Tag Archives: Yoga

Wear the Part: How Your Wardrobe Can Really Affect Your Workout

It might not be something that you spend too much time thinking about, but the clothing and shoes that you wear while exercising can have a pretty significant effect on how successful your workout is. Everything from what you wear on your head to your feet (and everywhere in between) plays a part in how comfortable you are at the gym, on the trails, or wherever your workout happens to be that day.

Here’s four tips to help you dress the part and have your clothing work for you when you exercise:

1. Choose clothing that is suited for the activity that you’re doing.

Wearing clothing that’s fun yet practical (and that you feel good in!) can make a huge difference in your attitude! If you’re feeling uncomfortable in what you’re wearing or constantly tugging and pulling on your clothing, you’ll be far less likely to enjoy your workout.

Running

Consider which type of top and bottom you’ll be most comfortable in. If you are blessed to have thighs that don’t rub together, running shorts might be what you prefer. If you’re not so lucky (and experience that ever-so-fun chafing effect), consider tight fitting long shorts or capri pants that provide a bit of compression and support.

Stationary Bike / Indoor Cycling

Make sure that your pants are not loose-fitting as they can get caught in the pedals.

Yoga

Wear clothing that’s comfortable and is not too tight or constrictive on the body in any way.

Strength Training

Consider the muscle groups that you’ll be training. I like to wear shorts when I work out my legs and tops that show off my shoulders or back when working those muscle groups. Being able to see the part of your body that you’re training might give you a bit more motivation (and help show off the results!). (more…)

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Lauren Martin

Try Workouts from Around the World with These International Fitness Trends

Here in the States, we not only like to keep up with the Joneses, but also the Juans in Mexico, the Martins in France, and the Satous in Japan. In other words, we don’t like to be left out or behind even on a global scale.

This is the case with food – whose is better? – and fashion – who looks the best? But it’s also the case with fitness. Just as every other aspect of our lives differs culturally, you can believe that’s the case when it comes to working out, too. Grab your gym-going passport and take a look at what’s popular beyond our borders. You may be inspired to try something new!

SPAIN

The carefree lifestyle of the Spanish seems to translate to their approach to fitness, too. As a whole, they don’t seem to worry themselves too much with getting in to the gym. Their inherent lifestyle does a body good! “The majority of them eat a healthy enough diet (Mediterranean diet at its finest) and walk almost everywhere (if they live in a big city), so obesity isn’t that big of a concern,” said Kelsey Murray, an American teacher who travels to Seville to teach English. They certainly don’t give exercise the chore status that Americans do, as it’s naturally just a part of their lives.

FRANCE

These Euros are also not sweating out their evenings in the gym, rather they prefer to get out en plein air. Translation: They enjoy the outdoors. And why wouldn’t they? Beautiful scenery from nature and architecture provide an inspired background to walk, run, cycle, or even row. Because they are “discreet but effective,” Mireille Guiliano, author of the French Women Don’t Get Fat series of books, told Yahoo! that isometric exercises are very French. With a straight back, contract your abs for 12 seconds, hold, release, and repeat. You can do this on the subway, in your desk chair, in your office, or even at a fancy dinner date. (more…)

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Natalie K

Formerly Fat Trainers: Do They Have an Advantage?

Imagine that you join a gym and sign up for sessions with a personal trainer. You’re overweight, inactive and a little insecure about working out in front of someone who is in tip-top shape. Would it help to know that your trainer was once in your shoes and completely understands what you’re going through?

Trainer Drew Manning thought so. He gained 70 pounds on purpose – just so he could empathize with his clients that were trying to lose weight. Yoga teacher Trina Hall did the same, gaining 40 pounds to better understand her heavier clientele. As Manning took the weight off, he learned that it wasn’t so easy to do all of the same exercises on his larger frame; and Hall confessed her self-esteem plummeted as a result. The whole process made them both learn the struggles of weight loss and just how challenging it can be.

When I first joined a gym ten years ago, I was about 40 pounds overweight with zero athletic ability. I felt a little uncomfortable working out in the gym (where I felt like everyone was in better shape than me). I managed to get over that pretty quickly and realized that I was there to get fit! Even though I got to a point where I felt comfortable running on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike, there was one thing that continued to intimidate me more than anything else: group cycling.

