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#1 March 7 2019

VincentKeyboard
Member

Exercising.

I've been walking to and back from work every day which is around 5KM total per day. I can't afford to attend a gym at the moment. The ones I checked are 110 to 150 dollars. Pretty much everything I earn is spent on rent, food, internet, electricity and house maintenance and supplies.
Can anyone recommend any exercises I can do from home? I need to lose around 10KG (and improve my waist). I'm 39 by the way.
My diet consists mostly of low carb cheese, vegetables, and meats. I eat very little carbs and make sure things are low fat. I also don't drink anything but water and decaffeinated coffee without creamer or sweeteners.
I would also rather it was something I can split in two sessions. One in the morning before showering and leaving and another one at night well after dinner and reading.

Last edited by VincentKeyboard (March 7 2019)

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#2 March 7 2019

xazbrat
Member

Re: Exercising.

You are on the right track, but you need to intensify your efforts a bit, and you can get better results.  FIrst of all, get a jump rope.  It is inexpensive, relatively easy to use and you can do it about anywhere around an apartment (watch out for chandeliers though).  If you work up to a couple of 15-20 minute sessions a day, it will do wonders.  Also, you can take a few concepts from crossfit.  There is a workout called Cindy--it consists of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups and 15 air squats and you keep repeating for 20 minutes (1/2 Cindy is 10, 1/4 is 5 when starting out) and your goal is to do as many sets as you can.  There are others---do some research on crossfit and you should be able to find some that suit you.   Many of the exercises are body weight and don't require any additional equipment (maybe a pull up bar or bands). 

As for diet, don't worry about low fat---worry more about low carb.  Fat will make you feel full and as a result, you will have a tendency to cheat less.  Also, any unnatural low fat foods you may buy may have sugars subsistuted for the fat, so it is a double whammy.  You are better off reducing sugars than fats.  So, if you stick with a diet of mainly meat and vegetables, you should be in good shape and just avoid as much as you can things like manaeesh, most fruits (melons and berries ok) and sweets.

Anyhow, good luck.

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#3 March 7 2019

Elied
Member

Re: Exercising.

There's a bunch of apps that offer home workout plans, however the only good ones require a subscription. They're relatively inexpensive though and offer really good insights and exercise routines to be done at home with no weights at all. You can google some and find the one that best fits your needs.
Other than that I'd say to watch the amount of calories you're consuming every day. Having a healthy diet doesn't just involve quality, it involves quantity as well. You'll never loose weight if you're eating 9000 calories a day even if you go to the gym every single day and only consume vegetables. Figure out how much you burn a day and aim to always eat less calories than that even if everything you're eating is healthy.

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#4 March 7 2019

enthralled
Member

Re: Exercising.

6 hours daily on a standing desk, for the last 5 years. I've maintained good shape ever since. I prevent spider veins from happening by wearing long football socks while standing.

Edit: I also keep a box of A3 packs to rest my feet, one at a time. I feel most comfortable in running shoes. Walking around and drinking water every 30-45 mins makes it feel much more natural...

Last edited by enthralled (March 7 2019)

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#5 March 7 2019

rolf
Member

Re: Exercising.

Walking 5KM every day is very good. When did you start?
Check out "5 minute plans" app on Android. There are many similar apps or sites - pick one!
The main thing is to put time aside every day for these exercises.
I wonder where you live - $110 for a gym is pretty high. I know gyms that charge 1/2 that price.

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#6 March 8 2019

VincentKeyboard
Member

Re: Exercising.

@xazbrat, I know about the low carbs part. That's why I have been eating fatty cheese like cheddar instead of white cheese. White cheese is less fat but more carbs. I'm basically on a very low carb diet now. Meat has animal fats which I read is good.

@Elied Measuring used calories is tricky but I have been using the samsung healh application.

@rolf since October but I've only lost 5KG since then. It has however been consistent at around 1KG per month. I live in Achrafieh. Where can I find cheaper ones?

