Good Morning, my friends! I hope everyone had a great week last week. What if you saw a commercial for a new medicine that could reduce stress, relieve pain, help you lose weight, help you focus, improve your physical strength, improve your relationship with your inner self, make you feel happy, relieve your back and hip pain, and it wouldn’t cost you any money at all to take? You’d most likely say something like “gimme some of whatever that guy is selling”. This week, I will write about something that fits that description, and more. The post will also include this week’s workout schedule. So, to kick off the new week on the positive, this is The Workout of the Week. This is The Yoga Week Workout.
Yoga Is Not A Drug
Yoga is not a miracle drug developed by one of the big pharma companies. But, if someone were to write one of those commercials they use, it would pretty much sound like one but without all the negative side-effects part. You know, the drug-related commercials that promise to cure whatever ails you, but at the end, they tell you in that super fast speed reading, that taking (said drug) you may be at increased risk for your fingernails to fall off, your ears to sprout mushrooms, and all your organs might turn into jelly.
Yeah, Yoga would be a commercial with all the good stuff it can do for you, but the only side effect is that you need to put in some time.
Don’t just take my word for it though. I am just some Dude that doesn’t know “Shhh…ugar” #TheFortyWorkout
The next section has the deets that the smart people say and has the sources to back it up. Read on, check the links, does some of your own research. Find for yourself that this is legit! (do that with medicines too)
*This post is not meant to say anything bad about the miracles of modern medicine. However, the fact that we live in a country (US) where a drug is the first thing suggested to fix a problem and companies can advertise those same “fixes” on TV and Radio, and produce them for massive profits, gets into some grey areas for me. And yes, I do understand those profits also allow for more innovation and better medicines. There is also the “are they just pushing this for profit” angle. Whether true or not, the profit for profit’s sake possibility will always leave the ethical questions window open. Wow, that’s way more “political” than this Dude wants to get. I just think, when appropriate, that helping people create a healthier lifestyle in combination with medicine (when needed!), is a better approach in some situations.
So What Do The Smart People Say About Yoga?
Johns Hopkins Article
According to research published on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, Yoga provides many benefits to those who practice regularly.
- Improved Strength, balance, and flexibility
- Pain Relief
- Eases Arthritis
- Benefits the heart
- Helps people relax and sleep
- Helps with energy and boosts mood
- Helps deal with stress
- Can connect with a large community
- Promotes better self-care.
American Osteopathic Association
The American Osteopathic Association states in an article citing Dr Natalie Nevins DO, that Osteopathic medicine focuses on preventative practices and the body’s ability to heal itself. Nevins states that Yoga is a great preventative lifestyle practice. Source link – https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/benefits-of-yoga/
Medical News Today
An article published in Medical News Today gets into some deeper research and provides many scholarly sources that talk about the Benefits of Yoga. At this point, I think you get the picture. Yoga is pretty much an awesome thing for you to practice! Source link – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326414
But What About the Side Effects, Dude?
I reverse-searched this argument, looking for the negative side effects of Yoga. Most people who report any side effects report mild muscle soreness and fatigue. Source link – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33338582/
That’s pretty much it!
Oh, I did find one article about someone a long, long, long time ago who actually had mushrooms sprout out of their ears while in a Yoga pose. Turns out an old yogic hermit died in a down dog posture, mid-practice, in his mountain cave and no one found them for a really long time. It’s the only recorded ear sprout I could find. Source link – there’s no source, this is a joke!
What is Practicing Yoga Like?
I have been “practicing yoga” for about 5 or 6 years. I don’t get too crazy. It’s mostly Yoga With Adriene videos, some things I learned from DDPY and some other youtube sources, and some pose charts that I have looked at. In my five years, I have never gotten too much into the “theory” aspect of Yoga. I couldn’t tell you too much about your Chakras, or the differences between the many different types of Yoga that exist.
I can tell you what practicing Yoga makes me feel like though.
- Yoga gives me the ability to calm a busy mind
- Yogic breathing allows me to zero in and focus
- Breath control leads to mental control
- Breath control also leads to physical control
- Bringing mental awareness to areas of the body builds a physical and mental connection
- Stretching and breathing reduce aches and pain
- Yoga has helped me with weight loss, strength building, flexibility, and injury prevention
That’s about all I know today. On to the Workout Schedule
The Workout Schedule
The Daily Warm-up, Spin Bike, Yoga, and Bipedal movement
I am going to continue The Daily Warm-up and the count to 100 this week. Last week the count was at 47. I added six days this week and the count is up to 53. Over the halfway point!
This week I will also be working on my daily goal to get about 7,000 steps or more a day. #7kstepsaday
On Tuesday and Thursday, I will be riding the spin bike. I am thinking probably triple Tabata burners; which are 24 consecutive intervals of 20×10 at 80% max on 20% max off.
Aaaand since this is The Yoga Week Workout, and since I have been working through this year’s 30 Days of Yoga from Yoga With Adriene, I will be doing one the next 7 videos in the series this week.
Mon – Day 11 Video
Tues – Day 12 Video
Wed – Day 13 Video
Thurs – Day 14 Video
Fri – Day 15 Video
Sat – Day 16 Video
Sun – Day 17 Video
Wrap it up, Dude!
There you have it my friends. Thank you so much for reading. A super-special thanks to all the smart people who researched the cited articles above. An even bigger thanks to the always awesome Yoga With Adriene for the free Yoga videos. In honor of the first-ever Yoga Week Workout from GoodAttitudeFood.com, I dare you to try some Yoga this week! Until next time, be happy and healthy. Be the Hero or Heroine in your story!
