Times they are changing

Running

I read on NYT that exercising four times a week is better than six. That’s a really nice article for gym addicts - bodybuilders.

I’ve underlined some parts for you:

“The women working out twice a week had become as powerful and aerobically fit as those who had worked out six times a week” but “the women exercising four times per week were now expending  for more energy, overall, than the women in either of the other two groups”. Doctor Hunt says that less may be more.

Cheer up spring isn't all that far away  for us in the north hemisphere, then we’ll have time to practice outdoor activities.

Besides Yoga I run (above the picture of my current favourite runing landscapes - Parque Tejo, sited in north west Lisbon), I try to go at least once per week, saturdays and perhaps more often from now on, not that I’m a big runner, only keep on running for one hour, while I listen to good music and here’s three energetic songs for my next saturday's playlist, how about yours?

1 – Le Tigre – Deception

2 - !!! – Pardon my freedom

3 – Kaiser Chiefs - OMG

Gym and Yoga

Yoga can relax your body and soul, unlike gym.

I’ve always been a gym enthusiastic but come on it’s not proper relaxing…you do it because you got this urgency to be all shape and toned or the most common reason lose weight. Baby, wake up, it’s fantasy, actually you might put a few pounds as your muscle and lean mass grow, replacing fat.

After one and a half year of daily gym and intensive workout (running, bicycle for cardio and body-combat, body-pump aerobic exercise) I ended up with a hard body and very gym fan knows how difficult is the moment of stepping into that door (If your friends say know don’t believe it please, it’s so untrue) and that’s when I turn to other kind of workout.

Yoga gives you an extra and the feeling “I’ve paid I must go” fades away. It starts with breathing exercises (shoes off), inhale and exhale…so good. At some point teacher tells us to hold our breaths for one minute or more if we can, then breathe freely and again 1, 2, 3, 4 hold…exhale… and by this time you feel like a reborn person.

Yoga masters say breathing is crucial to become a better learner. Therefore they advise you to do a training course. Poses are also something to improve. Do you think you can cross your legs easily, with your back straights? Well once you buy a monthly pass that you can be amongst the clumpiest in the room. Nevertheless always do your best to achieve any of the hundreds poses Yoga teaches you and get in touch with your chakras – energy centers of the body.

The pose I want to do most is sirsasana, will write about it once I get enough mind power and body balance, my teacher always points that our body has no limits; one can be cosy and peaceful in this pose for over 10 minutes. I share my class with 60 years old men and they can do it like walking, in Yoga age doesn’t matter but mind focus. Be thoughtless. Now tell me is this all very zen for you?  Be my guest to share your thoughts on Yoga.