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#7 March 8 2019

chosen2k
Member

Re: Exercising.

Add intermittent fasting, it's very easy to do. Dinner before 9p.m skip breakfast then lunch at 1p.m.  rinse and repeat.

You can drink water, tea and coffee (without sugar) in the fasting hours; snacks not allowed.

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#8 March 8 2019

samer
Admin

Re: Exercising.

Can anyone recommend any exercises I can do from home? I need to lose around 10KG (and improve my waist). I'm 39 by the way.

Start simple: push-ups, pull-ups (get a bar, they're affordable), planks, rope jumps
Do them daily for a month while getting enough sleep.
Check in here for the next step.

This is way harder than it sounds. The easy part of exercising is the program. It gets much harder once you have to get started and have to stick with the program. So start with something simple and stick with it. You have time to find something more optimal later.

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#9 March 8 2019

VincentKeyboard
Member

Re: Exercising.

@chosen2k, I have breakfast at 7:45 (so I can leave at 8) and have dinner at 6.

@samer, thank you. I'll try rope jumps and planks for starters. Pull-ups looks interesting. I presume that will also improve my upper body strength?

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#10 March 8 2019

rolf
Member

Re: Exercising.

VincentKeyboard wrote:

@rolf since October but I've only lost 5KG since then. It has however been consistent at around 1KG per month. I live in Achrafieh. Where can I find cheaper ones?

In Dekwaneh I have seen a couple that are $50-ish, I'll have to double check! I would like to do some gym as well.

One other interesting place I have found is Mont La Salle sport centers - if you have a car and are willing to drive - after work might be tricky, granted. Anyway they have various classes all affordable (also more or less around this cost). You'd have to check because some of the classes are just for kids, but some are definitely open to adults. Look for their website.

1 KG / month is not dramatic, but I would say if it's constant and you are comfortable keeping it up, I would say you are doing fine! What's the hurry, are you taking part in a modeling competition next month or something? :-)

If you feel like exercising, then go for it, of course!

By the way you might might to check out Makhsoom as well:
https://makhsoom.com/lb/healthfitness

And by the way - there is a typo in my previous answer, the name of the app is "5 minute planks" (not plans) but anyway you will find loads of similar apps, try a few, I guess.

VincentKeyboard wrote:

Pull-ups looks interesting. I presume that will also improve my upper body strength?

No, they will improve your ankle strength. Yes of course they will improve your upper body strength! And that's good.

For a start it will be hard to pull yourself up to the bar. So try "negative pull-ups", which means
1. warm up your arm muscles and articulations
2. you use your legs for a strong boost on your way up - almost jumping up to where your chin is near to the bar, then you go down slowly.

This way you develop your muscles even if you still do not have enough strength to pull yourself up. Then eventually you will be able to do it.

Another option is a big special rubber band that you tie to your feet and it helps you pull up towards the bar. I'm not sure where you could find this, though.

Last edited by rolf (March 8 2019)

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#11 March 9 2019

xazbrat
Member

Re: Exercising.

TBH, losing 1kg per month is a good rate.  People who go lose weight quickly, tend to put the weight on even more quickly and people who lose weight slowly are less likely to rebound.  I think you have 80% of the diet down--don't bother trying to stick to a plan 100% unless you are under doctor's orders.  You are less likely to cheat on the diet this way, and when you do, most times it can be taken in stride.

Now, I recommended a jump rope earlier--there are basically 2 types--a speed rope (the type you see boxers use) and a heavy rope.  The speed rope is great for cardiovascular system and you can start doing tricks on it pretty quickly.  The heavy rope, otoh, is really good for losing weight for building muscle strength, especially if you are not lifting weight.  It will pretty work your shoulders, arms, lats and legs really good and to a less extent, your chest and abs.  As a bonus, it is actually easier to use especially if you are a beginner.  If you mix up the heavy rope with basic exercises like pushups and pull ups, then you should be able to build some muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Now, if you don't want to do that, use some of your weekend to hike or do some other outdoor activities assuming it isn't raining..  There are lots of places nearby where you will be able to hike and that will also aid your weight loss without you having to feel that you have to work for it.  And lastly, DO NOT buy a treadmill or similar exercise equipment for your home.  Every single person I know of has quietly tucked it away in a corner of their house covered in something.  Now you could think you are different, but it would be an expensive lesson.

