Exercise to Fitness|About Weight Workouts|Everything Exercise

Yoga for Fitness and Weight Loss

When one starts exercising after being inactive for quite a while, usually the recommendation is to start by walking each day, going a little further and/or faster each day until your endurance builds up. This is a good plan.  Where do you go from there?  As I outlined in my post 8 Types of Exercise Workouts,  there are many types of exercise programs to choose from.
Let’s look at Yoga.  Whenever I think of yoga, my mind goes to the movies of the ninja’s in training doing the movements, or the documentaries of everyone in China meeting in the town square first thing in the morning  to do their yoga movements.  My early experience with Yoga is you go at  your own pace, gently stretching in different poses until your muscles become more limber.  Probably one of the ‘easiest’ exercise types to begin with (in my mind) is Yoga. This is a simplified look at yoga.

Now that I have been looking into Yoga, I find it is a very complex subject.  First, it originated in India.  The word ‘Yoga’ means union.  There are many types of Yoga.  The ‘limb’ that we would be interested in this blog is called ‘asana’ which is the physical postures or poses and the movement from one to the other.  Asana (and yoga) is about creating balance in the body, developing strength and flexibility.  The movements can be fast or slow, and can  focus more on stamina or on alignment.  Yoga goes on to include correct breathing and meditation.  I will focus in my posts more on the physical side of yoga rather than the spiritual.

How does Yoga fit into losing weight and getting fit?  Iyengar yoga, where you hold poses for several minutes, helps to build muscles and improve posture – we all need that.  If you want to do Iyengar type yoga, you will have to combine it with other aerobic type exercises to lose weight.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.  This is a good combination.

The Vinayasa style of asana yoga includes many styles itself.  For weight loss Ashtanga, Power Yoga, and Hot Yoga give you the physical workout needed for weight loss.  I have found it is recommended that you do three 90 minute sessions a week for weight loss. 

One more thing about yoga.  This can be a family activity.  There are special programs for children that Mom and Dad can do with them.  I bought kits for my grandchildren here which include dvds.  They love it!

7 EXERCISE SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPUTER ADDICTS

Do you spend most of your time in front of a computer? I do both at work and at home. I become engrossed in what I am doing, and the time is gone. That’s OK if I am forgetting binge, but it’s not if I don’t stop to get my physical activity. The question is – how can you exercise while sitting at a computer, or desk, or watching TV.

I have seen some articles suggesting ways to get exercise at work. They include taking a walk, doing simple stretches standing by your desk, etc. What if you cannot do this at work – your boss objects to you standing up at your computer? I have a couple suggestions – you can at least do some of these at home.

1. This is rather easy. Get a fitness ball, either medium or large, fill it to its fullest, then sit on it instead of a chair. You can roll it back and forth or bounce on it. This works on your leg, abdomen, and other muscles as they work to keep your balance. I have yet to be brave enough to try it at work, but I have used one at home. .
2. When you go to the restroom as we all do during the day, take the ‘long’ route. Go to another floor using the stairs, or to the building next door. You can even be brave enough to walk around the building and back in. You can walk several flights of stairs up to the restroom.
3. Likewise, when you go to a meeting or to lunch, find a route that gives you more walking time. Every step helps.
4. Of course, there is still the old trick of parking a couple blocks away to walk to work. Or take a more distant subway or bus stop and walk from there to work.
5. Keep hand weights handy at your desk. When you are waiting for a program to come up or finish executing, pick up your weights; do some arm lifts.
6. Put weight bands on your ankles and lift your legs up straight from time to time. Hold them straight once in a while.
7. Instead of rolling your chair back and forth to the different machines (printer, fax, etc), stand up and walk over to it and back. Just standing up and sitting down is activity.

There are some of my ideas. What type activities can you work into your schedule at work for exercise?