I could hear the classes going on while I was pounding away on a cardio machine and I’d see the people come out at the end covered in sweat. I was convinced that group cycling classes were for super fit, super thin folks only and that I had no place there. And then one day, I got the courage to take a class – and I loved it! It was definitely challenging and tough, but I made it. Taking group cycling classes not only helped me lose weight and get in shape, but it also made me realize how much I love group fitness. I loved it so much that I went on to get my Spinning certification and eventually became a personal trainer. (more…)

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Lauren Martin

Fit & Healthy Pregnancy is the New Must-Have Month-by-Month Guide Book for Expecting Moms

In the new book, Fit & Healthy Pregnancy: How To Stay Strong and In Shape for You and Your Baby, authors Kristina Pinto, EdD, along with Rachel Kramer, MD have created a fitness and wellness guide based on the notion that a fit mama is a happy mama. Laid out in easy-to-read chapters based on each trimester of pregnancy and beyond, the book takes a comprehensive look at a woman’s changing body, the nutrients it needs and a multitude of exercise tips to keep it strong and healthy.

In the not-so-distant past, once a woman found out she was pregnant, she was relegated to nine months of sedentary activity. Even doctors believed that a woman with-child was a delicate flower who needed constant rest. Thankfully, health professionals are now encouraging mothers to walk, run and move, as long as they listen to their body’s cues for adjusting activity. This is the “guiding principle” of Fit & Healthy. The authors provide a wealth of information, but each woman is different and may need to tweak their individual routine accordingly.

(more…)

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Dani Stone

Peggy Hall’s 7 Best Prenatal Yoga Moves for Energy and Stress Relief

Staying fit and active during pregnancy makes all the difference in your energy, mood and outlook. But when your body is changing, your workouts need to as well. Many expecting moms turn to yoga as a way to stretch, de-stress, and maintain weight both during and after pregnancy.

Enjoy these 7 great moves that will leave you energized instead of exhausted! Modify the poses as necessary. Not all moves are suitable for everyone; always check with your doctor before starting this or any exercise program.

Peggy Hall appears weekly on the ABC Radio Network and America Now TV. A certified yoga instructor and teacher-trainer, she is the creator of the best-selling DVD series Yoga for Surfers and Baby on Board: Pre-Natal Yoga for Active-Moms-To-Be. Get Peggy’s free wellness tips, podcasts, articles and videos at her website, PeggyHall.com.

Also Read:

Prenatal Yoga Benefits Pregnant Women and Postpartum

Moms Petition Similac to Remove GMOs in Infant Formula

How Carb Crazy Jenna Wolfe and Other Pregnant Moms Can Manage Their Cravings

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Health Buzz

7 Crazy Places People are Doing Yoga

On a college football field with 100 other football players, Nathan J. Carr once found himself practicing yoga in the last place you would expect. On the gridiron, you’re more likely to see a dog pile than a downward facing dog, but Nathan and his teammates had been getting injured at an alarming clip, and yoga provided the flexibility needed to loosen tight muscles. The strength and conditioning coach decided to make yoga mandatory, and the football field was the only area large enough to facilitate the team.

“Most of the guys weren’t into it in the beginning, but once they started to notice areas that were typically tight were loosening up, they instantly bought into it.” Nathan didn’t divulge whether or not the team adopted the Warrior pose as their official touchdown celebration, but we’d like to think they did.

If this seems like an unlikely place to om, check out these six other crazy places yogis are dropping their mats and inhibitions.

Rooftop Yoga

When you live in the city that never sleeps you have to get creative to find a peaceful retreat. In true Williamsburg fashion, yogis are taking their mats to the rooftop of the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a little vinyasa al fresco. The roof is home to the Brooklyn Grange, a city farm that provides produce to restaurants and farmers markets.

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Posted on August 14, 2023 by Patrick

3 Secrets to Mastering Balance Poses in Yoga

Most yogis I know have a love-hate relationship with balance poses. Some days balancing comes easy, but other days tree pose can feel like absolute torture. There is a reason for this, and it has little to do with your ability to actually balance.

Take a look at the following secrets that will help keep your tree from toppling over.

Get out of your head

If yesterday you rocked half moon pose but today fell right on your rear, try examining your current state of mind. Often times when life has us thinking, worrying, or fretting about everything, we won’t have any stability in our balance poses.