In any case, good luck.

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#12 March 9 2019

rolf
Member

Re: Exercising.

xazbrat wrote:

TAnd lastly, DO NOT buy a treadmill or similar exercise equipment for your home.

I agree. I run every week. It never crossed my mind to buy a treadmill. I like to go run where there are trees and it is nice. I don't understand why one would buy a treadmill. It's like "I want to run but can't be bothered to get out of my pyjamas and out of home". Well if you can't be bothered to get out of home then surely you can't be bothered to run on a treadmill for 1 hour.

However dumbells can be uesful somtimes, if you have a little will and self-discipline.

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#13 March 9 2019

potato
Member

Re: Exercising.

I disagree with the rope jump exercise. If you are not in good shape and in normal weight it might injury your joints which is not a good advice to begin with. I'd advise you to do regular exercise everyday and keep it up and increase your workout sessions with more exercises that fits you

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#14 March 9 2019

eWizzard
Member

Re: Exercising.

VincentKeyboard wrote:

I've been walking to and back from work every day which is around 5KM total per day.

That's great! Though hopefully you're not going through areas with heavy traffic and pollution.

VincentKeyboard wrote:

Can anyone recommend any exercises I can do from home? I need to lose around 10KG (and improve my waist). I'm 39 by the way.

If losing weight is your goal, I'd say don't worry too much about exercising, given that you're already putting in a decent amount of daily activity. Losing weight is all about counting and adjusting your calories, so I think you should be focusing on that more instead.

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#15 March 9 2019

Toufic
Member

Re: Exercising.

Go to a sports shop, or any mall that sells sports utility. You need these:
a) 2 dumbells of 6kg total weight max (unless you want to bulk up wish i doubt plus it's ugly)
b) a good mat, not the yoga ones, those are thin. You need somehting spongy
c) if your budget allows it, a treadmill at some point (at 600 to 1000$ you can get one of the best for intensive cardio)

Any guide to weight lost start with what you have in your kitchen/closets. (cut out drinks with sugar, unhealthy snacks with fruits and vegetables, alcohol if on a daily basis, and if you can cut down on the bread/gluten product you'll thank me later)

1) You are what you eat. You are how many times you eat.
2) Discipline and commitment are key here.
3) Portion control is essential but also do get those cheat meals once or twice a week cause you will die someday so balance things out and enjoy things.
4) Read about intermittent fasting. Works like magic.

Here's is a workout i started about a year ago from home for core / belly fat and still amazed with the results i got within 2month
https://darebee.com/ab-exercises.html

Select 2 out of each muscle group (your belly contain 4-5 different muscle groups and treat each separately)
Go up with repetition and sets as you evolve with strength and mastering of each exercise :
Don't overwork yourself, get rest and know your limits. (tend to your neck and your back if you will focus on core training or else injury is a serious here)

Here's a full upper body workout you can do at home:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/512354895 … 5/?lp=true
https://imgur.com/gallery/h6FKq

TWO MOST IMPORTANT EXERCISES:
1) PUSH UPS
2) PLANKS
Don't forget them, they literally shape your whole upper part (shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, core)

I do both (core and upper body at home + i have a dog so walking an hour total a day is inevitable but i also do 30min high intensity interval cardio, it boosts fat burning through the roof on a treadmill and does wonders after muscle training)

Alternate bi-daily to maintain harmony in shape and strength + to give your body the rest it needs
(one day a week no training at all)

Select what exercises are easier at first and customize your own training regiment according to strength/weaknesses and objective.


Don't waste your energy on cardio first. Muscle training then cardio.

