Man, it felt good getting on the mat today.
I started doing yoga about two years ago for several reasons:
- I wanted to quit smoking. I’d been a smoker for 15 years and the novelty of it had worn off. Check.
- I wanted to become stronger, physically and feel better emotionally.Check.
- I wanted to look better. Because when you feel good you look good. Check? *asks husband* Yep, Check.
Two weeks ago, just to shake things up, I started a different workout program because I felt like I need to shock my system. So, I started on a plyo-hiit- cardio based program on Livestrong.com with Nicki Hollander.
And boy, that handed me my ass on a silver platter. After I quit smoking, my lungs started to heal but I’d developed a deep cough along the way and the cardio is helping to break all that up.
It’s really a lovely program for those of you out there looking for something.
But today – after two weeks of being gone, I took myself back to the mat and wow. And even though I have to work twice as long as the Livestrong program to get the same results – I’d really missed the mental and emotional stimulation that went along with it.
While the frantic quick paced plyo-cardio stuff is great and I will continue with it, my brain sort of goes into survival mode to crank out the workout as fast as possible. With yoga, you are forced to stay present and use mindfulness to maintain yourself in the various poses.
And those poses aren’t easy either. By the time the sixty-minute program was through I was a sweaty ball of human limbs. And while I haven’t checked into the sort of modern day ‘detoxifying’ lingo (kidneys and livers do this) nor have I bought into the ‘cleanses’ – (you know those drinks or collections of pills and herbs that make you poop your brains out for hours) – it does sort of have a dishrag effect and those sore muscles get rung out in a way that – when you’re through – feels like you’ve just had a deep tissue message.
So, if you’re looking for something to help you get into shape (other than round lol) both programs are great for various reasons. Just make sure you drink plenty of water for both.
SWEATY BALL OF LIMBS.
But good stuff all the way around.