Here's a lesson that I learned recently. My friend started going to Yoga class and I thought I won the jackpot. I practice yoga at home all the time and I love it. I love how it increases my flexibility and how my entire body just feels so relaxed afterwards. I'd been waiting for one of my friends to get into yoga to do it with me and I was eager to start going to classes with her. So I signed up.
Now don't get me wrong, the moves were fairly simple since it was a beginner class, but I learned something about myself. I hate to be told what to do. Yes, that's probably stubborn and childish but I hate it so much. And yoga class was no different. I don't like going at someone else's pace; I have my own, why do I have to match yours? It made me so mad when I would go into Triangle pose, get all relaxed, want to stretch out in that position for a beat more, and the instructor would be giving me death glares for not going into Warrior Two again. I hate Warrior Two, I like Triangle, let me stay in Triangle for another second, I'll go to Warrior Two eventually. Occasionally, I'd close my eyes in a comfortable position, letting myself relax, and she'd actually call me out in front of the class. And if you ever met me you'd know I hate having the attention turned on me. She also kept going around and standing over people and adjusting them, which I had two problems with.
1. I do worse with someone standing over me. When I'm writing an essay in class, I actually stop writing when a teacher is behind me until they go away. It's just an unconscious thing. But you can't just stop yoga when a teacher is behind you.
2. I'm not a touchy person. I don't want a stranger's hands on my hips or pulling on my legs to adjust them.
All in all, here's what I've learned. I like yoga. It makes me feel good, but I have to do it at home. So I guess it was a waste of thirty bucks to try those classes, but hey, at least I know now. My friend can go on with out me. I'll go back to working out alone. I like it better that way.
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Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Workout #15: New Year, New Workout
Last year, I did pretty much all the same workouts: biking, swimming, walking, Zumba. This year I'm in the mood to try something different. I'd go on Exercise TV, find a workout, and follow the trainer for the 20+ minutes. Well, today I discovered that Exercise TV is no longer on my cable package. After getting so used to it, I panicked a little to find out my safe and comfy routine was gone.
But I didn't panic for long. I got a pair of Piloxing gloves for Christmas and I put them to good use. I made my own routine, setting it to music, and was surprised to discover that my heart was pounding and I was sweating bullets by the end of the half hour set. It got me thinking, what else was I missing while I was caught in my rut?
My goal this year is try as many new workouts as I can. I'm trying out hot yoga, hip hop classes, ballroom dancing, and whatever other classes I can find! But the workout doesn't just have to be a class. You can try plenty of workouts straight out of your home, like using Piloxing gloves or a kettlebell. Or try the new Beach Body workout, Les Mills Pump Workout, on sale this week, which you can order here. The workout is based on the globally famous BodyPump classes, taught at 14,000 clubs in 80 countries. I hate lifting heavy weights, so this works for me because it is based on using light weights and higher repetition. It can tone muscle and came burn up to 1000 calories per workout!
But I didn't panic for long. I got a pair of Piloxing gloves for Christmas and I put them to good use. I made my own routine, setting it to music, and was surprised to discover that my heart was pounding and I was sweating bullets by the end of the half hour set. It got me thinking, what else was I missing while I was caught in my rut?
My goal this year is try as many new workouts as I can. I'm trying out hot yoga, hip hop classes, ballroom dancing, and whatever other classes I can find! But the workout doesn't just have to be a class. You can try plenty of workouts straight out of your home, like using Piloxing gloves or a kettlebell. Or try the new Beach Body workout, Les Mills Pump Workout, on sale this week, which you can order here. The workout is based on the globally famous BodyPump classes, taught at 14,000 clubs in 80 countries. I hate lifting heavy weights, so this works for me because it is based on using light weights and higher repetition. It can tone muscle and came burn up to 1000 calories per workout!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Tip #18: Don't Cross Anything Off
There is an epidode of the television show "How I Met Your Mother" when the main character, Ted, finds a shirt he once hated and realizes he kind of loves it now. This sends him on a tailspin, wondering if he should go back to a girl he once dated to see if he ends up loving her now that he is older and his tastes have changed.
Now, it didn't end so well for him and the girl (he dumps her and she beats the hell out of him) but there is a lesson to learn here (and it not just to never dump a girl on her birthday)! The lesson is that your tastes do change over time and you have to adjust to that! You have to experiment and try something you may not have thought of before. This goes especially for exercise, because your body changes, just like your tastes. A few years ago, I tried yoga. I was bored and dizzy in the first few minutes, quitting almost immediately and crossing it off the list of exercises I wanted to do. Fast forward to a few months ago and I'm reading an article about how great it is to do yoga and stretch out before bed, so I did it. Now, I can't go to sleep without doing at least twenty minutes of downward facing dogs, warrior poses, and chair poses.
There are a lot of reasons why you might not have liked an exercise regime at first. Maybe it was too boring like I thought yoga was. If you find that your workouts are high impact (aka you're sore for days afterwards) and you need to take a break, but you don't want to actually skip exercising entirely, you might want to go back to the workout you originally found to be a little boring. These are often low impact and, if you can learn to relax during them, you'll learn to love them.
Maybe you found it too challanging. I know I found kickboxing hard the first time I tried it! But you have to build up to something so high intensity. If you are doing another workout routine now and you are finding that its getting to easy for you, try the challenging workout again. It might just be exactly what you need!
All exercise has its upsides and downsides. You have to find one that you like, but since you adjust to your routine, you have to try new things, or things you may have tried before but didn't like originally. Your body might just end up thanking you for it!