Don't compare your evolution/development with others, way too many factor play in and it's why most people quit and don't develop a good habit. Keep a journal and the only one you should compare yourself to is yesterday's you. 

Don't train at night, optimal training time is morning time unless you are obliged to workout at night. (helps regulate energy, sleep at night, metabolism during the day, need for food etc.)

Don't eat before bed. Worst thing you could do.

Don't waste time if you're not serious. Make this a habit. It's only 1 hour and a half to 2hours out of your day max.

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#16 March 11 2019

rolf
Member

Re: Exercising.

Toufic wrote:

Don't waste your energy on cardio first. Muscle training then cardio.

You must warm up first, a bit of cardio is good for that, and it will make your weight training more effective.

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#17 March 11 2019

mikasa
Member

Re: Exercising.

Toufic wrote:

Here's is a workout i started about a year ago from home for core / belly fat and still amazed with the results i got within 2month
https://darebee.com/ab-exercises.html

that website is amazing

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#18 March 11 2019

Toufic
Member

Re: Exercising.

rolf wrote:
Toufic wrote:

Don't waste your energy on cardio first. Muscle training then cardio.

You must warm up first, a bit of cardio is good for that, and it will make your weight training more effective.

Certainly some warm up is needed (mine is the dog walk wish is enough to get the blood flow going) but i meant don't go on a 60-90 minutes treadmill run then expect to be effective and avoid muscle tear while doing free weights.

Plus cardio post muscle training increases fat burning around the designated muscle group aside the fact that it keeps that same group engaged (like a secondary workout wish enhances growth/ripeness)

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#19 March 11 2019

rolf
Member

Re: Exercising.

I was not thinking 60 minutes or more, by then you would be tired for sure. You can do a 15 to 30 minute slow run for warm up. It depends, really, I mean if you want to exercice your legs afterwards maybe something else than running.

Last edited by rolf (March 11 2019)

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#20 March 13 2019

Joe
Member

Re: Exercising.

This series of videos changed my life.

You don't need any equipment (even though investing in a mat is great), and it's only 10 to 30 minutes each day.

Highly recommended for anyone who needs to move their asses.

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#21 March 13 2019

NuclearVision
Member

Re: Exercising.

I don't want to run against the current here, but don't strain your selves with walking or lifting (notably!) so much specially if your profession requires you to stand all day, you could end up with varicocele or varicose veins, which are quite common and nasty even among the young population.

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#22 March 14 2019

xerxes
Member

Re: Exercising.

in order to loose weight you have to burn more calories than you get.

to do this you have either to increase your activity or to cut down your calories intake or a combination of two. In my opinion, the best option is the combination.

Increase your activity level to include moderate walking as a start with some core strengthening exercises like planks, Focus on building strong lower back, stomach and legs exercises. this can be done at home with simple tools.

Cut down on bread, avoid cola and other canned drinks (even fresh squeezed juice have sugars), avoid fried food, drink coffee and tea without sugar. you will get used to it

A diet isn't something temporary, your diet is your eating habits that will live with you for the rest of your life. so, you have to make one that suits you and one that you can live with.

I was always been able to control me weight, i used to eat 4-6 times a day when I used to go to the gym( of-course smaller portions). i found that eating at this frequency when being active was best for me, I was always able to loose weight or to adjust.

Again, don't strain yourself in the begining to avoid injury,  I am also against rope jump for now because it puts a lot of strain on your joints especially if you are over weight. Instead you can run for 30 seconds while your walking to increase your heart rate beats before you continue walking. do this every 10 minutes.

You have to be patient. you can do it if you have the determination and discipline.

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#23 March 14 2019

xazbrat
Member

Re: Exercising.

First, tldr

In order to understand exercise and how it helps you burn calories and lose fat, you have to understand how intensity, duration and recovery work..  Once you understand these concepts, you can create you own workouts which suit you.  Let's take your walk to and from work--it is about 5 km and takes you about an hour.  So, in that hour, you probably burned 300 calories or so, but since you have been doing this for several months, you won't be burning many calories after you get back from work.  So, you need to burn about 7700 calories to burn a kilo of fat, and if you do the math, it would take you about 26 days to burn those 7700.  It isn't bad, but not what most people are looking for.

