I started doing yoga last winter, not really because I was super interested or because of all the awesome benefits, but because there was literally no way I was going out in the freezing cold in Korea to jog which had been my usual means of exercise. I tried jogging in our parking garage in the apartment complex, but after a few days my lungs actually felt burned. I don't know how to describe it, but I concluded that the fumes from the underground parking garage were perhaps not the best thing to be huffing in and out while trying to exercise. So, in an effort to not do more harm than good to my body, my yoga love was born.
I downloaded Body by Bethenny on iTunes and didn't even have a mat the first time I did it. There were some moves that were challenging, but I got through it and felt such calmness after I was finished. And seriously, there is not a lot of calm going on in the realm of my body, so to feel it, was quite significant for me. After I went on jogs, I always came back starving, but yoga was different. I felt like I had actually done something, but not like I had to grab the first pizza in sight.
The morning after I had done my first session, I didn't think I could move. I was shocked because all I had done was some weird ninja moves in my opinion, but it worked muscles in my body that I didn't know I had! I am far from Ms. Fitness, so when I asked Luke why my ribs were hurting, he kindly, while laughing at me, explained that there were muscles there. Wow, I had no idea.
After I had done the Bethenny workout a few times, I downloaded the Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown which was really good also, but significantly harder because she incorporates reps into the yoga moves. It's not tradional yoga at all, and really the calm feeling is not quite there for me, but I still love to do this workout, just not when I'm feeling tired.
I really prefer doing exercises alone, so these workouts are great for me. If you are looking for something to do, try these!
Benefits of yoga:
*increases flexibility
*builds muscle tone
*improves posture
*deep breathing helps lung capacity
*decreases stress, increases calmness
*people feel happier
*can decrease risks of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure
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