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Can Yoga Be More Effective Than The Gym?

As you age, being fit is more important than ever in order to stay healthy, and enhance your overall quality of life. Going to the gym is beneficial in order to build muscle and hop on the treadmill to keep your body in motion. But what if you could become leaner, more flexible, and do cardio in the comfort of your home? This is possible with yoga! As you age, yoga can be more effective than going to the gym. 


Reduces Stresscaucasian woman sitting on floor with legs crossed and hand in front of her in praying position

The practice of yoga is to meditate, in order to give you a clear mind from all of the stressors of the day. When you do yoga, your mind blocks out all of the negative energies by reducing noises and distractions (that you experience in the gym).

Makes You More Lean

Stretching your muscles as you strengthen them will make your body more lean. During yoga, you will do different poses that will help strengthen your core, and build strength by holding your body weight.

Provides More Balance

Almost everything you do in yoga engages your core muscles, making it more muscular. You hold positions that engage your core, and when you move to different positions you engage it as well. Strengthening your core helps your body balance more. Improving your balance will help prevent you from falling and getting injured.

Older man with white hair in the park bending over with hands behind back
Yoga provides you with more balance, and can be done anywhere!

 

You Can Do It Anywhere

Yoga can be done anywhere! You can do it at home, in the office,and even in the park. As long as you have the time and need to meditate, you can do some yoga poses almost anywhere that is quiet and peaceful. You can tune out distractions, but it is not as easily done at the gym with all the loud noises from music, TV’s, and people talking. 

No Waiting

Unlike at the gym where you have to wait for a person, or group of people to be done with a machine, you can do yoga on your own. Yoga is done at your own pace, without waiting for others to get out of the way or be done with something.

Good For You Internally

Twisting, stretching, and folding your muscles and body during yoga are good for the digestive system, the circulatory system, and more. It’s a great way to detox the body and can improve your cardiovascular system.

Easier On Your Body

There are different classes such as hot yoga, and intense yoga classes. But there are ones that are easier on your joints such as chair yoga. Yoga works your muscles without lifting weights. Lifting weight takes a toll on your joints and can be painful. It helps build good posture, flexibility, and balance without straining your joints.

Yoga slowly stretches muscles and increases flexibility. The increased flexibility keeps muscles and joints lubricated

pink piggy bank with a coin being thrown in
No gym membership is required to do yoga!

and healthy. Weights and treadmills at the gym can cause strain which leads to soreness and injuries.

Saves You Money

Yoga does not cost a thing. You do not need a gym membership because as you stay, you can do it anywhere! You can wear any clothing that allows you to move, and you don’t need a mat. You can do yoga in the grass, or on a carpet.

The Face Pull – Your Fresh Workout

A New Fitness Workout (That’s not gonna actually pull your face.)

building muscle with weights
Working out is good for more than just your physique.

Most of us work out to look good. No? You’re doing it for health reasons? Okay–well, I work out to look good, and this is an easy workout to slip into the regimen that’ll improve more than just “gettin’ you them gunz”. This isn’t just one of the fitness trends.

I know that it’s easier nowadays to just get a personal trainer when it comes to your fitness. Why learn workouts online when someone can teach you? Personal training gets expensive though, but don’t worry. For the most part, as long as you do your research and take caution, you can build workouts yourself. The “Face Pull” workout is recommended as a good ending for every fitness routine whether HIIT(high-intensity interval) classes or indoor cycling because it improves posture, streamlines muscle balance, and prevents injuries.

Why it Works

Weight lifting does so much for your body and health. It’s important to maintain a balance with the muscle groups you work on. The Face Pull is special in this case.

It hits important muscles that don’t normally get trained. With a lot of fitness routines, you’re pushing against a bar or a dumbbell, or you’re pulling, but it’s with the major muscles in your back. These small muscles(the rotator cuffs in your shoulders) need to be trained too so that they can all work together. Your body should be one smooth, well-oiled machine working toward one goal. And that’s some free advice you can take out of the gym.

How to Do It

working out with cables and pulleys
The cables and pulleys machine uses leverage to build strength.

Alright, so you know what happens on the inside now. But what to do on the outside? The last thing I want you to do is head to your gym and not know what to do. I hate standing around confused, personally. So, let’s take a look at what equipment you’ll need, the movement you’ll use, and specifically what form to take.

First, you’re going to get yourself into a gym with cables and pulleys set up. If you’re lucky enough to have this (or resistance bands) in your own home, then great! The cables and pulleys machine is the nifty looking apparatus with all the ropes in it. The above picture is of this machine. Most likely, you’ll see some swole dude (or dudette, we’re equal opportunity here) pulling them into his/her chest and grimacing at the mirror. Me one day, hopefully.

Here’s how to perform this exercise:

good posture for good health
Keeping the right posture is very important for the Face Pull Workout.
  • Set one pulley to a higher placement than your face. Your posture for this exercise is the same as the photo to the left.
  • Insert the dual-ended rope at the end.
  • Grasp each end firmly (like an airline seat belt), thumbs pointed behind you, and arms stretched out in front.
  • Pull it backward and rotate your arms out, elbows at a 90-degree angle and below the shoulder. This should feel good and bad at the same time because these muscles aren’t hit a lot.
  • Make sure your posture is good, and that you can breathe easily while doing this. Two of the most important rules in weight-lifting besides deodorant.

Ten reps should be good. Most personal trainers won’t hit this rotator cuff.

If you’re at home, secure your resistance bands so that you’re in the same position as the cables and pulleys machine. This could be around a pillar, a sturdy bookcase, or your roommate if they’ll hold still long enough. After setup, continue to do the aforementioned movement.

The second part of this set is about the same. You’ll just go straight up overhead with your arms stiff but not locked. Keep your thumbs pointed behind you, where everyone is looking because you’re doing a hip new workout.

Whether taking a yoga class, full body gym workouts, or just light calisthenics in your living room, this workout hits lesser-used muscle groups that you need to function well overall. If aesthetics are your goal, you’ll get better posture. For overall strength, this will build up those weaker muscles, providing more support in the long run. Need a little more? Here’s an instructional video that can help.

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