A Different Yoga Routine

My yoga routine has not changed much in the the last three years.

And it is too easy to get comfortable with one's favorite workout.

Not to mention that with fifty quickly approaching, I am not going to try something too difficult that would easily throw a shoulder, hip, or knee out of commission.

As I was browsing the apps that were available on my new laptop, I came across one I thought looked interesting.

After checking it out and reading the reviews, I downloaded it.

There are several routines, each aimed at different areas, and it includes three levels within each one for difficulty.

I have tried quite a few of them, finding my limitations as well as the ones that are too easy.

The flows are great, and much to my dismay at first, I find I like the animated lady as well.

The instructions are clear and precise as are the movements of the animated instructor.

I am really enjoying my new yoga routine.

But I must remember to switch it up sometimes - its's good all the way around!

Yoga in the Morning

We have been very busy lately, and my yoga routine has been taking a back seat.


With the heat, swimming was naturally to choice to go with for exercising.


When it was cooler, I would go through a small yoga routine right after the swim, but that hasn't been the case for the past couple of weeks.


I have been lucky to eek out about one routine each week.


So, I decided to try doing a routine this morning instead of the weights and lifts that I usually do before breakfast.


It felt really good to do them, but I will say, it was a bit rougher getting through the routine.


By late afternoon, all the muscles are well stretched out from the day's activities - especially after swimming.


No so in the morning.


But I think I will stick with them off and on in the AM, alternating them with the weights just so I can keep the routine up.


Then once the swimming is over for the season - which hopefully won't be for a couple of months - I will get back to doing them in the afternoons like before.

Yoga is Breathing Too

It is not just all exercise.


Yoga combines exercise with meditation, relaxation, and breathing.


It all works together to deliver a well rounded regimen.


It is all very progressive.


It isn't something that you notice right off in your daily life either.


It sneaks up on you over time, then you begin to notice the benefits in some of your daily activities.


And then there are times when it really hits you how far you have come.


Much of the breathing has become quite routine with the yoga positions and exercises.


Without thinking about it, you pretty much know how to breathe when new exercises are introduced.


The deep breathing when stretching really expands the lungs.


This breathing helps to build stamina that you can feel.


It makes many of the internal organs function with more ease as they are supplied with rich oxygenated blood.


It struck me how far I have come with the breathing when I took my first swim this year.


No out of breath for me.


And something else that I could be imagining, but I swear I noticed - I floated better.


Perhaps the lungs have expanded to hold more air that makes me more buoyant.


Probably crazy, I don't know, but I do know I certainly feel a lot better because of my yoga breathing!

New Yoga Clothes

We hit the sales today.


I usually do my exercises in an old pair of shorts and a t-shirt.


While looking through the clearance racks at one of our favorite stores, I found a real bargain.


One I couldn't resist - make that two I couldn't resist.


A pair of very comfortable stretch yoga pants was on sale for $3.00, and they were my size.


I am not one to wear form fitting clothes, but this deal was just too good to pass on.


Finding a matching shirt for $9 sealed the deal, and they both came home with me.


And they are so comfortable!


I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them in a gym, but in my own home - they are perfect.


Glad I "looked" outside the box - I've been missing some comfy clothes!

Bending is a Breeze

It didn't used to be.


My head would pound.


I could barely bend over at the waist.


I certainly couldn't touch anywhere near the floor.


I would be out of breath when I came back up.


I was a mess.


Then, yoga had me bending, bending, and bending again.


At first the hands went to just below the knees.


Then they advanced to the calves and then the feet.


They are now on the floor.


Granted it is only the fingertips, but since yoga is a progressive thing, those hands will be flat on that floor someday.


And I love to bend now - it is so easy with no after affects!

Exercise Motivation

I was reading a fellow blogger's post today, and she asked at the end of her post:


What gets you motivated to keep up with an exercising routine?


I thought about that one for a bit, and the thing that keeps me going is that it feels so good after it is done.


There are some times when it just isn't happening, but for the most part, since I sit at a computer for much of my day, I know I have to have an exercise routine.


 It took me a long time to get my muscles built up to do the exercises, and I don't want to loose them.


My routine doesn't have me loosing any weight, but it keeps me moving.


 I try to do it at the same time everyday.


When I am short on time, I still try to get a few minutes in.


A few here and there adds up though the day when there is no chance for the whole routine.


The Yoga exercises that I have recently discovered add a whole new spin on the exercise routine.


I really miss them when I don't do them.


So, yes, my answer is, it feels so good after I do them that I don't want to miss doing them.


And who doesn't want to feel good?

A Balanced Feel

It has been almost a month that I have been doing the Yoga exercises.

And when I have to miss a day or two, I really miss it.

The movements and poses really do work.

The posture is better when just regularly standing or sitting.

Picking things up off the floor is so much easier - the bending is smooth and the head doesn't pound.

And the overall feeling of well-being can't be beat. 

But the best part is a couple of pounds have been shed, and that is a good thing!

Yoga Update

I am really liking the Yoga exercises.

I have done it for six days now and can feel a definite difference in many areas.

Of the six tapes that came in the set, there are a couple that I will be using regularly.

The beginner one was fine for the first couple of days, but once I learned the poses, I was ready for a few more that one of the other tapes provides.

I find the exercises smooth and very stress-free.

I don't think I will ever be as flexible as the instructor, and the extra weight doesn't help either.

It's hard to bend deeply into many of the poses, but I am hoping that improves with time.

I have a couple of blocks and a belt that came with the mat I bought many years ago for my morning exercise routine.

It is good to be able to use them.

With my weight and my age, I don't see me doing the inverted poses or the back bends, but many of the seated, standing, and kneeling ones are very doable.

I will post more updates as I continue to learn and hopefully improve with this new exercise.

First Day for Yoga

We will not be swimming for a while since it is going to be cold and rainy for the next 4 - 5 days.

So I figured it would be a good time to check out the yoga videos I purchased over the summer.

It is a set of six videos made by Living Arts.

They are for beginners and a couple of them focus on strength and flexibility as one gets better at it.

I must say, after doing it, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.

I am not near as flexible as the instructor, but the poses and holds were not hard as she kept saying they were for beginners.

I think it is because many of the exercises I do in the morning really have been working even though the waist line doesn't show it.

My innards must be more in shape than I realized.

There isn't a lot of moving around with this yoga as there is in the exercises, but I sweat just as much as when I am doing them.

It's a kind of exercise that creeps up on you and you get to take a nice relaxing cool down at the end.

I think once I get the routine down, I am going to like it.