Looking for feedback.
I’m thinking about starting a program of yoga for my mental health, physical well-being, and weight loss.
This is a difficult step for me. I keep myself very busy and the program I’ll looking into requires 40 minutes a day. That may not seem like much to you, but to me it’s a lot of time.
I’d love to get feedback from people who are currently using yoga for their health or people who have tried it and have quit for one reason or another. I’d like to learn about successes, failures, and experiences.
Please use the Comment link to share your experiences. I think other people might also be interested in what you have to say.
Thanks.
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I did yoga once or twice a day when I was in my teens and early 20s. I think it’s a great thing to do and you’ll find it beneficial, though I’m not sure about the weight loss aspects.
I don’t remember why I stopped, but I’ve tried several times to pick it up again. I do it for a couple of weeks, start to feel the benefits, think “This is great! Why did I stop?” and then lapse again. That in spite of the fact that I generally have few problems motivating myself to get on with things I want to do.
On the other hand, 12 months ago I joined a study for sedentary middle-aged women in Wellington and am required to do 30 minutes moderate exercise 5 days a week. That was a huge commitment and I had to turn my life upside down to fit in that extra 30 minutes.
It has often only been that external study that has kept me from stopping. When I started I would drag myself around for a walk. After 3, 6 and even 9 months I could see no noticeable benefit. No weight loss, no feeling fit and energetic, though the walks became easier.
Finally, now, 12 months later, I can notice the benefits and it’s not quite so hard to get on to my 30 minutes per day. Sometimes I feel full of energy and *want* to get out there and walk, skate or bike. The temptation *not* to do the exercise is still there though.
One thing that is sometimes helpful for me is to remember that every bit of exercise is “health” in the bank.
I think yoga is excellent for flexibility and general wellbeing. After a couple of weeks you can really feel the changes in your body. It’s definitely worth considering how to change your days around to include that 40 minutes.
Hi Maria:
The problem with blogs… I’ll be surprised if you see this post at such a “late” date.
As a Christian man, I advise staying away from Yoga. You open yourself up to all sorts of demonic activity. But since you already listen to NPR and read Slate…
N, really, I’m serious about the spiritual aspect of Yoga. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just stretching, but like Karate, they always try to feed you some spiritual garbage with the technique.
As one pilot to another, I suggest tread milling. I don’t like running outdoors, but for some reason, don’t mind tread milling indoors. (TV, radio, fan, AC, convenient?) I find that 30 minutes on the treadmill buys me 3 hours of productive time. I’m a night person, and usually run at 8 or 9 pm. That wires me and I’ll be working well past mid-night.
I didn’t need to lose weight when I was doing self defense stuff – I tread milled for the cardio aspect and a little more strength. (Carry 5 lb dumbells in each hand while running.) But I lost weight anyway. They say it’s best to cardio in the morning if your goal is to lose weight.
You’ll find your BP goes down (which seems to be the killer for FAA medicals as we get older), your oxygenation is probably better (bet you don’t carry O2 in your copter), and you’ll generally be sharper all around. I notice my pulse doesn’t jump as much during stressful times in flight. There’s probably an endorphin element to it too, but being a guy, I don’t notice stuff like that.
Funny thing about tread mills… they usually need power. If your plan to exercise at HM, maybe you can find a survivalist type that makes power or does some useful work? Otherwise, there was a Schwinn (of bicycle fame) exercise bike I saw 20 years ago with a fan for resistance. Made its own breeze, which would be good at the Mesa. You can probably find an old Nordic Track on Craig’s list. They work well. If your knees are bad, the exercise bikes that pitch forward and back or that cycle your arms are a fine alternative.
I started doing Yoga about 10 years ago because my doctor recommended it. Not so much for the mental health aspect, but for the physical benefit that comes with stretching. I took a class that met once a week, and we did 45 minutes of yoga followed up with half hour of meditation. After the first class I felt a change. Almost like I had complete control of my life and body. It’s a great feeling.
anyway, at the time I had gained some weight and couldn’t get rid of it. It was only about 20 pounds, but hey, 20lbs is 20lbs. Since I now had that new feeling of control, I decided to meditate the weight off. It worked!
This is what I did.
1. Gave myself a goal. It has to be reasonable. I think it was 20lbs in 3 months.
2. I weighed myself every morning as soon a got up (go to the bathroom first)and recorded my weight on a chart.
3. Give up one token item that you have everyday. I had an apple turnover every morning for breakfast. I gave it up and had a danish instead. You need to see that token item as the reason you can’t lose weight.
4. meditate for 10 – 20 minutes a day. How? just get yourself in a quiet place, close your eye and have your mind feel and concentrate on each part of your body one by one. I start form the top and work my way down. When you get to an area that is larger then you want it to be, stop and concentrate on the area. Feel the fat melt away. Then continue to move down. When you get to your feet, push all the bad out.
(Okay, so this sounds like I’ve got toys in the attic, and every one reading this right now is wondering who this nut job is, but try it. you’re in your quiet place and no one is there to know what you’re doing)
5. Each morning when you see you’ve lost a pound or two, that’s just reinforcing your belief that it works.
The most important thing is that you really have to believe that it works. You know, that whole mind over matter thing.
Now Maria, I’m your sister. You’ve known me my whole life. As a kid I was fat because I love to eat. I lost 40lbs 25 years ago. Well, I still love to eat, especially sweets, and I still wear a size 6.
Yoga is great!
Hi Maria,
just surfing and noticed you in my favorites! How are you feeling? Mikie? Don’t ask here!!! my folks are in my dining staying here while renovating their house, Fred needs knee surgery and is out of work for now and cody got mugged by 9th graders! I go to a yoga class every Tuesday and love it. you don’t need to invest too much into it to get results. like anything, its a discipline…using stretching with breathing. It made me stronger. I hope you’ve gone for it by now. Take care, Cheri
Hi Maria,
I think the biggest problem with yoga is that it takes quite a bit of time to learn the techniques before you really start to see any benefit and, as with most things in life, people simply don’t stick at it long enough.
Yoga is great for people who have been through gastric bypass surgery and are facing a total re-adjustment to their lifestyle. In this case many people are successful because they have a real reason for taking up yoga.