Now, you could take the long way back from work and instead of taking a half hour, you could take an hour and a half, so you would effectively be doubling your calorie burn from this activity and knocking down the time to burn a kilo of fat to 13 days.  That's 2 kg per month--not bad.

Now, recovery--this is where weight training or other physical activity comes into place.  When you lift weights or engage in other strenuous l activity, you literally break down your body.  The body will naturally want to fix itself so it will expend energy trying to heal itself and make you stronger in the process.  This is energy expenditure after your are done with the activity and this is what is going to help you the most.  It doesn't have to be muscle repair which triggers this--it could be the rapid depletion of glycogen in your muscles and the body will have to replenish it (hopefully from fat in body).  How does this help you without a gym?  Easy, you just need to stress your body enough so it starts expending energy to you to recover.  To get a good fat burning exercise, you want to look at things like HIIT and tabata to really get you going.

A sample HIIT ( START SLOWLY) would be to warm up for a few minutes and then find an exercise you like (jumping jacks are good here) and do them as fast as you can for 30 seconds--then walk around and catch your breath for 90 seconds, rinse, lather and repeat five times and then  cool  down.and you are done.  You can do whatever activity you want--pushups, burpees, situps, jump rope--it doesn't matter.  What you want to eventually accomplish is to reduce you rest time as much as possible so you are doing an exercise for 30 seconds and only resting for 30 seconds, or less.  When you start out, take as much time as you need, but you still need to feel like you are out of breath.  If you do this right, you can't do this more than twice a week, and if you go nuts, you may throw up, not a bad thing, but still sort of gross.

Other things you can to replicate this would be to find a track at a uni or where ever----walk or jog a lap to warm up and then what you will be doing is sprinting the straightaways and walking to the next straightaway and sprinting again.  4 laps and you are done.  If that isn't feasible, find a somewhat isolated road on a hill--the steeper, the shorter it can be (even an underground parking entrance of building may work).  Sprint up the hill and walk back down--do it as many times as you can.  As you progress, you can increase the frequency and the speed you do this.

I know these are sort of nuts--what you are doing here is maximizing the effort while minimizing the time.  These types of exercises stress your body and force it to expend energy long after the exercise to recover.  If you are pressed for time, or can't find a gym, this is another way to go.  It is much more intense, but doesn't take much time.  Just start at your own pace and work your way up.


And guys regarding jump rope, it is considered a low impact  activity and puts less stress on your body and joints than activities like running.  I don't know where you guys get your information because if you jump rope correctly, you are jumping just high enough for the rope to pass under your feet, which isn't much.  Like any activity if done incorrectly, it can hurt you but it is something I would highly recommend (lots of videos and instructions on the youtube).  The only injuries you get at beginning are from the rope hitting your legs and arms and you your pride when you can't string more than a handful of jumps in a row.

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#24 March 28 2019

Guitaret
Member

Re: Exercising.

Joe wrote:

This series of videos changed my life.

You don't need any equipment (even though investing in a mat is great), and it's only 10 to 30 minutes each day.

Highly recommended for anyone who needs to move their asses.

Hey Joe,

I am interested to know more about the benefits of yoga and you seem to be a big fan.
Please explain how did it improve your life? (Do you mean mental health as well?)

Thanks in advance.

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#25 March 29 2019

Joe
Member

Re: Exercising.

Backstory and physical condition

I'm 31 years old, in really good health other than the fact that I'm slightly overweight (90kgs for about 180cm). When I was a kid I used to train for Tae Kwon Do intensely (4 times a week for about 5 years) and even after I stopped I kept doing some form of sport (track field and swimming mostly). From ages 20 to 26, I did very little exercising and completely let myself go. I put on weight, but also I stopped moving and being active. Around age 26 I started running long distance. A year into it, I ran a half-marathon in under 2h. Over the past year or so, I stopped enjoying running. It's a very aggressive sport which is pretty violent on my knees (I have a big belly) and I wasn't enjoying the pain anymore.

