you get the hang of what you should be eating. It might surprise you how much calories you are consuming each day, and even more of a surprise to find out how many servings you are eating!

With calorie counting, you might think you can eat whatever you want. Technically, you can, but it’s not recommended. I remember eating something unhealthy like a candy bar, and since I was counting calories and staying within my daily “budget”, I thought I was OK. Problem is, I was hungry. Very hungry and miserable, and that can’t be good for anyone who is trying to stay within a certain amount of calories. Candy can only satisfy you momentarily. Real food is what is going to give you energy, make you feel good, and keep you going throughout the entire day.

As far as calories go, you do not want to consume less than 1,000 calories in a day. Talk to your doctor or a professional nutritionist to find out how many calories you are supposed to consume. Typically, you don’t want to lose more than 2 pounds in a week. Losing 2 pounds in a week is a lot, maybe even more than you think. Be patient, and realize if you start losing more than 2 pounds a week, it could be muscle. This isn’t a good thing, since muscle is what is helping your body lost fat in the first place. Again, consult a Doctor or Nutritionist before you start any diet/exercise plan.

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