Is Yoga A Good Workout? Yes, Ma’am!
A Damn Good Workout
I’ve been exercising for like 150 years. OK, maybe it isn’t quite that long, but it feels like it. Why? Because I get bored. Lift weights, hit treadmill, blah, blah, blah. Meh. So over it. What I am not over is how exercise makes me feel – lean, strong and healthy. I recently set out to find a new exercise program that would give me a good workout but be different what I’ve been doing. Enter Rodney Yee’s Power Yoga Total Body.
This is not for wimps. I only recommend it if you have a some yoga experience under your belt. It’s done in a flow style, where one pose flows into the next. Rodney calls the poses by their names, so if you don’t know Warrior One from Downward Dog you’re going to be lost. Even if you are an experienced yogi, this is a challenging workout. It’s meant to help you gain strength as well as flexibility. You will sweat. You will curse Rodney repeatedly (or maybe that’s just me). But in the end you will be damn glad you plunked down the $8.99 plus shipping for this baby. Like I said, I’m an experienced yogi/exerciser and this is challenging for me.
The workout is 60 minutes – that’s one hour of almost constant movement. The pace is quick, not relaxed like you may have experienced with other yoga workouts. This is not for relaxation and centering, it’s for toning and conditioning your body.
I like Rodney Yee as a yoga instructor. Sometimes I giggle at him, but it’s in the privacy of my own home, so it doesn’t count (does it?). Other instructors irritate me because they talk too much or too slowly or whatever, but I think Rodney gets it about right.
If you’re looking for a new challenge or just want to add new dimension to your workouts, try this video. It’s under $10 and since you do it at home, no one can see you when you can’t get your head off of the floor in Reverse Bow.
Namaste indeed.
Oh! Look what I found at Target! Why did no one tell me about this before?!
Rock Your Way to A Firmer Body
Rock Your Way To A Firmer Body
Like most women, I must face the necessary evil of working out if I don’t want to weigh 300 pounds. I don’t mind working out, but I have exercise ADD and can’t stand to do the same thing day after day so I am constantly on the hunt for new fun ways to get fit.
A few months ago, I was channel surfing when an infomercial caught my eye. Before I knew it, I had watched the whole thing! The product I was so fascinated by was a new piece of exercise equipment and the DVD set that accompanied it. I had to hop online and order IMMEDIATELY!
A few days later, my Wave arrived!
When I ordered it, I thought it would be fun and different, but wasn’t really sure how effective it would be. After my first workout, I was hooked! The wave itself is used in a variety of ways: with the flat side down, it’s used as a step for cardio and to do squats and a bit of arm work. Flipped over, it’s used for more cardio and as a base to make push ups even more difficult than they already are!
I didn’t think rocking back and forth on it would be that hard and it’s not, but it absolutely makes your muscles work! I could feel it in my butt and thighs while working out and was sore the next day. The soreness wasn’t bad enough to keep me from hopping back on and going another round. The DVDs that go with The Wave are great. The instructors are just the right mix of tough and perky without crossing the line into bubblegum cheerleader territory and they show methods of using The Wave to make the workout easier or more difficult depending on your ability level.
The only con I have found is when I didn’t use the mat that goes underneath The Wave. Without it, The Wave slips on carpet and it made it difficult to do push ups. Also, the longest workout is 40 minutes so if you are looking for an extended workout you would have to use both DVDs back to back to get over an hour in.
The Wave is a great piece of equipment. It takes almost no room to store and adds an element of fun to what can become a tedious part of the day for me. I don’t use it every day, but I do pull it out when I want to shake things up a bit and get my workouts rocking!
Yoga Is Awesome. At Home.
April 2, 2009 by Miss Britt
Filed under Health
I am an inherently lazy person.
I’m convinced that God made me that way. That’s why I am not one of those people who glistens when they workout. I sweat. And get red faced. And swell. And my legs itch when I run.
I’m practically allergic to strenuous exercise.
Which makes yoga perfect for me.
What is not perfect for me is a yoga class. That you take with other people. In front of mirrors. In a room that discourages swearing.
If I’m going to fall over trying to stand on one leg, I’d like to be able to do it in the privacy of my own home where only my children can mock me and be scarred by my inevitable cursing.