Fixing your gaze on a still point in the room is a great way to help your balance because it keeps your mind focused just long enough to complete your task. When your thoughts are scampering about your to-do list, balancing will seem nearly impossible. Instead, get your thoughts out of your head. They will be there when you get back to them, so don’t fret over letting them go during your yoga practice. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Jill

Beat the Heat with These Simple Yoga Techniques

In many parts of the country, temperatures are on the rise. While it’s typically a slow time of year for yoga studios, I can’t imagine hot yoga studios staying in business during high-degree weather. Even though yoga is enjoyed best in a warm environment, the heat of summer brings thoughts of cooling off rather than sweating it out.

If you struggle with making it to yoga because the heat of day has you wishing you could fit in your icebox, try heeding the following yoga advice. The practice doesn’t always have to heat your body. It is possible to cool down with the right yoga practice.

image via satyaliveyoga.com

Cooling Breath

As called in Sanskrit, shitali pranayama has got to be the number one yogic activity you can do when you are in need of lowering your body temperature. While it may not cool you off like jumping into a frigid lake, it will help assist your body with some evaporative cooling. (more…)

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Jill

We Love Yoga Jones and How Orange is the New Black Highlights the Benefits of Prison Yoga

Amidst the cat fights, mind games, racial tension, and sexual promiscuity, there stands one prisoner in Orange is the New Black who seems to bring a much needed zen to the chaotic environment. Yoga Jones is one of our favorite characters on Netflix’s hot new series, which gives a seemingly painful depiction of life in a minimum security women’s prison.

The women are often free to moderately pursue their passions during their incarcerations, and for Yoga Jones, that’s following the tenants of Buddhism with regular yoga practice. And like any good yoga instructor, she shares that practice with all who will join her.

yoga jones orange is the new black

The juxtaposition of the serene yoga practice against the hardened, extreme prison environment may be a surprising scene for viewers of Orange is the New Black, but it’s actually a reality in prisons throughout the country.

Bo Cox told us the benefits of yoga in prison were very evident. Incarcerated in an Oklahoma prison for nearly two decades, the author of God is Not in the Thesaurus, said, “I can say that people who did [yoga] were above and beyond model prisoners. Peaceful and serene in a world anything but. And, not pushovers or victims either. Good examples of quiet strength.”

Litchfield’s women’s prison, the setting for Orange is the New Black, is not the only place where inmates can be found practicing yoga. It’s something available to some prisoners in the US and abroad, like in these Mexican prisons, and coincidentally is being lauded with some exciting new research out this month. (more…)

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Natalie K

Do Beer and Wine Belong at the Yoga Studio? The Pros and Cons of Post-Yoga Drinking

Blending yoga with activities such as Pilates or weightlifting seems to offer just enough variety for non-purist types who are comfortable with thinking outside the box. As the yoga industry stretches its limits in an effort to attract more participants, for some, certain yoga-hybrid classes are pushing the envelope just a little bit too far.

Succeeding the latest trend of combining yoga with wine tasting, some yoga studios have recently begun to regularly offer post-yoga beer or wine for those who’d like to enjoy a little happy hour after hitting the mat. While most people are thrilled with the idea, some yoga-purists are not so enthusiastic about it.

Take a look at the pros and cons about commercially introducing libations into the world of yoga and how it’s creating a buzz in the yoga community. (more…)

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Jill

Yoga for the Relief of Minor Aches and Pains

It is easy to want to avoid doing any type of exercise if your body is aching and in pain, but sometimes a little bit of movement is just what you need to loosen up and get back on your feet.

If you suffer from mild aches and pains due to overworked muscles, a long day of sitting the car, or a poor night’s sleep in an uncomfortable bed, the following yoga poses might give you a little bit of relief. Always be sure and check with your doctor if you are in chronic pain, as you may have a more serious condition that could require medical attention.

Knees to Chest

To smooth out a tight low back and give yourself a little TLC, lie on your back with both knees pulled into your chest. Begin to slowly rock side-to-side and allow for your low back to gently roll across the floor. This should feel as if you are getting a nice tension-relieving massage, and will iron out any knots or kinks you might have in your back. Stay in this pose as long as it takes to feel your muscles beginning to relax. (more…)

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Jill

Tag Archives: Yoga

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