TL;DR: My point of view comes from someone with good health and moderate exposure to physical activity.


Physical benefits of yoga

On the surface, yoga, (or at least the brand of yoga that I do), is a variation of common bodyweight exercises:

  • Planks

  • Lunges

  • Balancing exercises

  • Stretching and flexibility

These exercises are really good for your body, even if that's all you ever do. However there is more to yoga itself. It taught me to care about overlooked parts of my body too. Fingers, wrists, ankles, shoulders, spine, back, there are plenty of body parts that are amassing stress all day (I work as a programmer, not the best for your back and wrists), and yoga taught me to stretch and strengthen these parts.

However, as I progress in yoga, I'm realizing that it's so much more than just these surface exercices. At the core, yoga is a breathing exercise. As you focus on your breathing, you will learn to synchronize your breath to your movement. This synchronization is a very powerful tool that yogis discribe as Vinyasa or Flow in English. If you're a programmer, you're probably familiar with being in the Zone, this period of heighten productivity where your whole mind is concentrated on a task at hand, and your body takes care of all the rest for you. Vinyasa is slightly like this.

The physical improvements I see in myself after 18 months or so of yoga:

  • Improved flexibility. I can grab my toes while standing up comfortably. I couldn't touch the floor when I started. Today it actually feels good to grab them, to stretch my back, and I do it all the time.

  • Stronger arms. You'd probably get bigger arms lifting weights, but yoga did buff up my biceps, triceps and shoulders. It's those damn planks all the time

  • Improved balance. I'm still working on this one, but I'm far away from where I started.

  • Better posture. I'm standing straight now. My back, shoulders and neck are much stronger than before.

Overall, I feel stronger and fitter. I didn't notice massive weight loss, but weight is more a matter of food than it is exercise.


Mental benefits of yoga

There's a whole spiritual aspect to yoga, but I'm not super into it. I'm in it to sweat a bit and get out. When yogis start preaching about chakra and karma and namaste I get lost.

This being said there are some mental benefits to the yoga I'm doing.

  • Concentration: I work from home so I take yoga breaks whenever. Yoga taught me (teaches me still?) to block out all things work for 30 mins and jump back in. The ability to clear up your mind and focus on one task at hand is very beneficial. If you're interested in this, why not give meditation a try?

  • Patience: It's a variation on Concentration. Yoga is slow, and we're holding uncomfortable for long periods of times. Plus the benefits take time to appear. It taught me the patience, discipline and commitment I need to improve in my life.

  • Mindfulness: Yoga from home can be dangerous on your body, and if you don't pay attention you can hurt yourself. And a yoga injury sucks and hurts a lot. So I learned to move carefully. To protect my neck, my wrists and other fragile parts of my body. This taught me mindfulness and caution, which I apply outside.

Why yoga?

Most of the benefits I list can be found in any form of exercising. The advantages specific to yoga:

  • It's easy to get started: just launch a youtube video and voila. Pick something for beginners and repeat it for a few days. Congrats, you're a yogi.

  • It's a full body exercise. Literally full body. You'll work your "vanity" muscles like biceps, pecs or abs but also your "overlooked" muscles like your wrists or fingers.

  • Tons of variations! Every day is a new flow, new exercises. I could do push ups and planks every day, but this would be repetitive and boring fast.

  • Meditation and concentration. Yoga is traditionally done in a very calm, meditative environment. Listening to your breath and letting it guide you puts you in a powerful trance of extreme concentration that you get to apply to your every day life. So much better than going to a gym blasting techno music full-bass.

  • Working flexibility is important. Sure, I want to be stronger and fitter. But I also want to avoid reaching 40 years old and not being able to tie up my own shoes.

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