The perfect combo for your health!
I believe in the yin and yang.
Yin and ying is the balance of life.
Working hard and recovery.
Rewards and challenges.
When we embrace the extremes in anything, we are naturally fulfilled.
Fulfilled by the progress and enjoyment of feeling in control.
And getting the progress you want.
We want this with your health.
Your social life.
But to get that control and progress you want this is important...
If you don’t have enough challenges in your life, you'll become bored sometimes depressed.
But too much challenge and not enough comfort and control leads to anxiety and uncertainty.
The sweet spot is where you are interested, because you need to focus to overcome the challenge in front of you.
And you have the support and belief around you to overcome the challenge.
I say all this to say.
Yoga and strength training are the yin and yang of health and fitness.
Great flexibility. ✅
Weight loss. ✅
Body toning and strength. ✅
Mental peace and confidence. ✅
Longevity and not getting injured. ✅
This is the holistic approach.
I’m all about you doing what you want to do to be fit and healthy.
But there are many people who don’t know what they want. Or what they need to get what they want.
That might include you?
Maybe you’ve always struggled to stay consistent with your health goals?
Maybe you don’t get how someone could love fitness?
Maybe the thought of it all exhausts you?
These are all signs that you haven’t found the right balance, for you.
Why strength training and yoga?
Let’s start with strength training.
Lifting weights is not just for bodybuilders.
Lifting weights is not only great for weight loss, posture and looking good in your pants.
It’s great for building mental strength which leads to a sense of confidence.
When you see yourself getting stronger, lifting more, you feel a sense of strength and progress.
That confidence is contagious to your personality.
That's what challenges do, they build confidence in your ability to face life.
When we experience the stress of weight training our body adapts by being stronger, it's more robust and has MANY anti-aging benefits because of it.
Think about it, the older we get the frailer and weaker we get.
This doesn’t have to be the case if you lift weights.
Following on from the topic of stress and causing tension on your body…
Yoga is the opposite and fits perfectly with weight training,
It’s so important in the time we live in.
99% of us are constantly in the grey area of life.
Not necessarily resting and not necessarily working.
We don't know how to mentally switch off.
When you are working you have one foot in work another foot online shopping or talking with your friend.
When you are resting you aren’t actually because you have the tv on and you're still consuming information.
When you are meant to be sleeping you are thinking about the next day or digesting what’s already happened.
This has negative affects on your health as well as your ability to achieve work goals.
It also affects how deeply we rest.
If you never fully rest, you are never really awake.
Yin and Yang.
Unfortunately, Alicante 2 times a year doesn’t really recharge you properly.
When you stretch your body in yoga and release tension, you relax the body and nervous system.
And because your mind and body are one.
How you feel affects how you think and vice versa.
If you're body feels calm with less cortisol pumping around it, you won't think as catastrophically about your life, future or problems.
Sometimes in yoga you'll reach states where you switch off from thinking.
People often say "I feel a weight off my shoulders".
We restart our computers and close tabs that are open daily.
We give our phone an update or switch it off from time to time.
We give our cars a service and have maintenance checks.
How often do you do this for your mind and body?
You use your mind and body more so they require more maintenance and down time.
Not only will yoga help you build strength and lose weight.
It will take you to deeper levels of relaxation than sleep can. (Whilst is another benefit that it improves the quality of your sleep)
The benefits are endless.
I say all this to say…
Building strength by physically challenging your body say 2 times per week.
Along with releasing tension out of your body and becoming more present a couple times a week through yoga.
Is the perfect recipe for health and longevity.
Running is great.
Martial arts and all the sports you can mention have incredible benefits.
But at the apex of fitness in my humble opinion is the combination of strength/resistance along with flexibility and becoming present.
If you haven’t tried either yet I envy you.
Because the benefits you will see and feel as a newbie are fast and incredible.
Give it a try, let me know how they go 😊
And if you want help with the strength training element, I’d be happy to help!
