Getting Fit and Stay Fit Along with Yoga
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine found that yoga improved muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and lung function.
As with other forms of exercise, yoga can work toward the HHS guidelines for optimum fitness if used as part of a holistic program. The gentler, restorative styles of yoga may not count as much toward those quotas as more rigorous versions.
Strengthening
Yoga is a great way to strengthen your core. It can improve posture, boost your energy levels and help you withstand everyday activities like walking, sitting down and twisting.
The key to strengthening your core is to focus on observing your own body and noticing where you hold tension. When you do, you can take steps to release it.
A good yoga class will include challenging poses, but you can also do some strengthening exercises on your own. Practicing poses that require you to hold for long periods, such as Plank or Warrior II, are a good place to start.
Boat Pose is another excellent abdominal-strengthening pose. It builds muscle strength in your torso, shoulders and arms by engaging your core.
Flexibility
Flexibility training is a great way to get fit and stay fit along with yoga. It can also help you to improve balance and relieve stress, as well as reduce pain and swelling in your body.
People who are more flexible tend to have better posture and lower rates of musculoskeletal injury. In addition, flexibility exercises are associated with increased strength and muscle endurance.
There are several different types of flexibility training, including static stretching, dynamic stretching, and foam rolling. Static stretching is done by getting into a position and then extending and contracting your muscles.
Dynamic stretching is a type of flexibility training that uses your own body weight and movements to stretch your muscles. It’s a good way to build flexibility and balance, and can also be helpful in preventing falls among older adults.
Studies have found that flexibility is more often associated with health outcomes in adults than in youth. Despite this, there are still several challenges to establishing a relationship between flexibility and health.
Balance
Balance training is a great way to get fit and stay fit along with yoga. It improves your body’s ability to control its center of gravity, which is important for everyday activities and for preventing falls.
It helps people of all ages and fitness levels, especially older adults. It can also help people with certain conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and arthritis.
As a low-impact exercise, balance training does not put a lot of stress on the joints and is often safe for people with osteoporosis. It also improves proprioception, or the ability to sense where your body is in space.
You can do balance exercises a few times a week, or they can be part of a more comprehensive workout plan. If you’re not sure which exercises will work for you, talk to your doctor about your overall health and fitness goals.
Stress Relief
If you are dealing with chronic stress or have recently been diagnosed with anxiety, yoga can help you get relief. The practice increases your awareness of how your body feels and helps you move away from unconscious tension that causes pain.
A recent study found that stretching exercises can also build muscle strength and endurance. That means that you can perform a workout longer and extract more oxygen during your session.
Practicing breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation can also help you reduce your stress levels. You can practice these techniques at home or in the office when you are feeling stressed.
You can also try gentle restorative yoga classes or Yin yoga to help you de-stress and rejuvenate. These classes are a great option for people who have had some time off and are trying to ease back into their normal routines.