| Muscle Yoga |
| Yoga can build muscle, functional strength & flexibility |
Getting An Exciting Life After A Break Up
by: Caroline Therancy
Breaking up.
The End. The journey is over. You feel rejected. Hopeless. You don’t want to go back in the jungle again. You may even have that dread feeling of failure.
Suddenly, all the love songs at the radio seemed to have been written for you. You want to stay in bed. Shut all the (more…)
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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…
Building Inner Strength with Yoga
After thousands of years of practice, doctors are finally agreeing upon the health benefits of Yoga. It builds strength and (more…)
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Yoga Exercise Becomes Number One Ally To Stay-home Mums And Dads
Staying home with our kids should feel rewarding and turn out as a cherished period of our lives, however day-in-day-out of intensive caring can get the best out of any loving parent. Exhaustion, loneliness, overwhelm, mood-swings and even depression are not uncommon surprise guests of stay-home (more…)
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Many people wonder if yoga can improve their muscle fitness. They recognize that yoga can help reduce stress and increase flexibility, but when it comes to increasing muscle fitness, they think it might be a little too ‘weak’ to do the job. The fact is that yoga can definitely make you stronger.
A study was conducted at the University of California at Davis. Ten college ‘coach potatoes’ adopted a yoga routine for eight weeks. Each week, they attended from two to four classes during which they spent 10 minutes on breath control, 15 minutes of warm up exercises, 50 minutes doing yoga asanas, and then 10 minutes of relaxation/mediation. At the end of the eight-week period, the researchers measured the students’ fitness and discovered that their muscular strength had increased by up to 31%, their muscular endurance improved by 57%, their flexibility increased by 188%, and their cardio respiratory fitness improved by 7%. These results are pretty amazing when you consider that the study was only conducted for eight weeks.
How can something that seems so benign have such a major impact on muscle fitness?
Muscle Strength
Unlike traditional weight building exercises, in yoga your body provides the resistance. While you are not likely going to produce the bulked up muscles of some weight lifters, you will certainly increase your muscle strength.
Many poses in yoga are done very slowly or you stay in the posture for several breaths. It is much more challenging to your muscles to hold a pose or do it slowly than it is to allow momentum to move you through an action. I have been working out with weights for many years so my muscles are used to being strengthened. Yet, I have practiced certain yoga routines during which my muscles screamed for mercy and I actually had to get out of the pose and then resume it because my muscles were so challenged. I don’t often experience this during weight training sessions.
In addition, some balance postures such as Tree Pose and Shoulderstand require enormous muscle control in order to prevent you from falling over. This helps to build and strengthen your muscles.
Muscle Balance
In weight training, you isolate a specific muscle as you perform an exercise and this leads to a short, tightened muscle. The muscles you develop during yoga are more likely to be elongated, because while you are strengthening them, you are simultaneously lengthening them. You also do not focus on an isolated muscle, but actively recruit the smaller muscle groups as well. You truly work your entire body when you practice yoga.
Practicing yoga can help realign your muscles, so they are more balanced. Since you are not overworking any specific muscle group, you are less likely to get injured.
In addition to all its other benefits, yoga can help you improve muscle fitness. Whether you choose to use it as your primary means of strength training or you want it to supplement your other exercises, yoga can help your muscles grow fit, balanced, and strong.
Della Menechella is a yoga and fitness enthusiast who has been involved in fitness for over thirty years. Here website http://www.beauty-fitness-yoga-source.com is filled with practical information about how you can make yoga and fitness a positive part of your life.
New Delhi, Dec. 19 — On her first day at the Zaf Health Club in Four Bungalows, Mumbai, Pooja Punjabi, 29, was instructed to kick and punch the air with brute force and precision. The freelance director and producer had enrolled for kickboxing classes seeking to build stamina and improve her body's flexibility. Going was tough at first, what with coordinating kicks and uppercuts and mastering the (rather embarrassing, she says) shouts and grunts that have to accompany each jab and thrust. It all comes with time
But the returns were worth the effort. It took her a while to ease into the three-month course (split up into 12 sessions a month) and straighten the basics out, even though she'd been practicing yoga for the past 13 years and wasn't new to exercising. “It took me a month-and-a-half to get the punches right with the exact amount of power. Improving flexibility took longer; it happened over three months,” Punjabi says. Kickboxing is a great fitness sport for the simple reason that it helps sculpt the muscles, get rid of fat and improve flexibility. “The sport provides a complete cardiovascular workout that builds your stamina and strength, along with increasing your concentration and building self-confidence,” says Shafiq-ur-Rehman, a kickboxing expert and instructor at the Intensity Gym in Khar. In Rehman's class, you begin with stretches, move on to cardio (skipping, jumping and spot-jogging), and then do 15 minutes of punching on a punch bag and kicking on focus pads. The hour-long session also includes crunches, push-ups and squats, by the end of which you're exhausted. “The exercise ensures you get a good night's sleep,” Rehman adds. Rajeet Walia, 23, took up kickboxing in 2004 for both fitness and self-defence. Walia is a professional boxer and wanted to learn the ropes of a sport that allowed full-body contact during fights. “Soon after I began to do kickboxing, my agility and flexibility increased, and most importantly, my reflexes reached new highs, which in turn helped me with boxing,” he says. Walia hasn't in any way changed his diet, but makes it a point to steer clear of junk food. He now trains for an hour-and-a-half about 4-5 days a week. “For fitness purposes, kickboxing alone should suffice, but if you're taking it up professionally, alternating it with weight training and running will work wonders for the body,” he adds. An overall workout
