5 Reasons to Add Yoga to Your Workout Routine!

If yoga isn’t a part of your regular gym routine, you don’t know what you’re missing! My personal resolution for 2016 was to get back into yoga, and I am proud to say I am completely hooked and seeing great results! A yoga class could be the missing piece to complete your fitness goals and make your regime well-rounded. Not only is yoga a great workout for your body, but it is also beneficial for your mind. Yoga is a great way to tone your body with its body-weight positions, it improves your flexibility and balance with its pose sequences, and it also calms and relaxes with its focus on the mind and body connection.

5 Reasons to try a yoga class:

1. To tone long and lean muscles: Yoga promotes the development of toned long-and-lean muscles. The combination of poses that both stretch and tone with your body weight helps promote a strong-yet-feminine physique. I can already see a difference in my core strength, and have lost an inch around my waist!

2.  To help you lose weight: Not all types of yoga can help you lose weight. There are many forms that don’t raise the heart rate enough to contribute to weight loss. I recommend Vinyasa, or flow yoga, to keep constantly moving or hot yoga which is done in a heated room to increase you flexibility and of course, sweat buckets! Hot yoga isn’t for everyone, you will break a sweat in whatever yoga you choose.

3. To increase flexibility: Yoga poses often put your body into positions that stretch the muscles. Over time, repeating these positions and challenging yourself to stretch can increase your body’s flexibility. In addition, increased flexibility means that your body will be at a decreased risk of injury to muscles and ligaments as a results of your other workouts.

4. To improve balance: Yoga is a great exercise to improve your balance. You often have to hold a position that feels unsteady at first, but with the intentional movement and focus that yoga emphasizes, you’ll find you’re able to remain balanced and still. Regular practice can improve your balance. I can see a huge difference in my balance while lifting weights, and trying to do one leg moves such as single leg RDL’s or Pistol Squats.

5. To relax and ground yourself: Aside from the physical benefits, yoga adds an incomparable meditative value to your regular exercise routine. Yoga exercises your body while also working out your mind; because mind and soul are such an emphasis in yoga practice, you’ll find that a yoga class calms your thoughts and grounds you in a powerful way. It’s the perfect antidote for a stressful day or refreshing way to start your day.

I am a hot yoga girl myself, and have been adding it to my personal workout routine one to two times per week since January. I would do it every single day if I could! I can already see a difference in my core strength, and have lost an inch in my waist! Who doesn’t love that! To do yoga you will need the right tools! I personally love my manduka mat (recommended by my yoga bestie), mat cover, and mat holder. I have blogged before about how yoga is great for the everyday athlete. I mean “athlete” in the everyday person’s life who is maybe doing spin, CrossFit, weight training, and/or running. Anyone who incorporates physical activity into their everyday life is not only an athlete in my eyes, but is living a fit and healthy lifestyle. So tell me…Are you ready to give yoga a shot?

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