The choice between a sweaty session at your local or gym or a therapeutic stretching can be a tough decision for some and a lot easier for others. It all depends on your needs from a workout! Do you want to build muscle or improve your flexibility?
We have allowed society to constantly push the idea onto us that we must be active to sustain a healthy mind and body. But finding the right type of exercise that suits us the most can be challenging as well as overwhelming considering how many there are. It is also difficult to keep up with the latest exercising trends, remember when we were all dancing away at Zumba class or dripping with sweat at spin walking to our cars like we’ve just ridden a horse for six hours. And now we’re walking for 30 minutes on the highest incline and competing on who can lift the heaviest.
Yoga however, is probably the only form of exercise alongside cardio that has been on trend since the beginning. As soon as one makes the change to live a healthier lifestyle there is a lot of salads being eaten, walks that people have gone on and the everlasting questions of ‘Should I try yoga?’ At first glance, yoga can be seen as intimidating, watching slim toned bodies bend backwards, forwards and sideways. Nonetheless, this isn’t really the case. For example, it is actually more of a therapeutic alternative to any other form of exercise as you move slowly through the poses. It does more than just deepen your stretches it puts you in a meditative state allowing you to close your mind to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
If you’re anything like me and completely incapable of meditating and switching off the voice in your head then maybe a workout at the gym is more up your street. Being able to focus on ten reps at a time rather than a whole hour of being on your hands and feet, moving through time and space can be easier for you. The feeling of getting stronger is very empowering especially for us women knowing that we’re seen as the weaker gender even if we do push out babies for fun.
Of course, it all depends on what your fitness goals, for me and my non-existent bum it is to grow one through strength training. If you’re new to the fitness world, yoga can be the stepping stone to the world of exercise.
