Who has noticed our logo? The yin and yang symbol. The meaning behind the Chinese symbol is two opposites that complement each other. The concept of doing one and not the other just doesn’t make sense, almost ludicrous. We can’t only focus on strength training and expect results or expect our bodies to forever hold up to this method of training. Forever lifting heaving and pushing heavy will result in one very tight and sore body. So in order to avoid tightness throughout the body and our joints we combine it with yoga. To open up and let go of any tension that our body is holding onto and let’s face it today’s society it is not uncommon for pent up stress to build in both our mind and body. So we need a balance.
So at Real Fitness we have combined the two types of training together which is a great powerhouse. Why? The two methods together compliment the mechanical movements required by the body to perform at its best. While a good strength session assists in losing body fat and gaining lean muscle yoga can help the body achieve this. How? In order for us to strip body fat and gain lean muscle your body needs to be able to perform these exercises and movements correctly. How can we do that? Through a daily or weekly practice of yoga. Yoga helps improve our R.O.M (range of motion) as well as our flexibility, strengthening our body and teaching us to hold our own body weight for longer periods of time. In return the body will then be able to get into positions easier and hold these positions if need be with ease throughout a weights session.
Yoga’s benefits alone are worth their weight in gold. Increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone which sits well with the purpose of weight training. Increased respiration, energy and vitality, maintaining a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance and the big one protection from injury. The list goes on. If you look at these benefits all together you can see why we encourage yoga to be a daily practice or incorporate it into our clients weekly training regime.
Each of the yoga poses are built to reinforce the muscles around the spine, the very centre of the body, which is the core from which everything else operates. When the core is working properly, posture is improved therefore alleviating back, shoulder and neck pain. Ever wondered why your trainer always cue’s you to “lock on your core” or “engage those core muscles”?? The same reason yoga bases its practice around the core, to improve posture and support surrounding joints. Starting to see the similarities and benefits or do you need more convincing?
Moving onto digestive benefits. Yes, that’s right digestive benefits. The digestive system plays a huge roll in our fitness journey. Yoga can help get out digestive system back on track when the stretching in the practice is coupled with a healthy, organic diet. Which will help assist in reliving constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and acid reflux. Along with a good nutritional choices and strength training focusing on our daily water intake will do wonders from the inside out. With these two types of movement combing together this will help move and release toxins within our body that have built up over the years. Now that we have stimulated these toxins on the inside we now need to flush them out and that is done by consuming water. Mot a glass of water but our recommended daily intake which changes from person to person. For every 30kgs of bodyweight we need to consume 1L of water. Anything under two litres is not going to help flush away those toxins.
As a whole you can see why we encourage yoga and strength training at Real Fitness, the benefits really do speak for themselves. It’s all in pursuit of better daily living, striving towards a healthy mind and body and I feel like sometimes the mind can often be left aside when it comes to health and fitness. Striving towards a healthier society is our main priority.
See website for details on when our yoga classes are held or come in and have a chat to us about our one on one personal training sessions.
