Increasing Strength, Flexibility, and Balance Through Yoga

As people age, the tendency to get sure-footed increases.

Fortunately, they can always turn to yoga to help them dramatically improve their balance, strength, and flexibility, regardless of their fitness level and age.

Seniors often find it challenging to find exercises that really target and resolve their trouble spots.

However, yoga is considered ideal for seniors since it is a whole body workout.

Aside from its aerobic aspect, it also has a strength training component.

Ideally, adults need to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, alongside 2 strength training sessions.

Strength

Yoga uses the body weight to build long and lean muscle and to transform the physique. Depending on the poses performed, it can also be used to target trouble spots as well like thinning the thighs or building a rock-solid core.

Balance

More muscle can often translate to better balance.

With yoga, you’ll be working both sides of the body, as opposed to just one.

When you develop equal strength on both sides, you’ll less likely to fall, trip, or slip.

Flexibility

Yoga is highly known for helping practitioners develop greater flexibility.

However, you don’t necessarily have to twist yourself into a pretzel just to reap the benefits yoga has to offer.

Fortunately, yoga movements can help burn calories and retain range of motion even in senior citizens.

In addition, yoga’s many poses also offers full body workout that helps banish stiffness.

For those who are suffering from arthritis, enhanced flexibility can help significantly alleviate pain and maintain mobility.

Improved balance, strength, and flexibility can also translate to greater independence well into one’s senior years.

If you are looking to incorporate yoga into your daily routine below are basic safety tips to remember to ensure your practice is safe:

Warm up before you start your session

Flexing and stretching prior to starting your session should be considered a must.

Just like any other forms of workout, you need to warm up the muscles and the body so you can avoid injuries.

Keep your muscles warm

Ensure that your workout area has a comfortable temperature—not too hot or too cold.

When it’s cold, there is a tendency for the muscles to become tense which can result to loss of flexibility, stiffness, and in worse case scenarios, injury.

In addition, ensure you wear the right yoga attire so you stay warm.

Don’t push yourself beyond your limit

Yoga is not competitive.

The only person you have to compete with is yourself.

If you’re new to the practice, it’s normal to experience difficulties when executing even the most basic of poses.

However, you also need to remember that yoga is not learned over night.

You have to give yourself ample time to adjust and learn the poses so you can execute them properly and safely.

Cool down at the end of each session

Primary, this is done to help ensure injuries are avoided and to help lengthen the muscles after it has been worked out.

To discover other ways you can benefit from yoga, head to www.allure-yoga.com right now!

source http://allurewellness.net/2017/03/31/increasing-strength-flexibility-and-balance-through-yoga/