Now, it didn't end so well for him and the girl (he dumps her and she beats the hell out of him) but there is a lesson to learn here (and it not just to never dump a girl on her birthday)! The lesson is that your tastes do change over time and you have to adjust to that! You have to experiment and try something you may not have thought of before. This goes especially for exercise, because your body changes, just like your tastes. A few years ago, I tried yoga. I was bored and dizzy in the first few minutes, quitting almost immediately and crossing it off the list of exercises I wanted to do. Fast forward to a few months ago and I'm reading an article about how great it is to do yoga and stretch out before bed, so I did it. Now, I can't go to sleep without doing at least twenty minutes of downward facing dogs, warrior poses, and chair poses.
There are a lot of reasons why you might not have liked an exercise regime at first. Maybe it was too boring like I thought yoga was. If you find that your workouts are high impact (aka you're sore for days afterwards) and you need to take a break, but you don't want to actually skip exercising entirely, you might want to go back to the workout you originally found to be a little boring. These are often low impact and, if you can learn to relax during them, you'll learn to love them.
Maybe you found it too challanging. I know I found kickboxing hard the first time I tried it! But you have to build up to something so high intensity. If you are doing another workout routine now and you are finding that its getting to easy for you, try the challenging workout again. It might just be exactly what you need!
All exercise has its upsides and downsides. You have to find one that you like, but since you adjust to your routine, you have to try new things, or things you may have tried before but didn't like originally. Your body might just end up thanking you for it!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Workout #10: Barre Method
I was again all set to go swimming for a half hour straight until I woke up to find a downpour, which started yesterday and continued right on through the night. If anything, it actually got worse here. Obviously, swimming was out. I decided to try something new today and I was so happy with it that I had to share it here!
The Barre Method has been showing up everywhere lately! Madonna shared that she used it and television actresses Aimee Teegarden and Anna Paquin soon shared their love of the workout, which is a combination of ballet poses, yoga, pilates, and strength exercises. Soon Barre began showing up in gyms and sports clubs all over.
The workout I used was Barre3 Total Body Lift Workout which I found under the Exercise TV category OnDemand. I had read that it would be hard and was completely prepared for it, however it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be. Sure, it was far from easy, but it wasn't impossible. The dvd begins with a quick warm up of stretches, squats, and lunges. Then, with both hands on the back of a dining room chair (as most people don't own a ballet barre), you begin a killer low body workout. Your legs will beg you to stop after a few minutes, but your trainer (Sadie Lincoln) doesn't do so many reps as to make your legs give out. Just when you think you should stand up or put your back leg down behind you, she tell you that you only have five more reps to go, and you feel like you just have to push through the last reps. Then you do a quick stretch and move on to the upper body. You use a light pair of hand weights to target the back, chest, biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Your arms will be up and lifted the entire time, so, like with the legs, your arms will be begging you to stop after only a few minutes, but you are just going to have to push through it. Then you get a quick stretch before moving on to a mat for another quick lower body workout. Then for the abs. This is mostly all pilates and yoga moves, which will target your abs perfectly. Your abs will hurt, and the pain will come on quickly. The best thing you can do is push through it as, eventually your abs will just get numb and it will get easier to continue. The workout stops five minutes early, when you start a nice, relaxing, soothing cool-down. All-in-all, the workout may be difficult, but push through it to the end for the cool-down. You will be sore afterward, but it's a good kind of sore. It's your body letting you know that you worked hard and your hard work will pay off.
The Barre Method has been showing up everywhere lately! Madonna shared that she used it and television actresses Aimee Teegarden and Anna Paquin soon shared their love of the workout, which is a combination of ballet poses, yoga, pilates, and strength exercises. Soon Barre began showing up in gyms and sports clubs all over.
The workout I used was Barre3 Total Body Lift Workout which I found under the Exercise TV category OnDemand. I had read that it would be hard and was completely prepared for it, however it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be. Sure, it was far from easy, but it wasn't impossible. The dvd begins with a quick warm up of stretches, squats, and lunges. Then, with both hands on the back of a dining room chair (as most people don't own a ballet barre), you begin a killer low body workout. Your legs will beg you to stop after a few minutes, but your trainer (Sadie Lincoln) doesn't do so many reps as to make your legs give out. Just when you think you should stand up or put your back leg down behind you, she tell you that you only have five more reps to go, and you feel like you just have to push through the last reps. Then you do a quick stretch and move on to the upper body. You use a light pair of hand weights to target the back, chest, biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Your arms will be up and lifted the entire time, so, like with the legs, your arms will be begging you to stop after only a few minutes, but you are just going to have to push through it. Then you get a quick stretch before moving on to a mat for another quick lower body workout. Then for the abs. This is mostly all pilates and yoga moves, which will target your abs perfectly. Your abs will hurt, and the pain will come on quickly. The best thing you can do is push through it as, eventually your abs will just get numb and it will get easier to continue. The workout stops five minutes early, when you start a nice, relaxing, soothing cool-down. All-in-all, the workout may be difficult, but push through it to the end for the cool-down. You will be sore afterward, but it's a good kind of sore. It's your body letting you know that you worked hard and your hard work will pay off.
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| Barre3 40 Minute Workout amazon.com $25.00 |
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Workout #9: Nia Classes!
I love trying new workouts! Some are good, some not so much, but Nia is one that I hope sticks around for a long time. Nia is a mix of tai chi, yoga, and modern dance. Like Zumba, it's set to music, different music for different types of classes. Some classes are set to Latin music or the Billboard charts. I have even seen it set to specifically George Micheals music. Whatever the music, Nia is a great way to get your cardio. The dance part of Nia is excellent for toning abs and legs,while yoga and tai chi is great to build balance, flexability, and helps to take care of your mental health. Yoga and tai chi, much like mediation, helps to put your mind at ease and put stress at the back of your mind. Start looking for classes at your local gym!
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