We hear it all the time right? "You must get at least 60 min of exercise every day." If you are anything like me, you would know what it feels like to go to the gym every day; I hate it.
Not using your body on a daily bases can have some long-term effects. And trust me, they are not good. Over time, your muscles will become flabby and weak. Your heart and lungs won't function efficiently. And your joints will be stiff and easily injured. Doctors say that inactivity is as much of a health risk as smoking! Here are some benefits of exercising daily:
- Helps prevent diseases.
- Improves stamina.
- Strengthens and tones.
- Enhances flexibility.
- Controls weight.
- Improves quality of life.
Once you begin to exercise regularly, you will discover many more reasons why exercise is so important to improving the quality of your life. Exercise reduces stress, lifts moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you looking and feeling younger throughout your entire life.
Unfortunately, whoever knows me, knows I am not an active person. Simply because I think it's boring. Going to the gym and getting on a treadmill or lifting weights is not something I enjoy. However, I know how important it is for your health to exercise. So I did some research.
Being a recent graduate it's easy for me to get stressed out about life. I heard how yoga is great for stress, so I looked into it. To be honest, I have never done yoga, nor did I know what it really was. The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj", which means "to yoke" the spirit and physical body together. Yoga has evolved over thousands of years to embrace a wide range of styles and disciplines.
Yoga is a popular activity for athletes, children, and seniors. Yoga can be modified to suit all levels of fitness. Yoga has been proven to lower blood pressure and increases strength and flexibility. Yoga energizes you body and calms your mind. I thought why not try it? So I signed up with YogaWorks®. I found them most appealing because they offer a diverse array of yoga classes and levels. Their classes are paced moderately to vigorously depending upon the level. As a beginner, you can start with Level 1 and gradually build up to more advanced levels as your practice grows. Their yoga is also practical and geared toward addressing modern issues like releasing neck pain from computer usage and neutralizing the stress of a hectically paced day.
Today was my third day doing yoga, as a beginner, and I love it! I have never felt more relaxed or energized in my life. I love that I am exercising my body and my mind at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone who hates going to the gym or has a stressful schedule. I also found some other great benefits of yoga if you are thinking of considering it:
- It increases endurance, strength and flexibility.
- Mental endurance and physical stamina are tested through holding postures for extended breaths.
- Arm and shoulder strength is multiplied as you use your own body weight for resistance.
- Lats and other back muscles begin to support the spine better than before.
- Abdominals and obliques are refined and sharpened through building core muscles.
- Poor and average posture begins to correct itself over time.
- Hip flexors are stretched and rebuilt.
- Glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are tightened and lengthened where they need to be.
So if you are anything like me and hate exercising, please know that it is very important. Maybe try taking fitness classes or even look into yoga. Hey, you might just fall in love like I did. Comment your favorite style of yoga, or your fitness experience. Namaste!
Author:Â Nazanin Yashar Sources: http://www.lululemon.com/education/yoga/?mnid=mn;education;yoga101 http://www.yogaworks.com/about.aspx http://life.gaiam.com/article/benefits-yoga http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/exercise_importa.htm