Yoga, Pilates Offer More Than You Think
With all we know now about how exercise benefits every facet of our lives, it’s hard to believe more Americans don’t work out, in one way or another. It’s the closest thing we’ve found to the “fountain of youth”, and truly the lone way to change the appearance, dimensions, and overall strength of our body.
Not only can our longevity be enhanced when we pursue a consistent approach to strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training, but quality years are added to our life.
Everyone exercises for different reasons, but no matter your initial motivation, ALL the benefits come your way. Below is a list of benefits that perpetuate the notion that you should find some form of exercise, and devote consistent-if minimal-time to it. If even a few of these improvements appeal to you, that’s reason enough to “buy in”, and start taking care of yourself:
Regular exercise can:
- Help you lose weight, especially fat
- Improve your physical appearance
- Increase your level of muscular strength and endurance
- Increase you stamina and ability to do continuous work
- Raise good cholesterol (HDL), reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides
- Lower body mass index (BMI)-your fat-to-height ratio
- Enhance sexual desire and performance
- Reduce heart disease risk, as well as risk of stroke
- Reduce risk of contracting certain forms of cancer
- Increase insulin sensitivity, fending off type-2 diabetes
- Help you sleep better and relax
- Improve your self-esteem and restore confidence; improve mood
Now that we’ve established what many of you already were well-aware of, the question is: How does one find that perfect approach, the panacea that keeps you inspired to not just start a pursuit of wellness, but miss it enough if it’s lacking, you’re guaranteed to make it a “way of life?” As well, if you are active, yet things have become stale, or you’ve reached an improvement impasse, yoga or pilates may be the magic approach for you.
Yoga is a combination of mostly floor exercises, poses and movements which stress body control, attention to breathing, and a greater awareness of ones’ being. There are so many types and levels of this ancient pursuit of greater physical control, anyone can endeavor to start, and no matter what condition you’re currently in, expect almost immediate improvement.
Benefits include:
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Strength of structure, which provides protection against injury
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Improved balance and coordination
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Increased bone density, fighting osteoporosis, and:
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Improved function of the immune system
Longtime Edmond runner Betty Sadler, whom over the last decade has been a yoga participant and instructor, is devout in her appreciation of this full-body approach to fitness. On the advice of a foot surgeon, who urged her to mix something with her running, she began going to yoga sessions. During childhood, ballet had been a part of her life, and as fitness has always been an integral part of her life, she was an aerobics instructor for many years. When she encountered yoga, a whole new world was opened to her, and a vast appreciation continues today: “I actually hoped yoga would help my running; that’s why I tried it.”
As with many of us, we’ll agree to alter our workouts if we think it will enhance our favorite pursuit, and this is especially true of runners, as loyal to their sport as any athletes. What Sadler found with the controlled, measured movements of yoga indeed enhances her running to this day: As well as strengthening my feet, it added posture and form to my life-and my running-which definitely helps in staying uninjured. When you run as long as we have, flexibility is an issue, and we can’t just really on our youth to perform. It’s the best total body workout I’ve found; I wouldn’t do without it.”
If you think you have to be a lithe and sinewy individual to embark upon yoga or pilates, just visit a class sometime, and witness the varying body-types that abound there. Pilates is the use of isometric, measured movements with one characteristic always present: a focus on “core” body strength.
The core consists of your abdominal area and lower back/hip area. It cannot be overstated how important to overall health-not to mention athletic performance-a strong core is.
Benefits are:
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Balance and coordination
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Metabolism at work even when resting, and
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Strong structure to allow for sustained efforts, lower occurrence of injury
In my fitness training with clients, no matter what their particular goals may be, we make it a priority to place heavy emphasis on core fitness, and this is why. When performing an endurance event, fatigue is a given at some point. However, what we perceive as “the tank being empty” is quite often instead a breakdown of form, which monitors and allows for effort level to be sustained.
A strong core is built in many ways other than hundreds and hundreds of situps, but a key to pilates indeed involves keeping a constant awareness of your abdominal muscles, and in many pilates workouts, a steady “crunch” is maintained. But the beauty of the art is that in time-and again, if you’re a novice, you’ll learn at a quick rate-a sense of control where your breathing’s concerned, and almost a subconscious awareness of your core’s role as the major powerhouse of your body. That attention to breathing can’t be overstated: if you’re aware on a daily basis of relaxed, controlled breathing (not noticeable, or audible, just relaxed) by definition your metabolism is enhanced, and blood pressure regulated.
In the case of long-distance runners, in recent years heavy attention has been placed on the core, and from a personal perspective, not a single area of my training touches the benefit I’ve received from concerted core training. And a bonus: you’ll find the time spent to achieve results is a very efficient expenditure; 4-5 pilates-related movements done consistently for 3-4 weeks will produce a noticeable change in how you feel, and if you take it a step further, 30 minutes of yoga/pilates may be just what the doctor ordered to get you started with a fitness program, or enhance your current regimen. There’s not an aspect of your life that won’t be benefited.
MARATHON UPDATE:
If a beginning or novice marathoner, it’s wise to be sure your training schedule leaves you a 2-week window before the race with no run exceeding 10 miles. No benefit of a long run at this point, as long as you’ve gotten 2-4 long ones in, can supercede the risk associated with an extended effort too close to raceday. Injury from overuse, fatigue, or just plain soreness can alter your performance April 25th if you’ve run too long too recently. Instead, try an 8-10 mile run mid-month that intersperses some “tempo” (slightly stepped-up effort). To stay fresh, and control your nerves in the final week, do some short stride-outs during your runs that week (none of which should exceed 5 miles). This keeps you moving and fends off the stagnancy that can come with gearing down your workouts. In your final long run, try to emulate raceday as much as possible, with Powerade, GU, or whatever aids you plan to use that day. Relax, you’re almost there, and you’ll be fine!
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