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Work Your ‘Guns’: Yoga… Model Style

Combined with some form of cardio, yoga is without a doubt and effective choice if you are interested in an alternative to conventional strength training.  I, for one, have never been very good at sticking with a routine of dumbbells and free weights.

If you are looking for a great routine to target the ‘guns’, toning and developing strength in one sha-bang, check out the video below.  Sure, I know that the lovely Miyuki Fox is a model.  Yes, I’m aware that for whatever reason she has about 7 percent body fat, tops.  And OK, so in all likelihood the girl is eight feet tall.  So… I guess I have to admit, those facts alone set her apart from the rest of us in her ability to show off miles of bicep-ial sinew with little to no effort… but please, keep an open mind.  Take a gander… even better, give it a go.

I’m willing to bet, that model or no model, you’ll feel it… and maybe, with a little consistency, you too might be boasting model worthy ‘guns’… OK, perhaps not model worthy, but perhaps a little less chicken wing worthy.  How ’bout that?!

Bridge Pose, or…. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

It was a lovely practice today.  Short but lovely.  Only half an hour as girl-child was left on the computer… please don’t judge.  Ahem.

Anyways, this posture is near heaven for me.  It’s a posture in which I can remain for days… or at least, many, many moments.  I love looking down my abdomen, torso straight and strong not to mention the power in my thighs.  Oh, my thighs.  I just love the delicious tension in this pose… feeling the work in my core… and my dear bottom!

It’s a beautiful, strong posture and is known to offer many benefits, not the least of which is rejuvenating tired legs (the thighs, remember?!), as well as stretching the chest, neck, and spine and stimulating abdominal organs.  Additionally it’s said to improve digestion and aid in the discomfort of menstruation.

I’ll bow to a higher authority to provide the technicalities, but for the love of Oprah, this is one of my favourites!

Weightloss and Fitness… The Yogic Connection

yoga for fitness and weightloss

We often hear about the benefits of yoga as it pertains to spiritual and mental health, but is there a tangible connection to one’s fitness and, more specifically, can I lose a few pounds doing it?

I already enjoy the stress busting aspects of a regular… OK, semi-regular… practice, but how much of what I’m doing actually targets my trouble spots- those zones of frustration such as my tummy and thighs… OK, and bum and perhaps, and the fleshy wings accumulating under my newly minted 40 year old arms?

Well, those of us who would like to look to a less intense, non-impact method of achieving a level of fitness, can take heart.  Studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity–a sign your body reads to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat.  Yay!

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Tomorrow… Abso-freakin’-tively!

We have officially settled into our Mexican vacation.  Day #2 has come to an end and I do believe everyone will be in a better sleep cycle beginning tonight.  Which means, an early, uninterrupted, practice tomorrow morning.  I love practicing yoga when we’re here… it’s just a matter of making time for it and early mornings are my favourite here.  The waves, the sunrise… before the workers are up clanging down by the pool… before the other vacationers are up, all boisterous, setting up for the day or heading to breakfast… before the smell of bacon fills the air.

Doors open, breeze off of the Caribbean…. breathe….. tomorrow it is!