Since kickboxing provides an overall body workout, instructors don't think it's necessary to combine it with another form of exercise. “The manner in which the exercises are distributed through a session doesn't require you to do anything else, unless you want to have, say, bulging biceps, for which you'll have to do weights in a gym,” Rehman says. The essential kickboxing technique for both self-defence and fitness is the same; only, in the former you're pitted against a live opponent while in the latter you're in a group and perform the moves on an illusory opponent. The activity largely comprises a fixed set of moves, with each instructor adding his nuances to it and deciding what's best for you depending on your body structure, strengths and weaknesses. “Before your first session, you have to provide your complete medical history and inform the instructor in case you suffer from back or joint problems such as spondilitis and arthritis. If you do, the instructor will place certain limits on your moves you're allowed,” says Delhi-based Dr Rajnish Jawas, chief instructor at the Martial Art Academy of India. Get rid of body pain
Ziauddin Khatib, president of the Indian Kickboxing Association of India, stresses on rehabilitation exercises as a form of resolving body pain. “These exercises are performed before cooling down after a session and help cure a specific muscle or joint that may have gone sore. For instance, if your hamstrings feel strained, a ball is kept under the knee and the quadriceps of each leg exercised to easy them out,” Khatib says. If you're looking for spot reduction, though, kickboxing may not be the activity for you. “Kickboxing is no liposuction; you have to vigorously perform all the moves to lose flab. And after a while you'll notice you've begun to thin down most at the fatty areas,” Dr Jawas adds. Don't be misled into believing that a background in martial arts will help you become a better kickboxer, and faster than the others. One of its core advantages is that you can start off even if you're of average fitness. But how soon you'll see results depends on your dedication, the intensity of your workout, and your body's metabolism. “A 12-session course will teach you the basics, but if you want to see results, a 36-session course spread out over three months is a must,” Khatib says. Kickboxing instructors do not believe in diet restrictions; they propagate eating all kinds of foods in moderation. Sometimes, Jawas has been forced to tell his students to eat fatty foods considering the amount of weight they were losing over a short period of time. “All I advise them against is the consumption of alcohol. If you lose too much weight too soon, you tend to gain it back with even the slightest increase in food intake,” he says. Keep sipping
Punjabi is of the opinion that the best way to sustain an entire session is to remain hydrated throughout. “I drink a glass of juice before the session and kept sipping water through it,” she says. She now does the freehand exercises she learnt while kickboxing, every time she goes for her eight-km jog on the beach. “The yoga coupled with the lunges, push-ups and occasional kicks keeps me going. My body language has changed for the better and I've become lither than I was; it's almost as if I'm Lara Croft!” she says. All you need to know Benefits of kickboxing
An hour-long kickboxing session burns anywhere between 350-500 calories, pumps up your heart into shape and improves your breathing capacity. The kicks and punches need co-ordination and improve balance and flexibility. Kickboxing doesn't just blast away your fat, it also improves your muscle tone. Delhi
Martial Art Academy of
India: Andrewganj, New Delhi
(011-20167770); 12 sessions cost Rs 3,500.
Sports Karate Do Organisation: Call Aniket Gupta on 9999433982. Classes conducted in Dwarka, Vasant Kunj, Defence Colony and Gurgaon. 12 sessions cost Rs 3,000.
Hindustan Times
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Can Congress cash in on Sheila Dixit's goodwill in Delhi? – Yahoo! India News
Only the second woman to become the chief minister of Delhi, Sheila Dixit is one amongst the few Congress leaders who has scripted a success story for her party. Her able governance, clean image and transparent work ethics has won her voters' confidence. No wonder Dixit won a third chief (more…)
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Print Story: Lululemon taps into tween market with Vancouver launch of Ivivva brand on Yahoo! Canada News
Thu Nov 26, 4:24 PM
By Sunny Freeman , The Canadian Press
Lululemon Athletica Inc. (TSX:LLL) has outfitted the yoga mom generation in trendy active wear and now its Ivivva Athletica brand is targeting their daughters.
“There’s (more…)
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Hey Readers! I’ve been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below…
Range-of-motion and flexibility exercises: Activities such as yoga and tai chi increase joint mobility. Doing range-of-motion exercises in the evening can … Read More… (more…)
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Print Story: Stand Tall: Move Freely: Feel younger: Be Stronger with the New BodyBolster Back Pain Management Tool – Yahoo! News
The BodyBolster™, a new generation in back pain management, helps prevent and manage back pain, neck strain and shoulder aches.
Australia (PRWEB) December 24 2009 — Bolster Trading announces a new tool in managing back pain, neck strain (more…)
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What type of yoga is best for a beginner to improve strength for arthritis?
A gentle Hatha Yoga class
Iyengar beg to level 1
Restorative
If you are older try chair Yoga
Vinysa or hot yoga is not for you at this time it is geared more for someone with a foundation although some beginner start here.
Go to Yoga JOurnal .com to research teachers and styles. You know your (more…)
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Do you unlock wii challenge for strength and yoga the same way you unlock all the other poses?
I am not sure. please anwer only if you know.
Rejuvenated Lewis is a real backer of yoga (more…)
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