Yoga and Water

Dear SYSters,

I hope you are committed to drinking your water and making sure that you get moving everyday! The current trends nowadays of exercising are on the increase as women begin to feel the need to have healthy bodies. This needs to become a routine in our lives.

So let’s get started!

Okay, so you haven’t gone to a gym for awhile now, but you have really been thinking about it? Well, let’s get dressed and ready…got your old tennis shoes that you have had for 3 years (they’re not too dirty)…check…your husband’s old XL boxy jersey (it has a couple of holes, but none too obvious-you think) … check/check… and some baggy sweat pants that allows you to move (had them since the last time I went, but I can’t remember when Ha Ha)... check/check/check. You are prepared to sweat it out, and get into shape at all costs! It’s about time you work that body and whip it into shape!

Stooop !

This is not how it is! Fast forward to 2006! Now the current trend is not to kill yourself and overwork the poor gym equipment! It is not to workout so hard that you are sure to pull a muscle and never return. And dressing like your husband will also add to your pain and trauma!  According to the exercise staff at my local Y, the gym classes that are the most attended now are yoga and Pilates. These types of classes are the most popular and well attended-especially by boomers (ages 45-64). The classes are fun and have become a routine for those that attend. It is a way of loving your body (not beating it up), because you do what you are able to and walk out feeling great! You take baby steps with your body-instead of the kill yourself and burn-it-out attitude! Picture this: it would be like trying to clean your whole house in one day, instead of doing zones and hot spots. You get the same results without the burn out.

The facts back up what I see at my local Y. According to a recent article in BusinesssWeek… barrowed from my DH, participation in yoga has risen 18% in last year. Also noted is the fact the women are buying more athletic apparel (we also want to look great) at stores like Lucy (now partially owned by Chico’s).  Women are now less likely to buy at big box men’s sporting goods stores. Stores like Lucy appeal to women with posters of women exercising and being happy and healthy. This is reflecting in sales which are triple those of a traditional sporting goods store! Lucy does not have any posters of sweaty tri-athletes, or of women pumping iron. Instead they show real women loving their own body image in a calming form of exercise. So, don’t let going to the gym or working out intimidate you and keep you from trying to love your body. The times have changed and the environment is friendlier for women.

This brings me back to my local Y and a lady in her late forties that I see at my yoga/Pilates classes every week. I am always nosey and love to speak with people who appear to have it together. She is bubbly and always wears a friendly smile. She has a beautiful disposition and of course I notice that she knows how to dress for her body shape! I asked her how she works it (so to speak). She told me that it is all in a regular routine, and never over do it. I love just getting ready to come and enjoy something just for me! This may seem to be self indulgent; however I believe it helps me be better person. She also said she once had an instructor who told her… take baby steps! Sounds like someone we all know and love (Nooow… who could that be??)

So change your mind-set about exercise and make it part of your routine! It really is a great way to love yourself. And be sure that you wear something that makes you feel good. The classes at your local gym are sure to be a similar friendly environment that you will want to attend regularly. There is also a common denominator at my yoga classes-everyone brings their WATER!

Love Leslie (MSP)

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