Strength, flexibility, agility and relaxation — they’re not just goals for gym buffs and professional athletes. If we want to remain active, fit and independent throughout our lives, experts warn we should make them a priority in our fitness routines.
So you thought aerobic activity had you covered? Not quite. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, adults should work in muscle-strengthening activities two to four times a week. Flexibility and agility activities should be part of our lives almost on a daily basis (that is, four to seven times a week).
With hectic schedules and a serious time crunch, it’s no surprise that “multi-tasking” forms of exercise like yoga — which benefit the mind and the body — are gaining in popularity.
Why give it a try?
Have visions of turning yourself into a pretzel? Don’t worry — yoga will actually help you unwind thanks to its focus on breathing and meditation. (After all, the goal is to unite the body, mind and spirit.) Yoga is more than just movement. Even if you don’t adhere to diet, behaviour and philosophy, the exercises offer many health benefits and can help:
- Prevent falls and injuries. The stretching, movements and control help improve balance, flexibility, range of motion and posture — thereby protecting us from future harm while doing other activities. It can help mitigate the damage we do to our bodies when we’re inactive — like working at a computer 40 plus hours a week.
- Increase muscle strength. Unfortunately, we lose muscle tone as we age. With yoga, you won’t bulk up, but you will develop long, lean muscles.
- Reduce stress. Yoga is often recommended for people who are under a lot of pressure, like caregivers. The breathing techniques can be used outside of exercise sessions — like those “need to count to ten” moments.
- Manage chronic illnesses like arthritis, asthma, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Relaxation and exercise are beneficial for many health conditions.
- Improve sleep. More vigorous types of yoga can help tire you out, and relaxing poses and some breathing exercises can help target insomnia.
- Reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Yoga isn’t an necessarily an aerobic activity, but it its overall benefits are good for the heart.
- Improve awareness of one’s body. You’ll be more aware of your movements, feelings and posture.
- Prevent mid-life weight gain. A recent study showed that people who practiced yoga gained less weight than those who didn’t. Researchers think part of the reason was due greater awareness of their body — like a better awareness of feeling full. (For full details, see TheZoomer Report .)
