Have you pooh-poohed yoga because you think you aren’t flexible enough to hack it? Written it off because you think it won’t burn enough calories or isn’t a real workout? Believe it or not, yoga is one of the best types of exercise for anyone who is over 40 and concerned about staying fit. It’s an amazingly flexible form of exercise that can be tailored to meet your fitness needs, no matter how fit or unfit you may be. Read on to learn why so many people in the 40 and over demographic are adding yoga into their weekly workout plans.
As We Age, We Need Gentler Forms of Exercise
You might have been able to pound the pavement in your younger days, but most of us start having problems with our joints as we enter our 40s and 50s. Now that your body is at greater risk for injury from exercise that entails high impact pounding or repetitive movements (running, high impact aerobics), most of us need to add gentle exercise into our routines. Yoga is gentle yet challenging, so it fits the bill perfectly.
Yoga Will Help You Manage Stress
Simply participating in a yoga class will help you learn how to use your mind and body together in a way that enables you to manage your stress. You will learn how to lower your blood pressure, breathe in ways that lowers your stress level, and work with your mind-body connection to release stress. When you leave class, you will feel refreshed and de-stressed.
Most people who have high blood pressure or heart problems need to learn how to manage stress effectively. Use this opportunity to build a life skill that will help you mentally and physically.
Yoga Improves Muscle Tone
Think of your body as a natural weight room – and now use your body to challenge itself. The many poses and sequences through which you will move are designed to build muscle strength and tone. You will discover that a good yoga class will challenge every muscle group.
Your Heart and Lungs Need the Challenges Yoga Provides
Yoga may not be considered aerobic exercise, but it does challenge the heart and lungs. Take the time to learn pranayama (breathing exercises), and you’ll learn how to improve your lung strength while reducing stress.
Yoga Improves BalanceMany of the exercises taught in yoga classes will improve your core strength, which, in turn will improve your balance. You can ask your yoga instructor to teach you specific exercises that will improve agility and strengthen your ankles and knees as well, all of which will help prevent injury and reduce your chances of slipping and falling.
Not Sure Where to Start?The following is a bare bones guide to the different types of yoga:
• Ashtanga Yoga – Physically demanding, classic yoga. Repetitive in nature – each class will take you through the same set of poses.
• Power Yoga – More athletically demanding and less spiritually focused, this type of yoga may make use of other fitness exercises in addition to traditional yoga poses. This is what you’ll find taught in most fitness centers (as opposed to a yoga studio).
• Hatha Yoga – Spine-based yoga poses that balance the mind and body. Intense focus on meditation and breathing exercises, practiced in conjunction with physical movements.
• Bikram Yoga – Twenty-six yoga poses performed in a heated room (possibly up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Also known as Hot Yoga. Do not try Bikram yoga if you have a heart condition.
• Dahn Yoga – A combination of yoga and martial arts invented by Ilchi Lee. Awakens the chi, guiding energy flow through chakras.
• Anasara Yoga – A graceful form of yoga focused on spiritual growth.
Or you can try a Yoga DVD or program, shapeshifter is a excellent program.
Give yoga a try – and then tell us what you think in the comments!
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