For the most part, we have a relatively good idea of the decisions we should make every day to optimise our health, from prioritising sleep to moving more. We also have an idea of the food choices that are more beneficial for us. If you have carried out any “me-search,” you’ll also be aware of the foods that make you feel energised and ready to take on the day, and those that make you feel sluggish.
We all lead different lives, and yet we all often struggle to make healthful food choices. Why does this happen?
Some of us are just too busy.
Some of us just aren’t culinary masters.
Some of us don’t like the taste of certain foods.
And some of us just run out of willpower.
Willpower and Food Choices
In any one day, we can think of our capacity for decision making as a glass. We hopefully start the day with a full glass of decision-making ability, but this is generally reliant on sufficient sleep and rest. Think of sleep as the charger for decision making the next day.
Therefore, we may choose a healthful breakfast choice like eggs, spinach, and mushrooms. Then for a mid-morning snack, we grab a banana and a handful of nuts. For lunch, we tuck into the salad that we prepped just before the kids started their day. But, alongside making decisions around the food we eat, we also make other life-related decisions.
We’ve:
- placated that difficult customer.
- planned who is picking who and what up after work.
- glanced at the biscuit tin and persuaded ourselves that we’re just bored and not in fact hungry.
At each decision, our decision-making glass is getting emptier and emptier and to add insult to injury, willpower needs energy. Therefore, if we want stable energy levels, we need to make healthful food choices.
Blood Glucose and Food Choices
What’s interesting is that past research suggests that self-control relies on stable blood glucose, so in a nutshell, when your blood sugar levels are low, you’re more likely to make less healthful choices.
By the time we get home from work, our decision-making glass could be pretty much empty, there may be a few drops left if we look closely, but when we have a convenient meal facing us in the fridge, it’s just so much easier to grab it, and so we do. In the process, convenience foods are generally higher in processed carbohydrates, so we get a nice little sugar boost too!
As we’re eating, we notice it’s lacking in any healthful fats, vegetables or fibre but vow we’ll do better tomorrow
.
Tomorrow comes, and we do much the same again.
For many, we will say life gets in the way of eating well, so maybe the reason we struggle to make healthful food choices is more complex than we originally thought.
Top Tips To Make Healthful Food Choices:
- Try to maintain balanced nutrient intake throughout the day – always opt for protein, fat and carbohydrates at every meal – carbs aren’t inherently bad, it’s the type that you choose! Protein contributes to satiety, so if you feel hungry mid-afternoon, check you’re eating enough protein to suit your lifestyle.
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ou need to snack, prep them in advance so you don’t even have to make the decision to avoid the biscuit tin – again biscuits aren’t inherently bad if they’re part of your family catch up at the kitchen table, they just aren’t that beneficial when you’ve eaten the whole tin at 3pm.
- Batch cook at the weekend – even if you have an empty decision-making cup when you get home from work, you know that you’ve got a hearty meal that just needs dishing up.
- Ensure you are sleeping well if you want to restore your decision-making cup,
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rather than removing anything from your diet, see what you can include – can you get one portion of fruit or veg at every meal? Can you do it for a week? A fortnight? If you add one handful of leafy greens to every meal, that’s just one more decision a week.
- If you’re eating out – ALWAYS order a side of veg or salad.
We often think that optimal health is a destination, but the realit
y is its days of smaller decisions. At the end of every day, we can assess our decisions; the ones we are happy with, we repeat tomorrow. The ones we’re not, we do differently.
The general school of thought is that throughout midlife, women tend to gain on average 0.5kg of weight per year (around 1lb). For some this can be a worry. We know that being over-weight or obese is associated with a number of health issues from depression to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, not forgetting diabetes. But is weight gain at menopause a reality? We thought we’d take a look at the science.
Is Menopausal Weight Gain An Issue?
It is thought that around 1.5 billion of adults globally, are obese and around 300 million of these are women. There has been a steady increase in obesity since the 1980’s in Western countries, and this is largely due to lifestyle. But, for women, sex hormones are thought to play a role. With the fluctuations in sex hormones during the menopause, could menopause contribute to weight gain in females?
In 2012, a review was carried out which suggested that the absolute factors for weight gain during and around the menopause were non-hormonal, rather than the menopause itself. What they did find was that fat deposits change during the menopause. In short, what this means is that, regardless of whether women gain weight during midlife, they will experience a shift in fat stores to their abdomen.
So, the spare tyre that many report during the menopause, is real, but weight gain during midlife is more a consequence of environmental factors.
The other thing to note is that this review concluded that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not cause women to put on weight (despite the claims floating around the internet). There is actually good evidence that HRT can prevent abdominal fat increasing after menopause.
So where does this leave those heading for, or in the menopause?
If we know that weight gain isn’t a foregone conclusion, we can make lifestyle changes to improve our health and well-being during this period of life.
Avoiding Menopausal Weight Gain Through Diet
Eat Protein
With the notion of weight gain during the menopause, many women will attempt to reduce their daily intake of calories, but there is another challenge that needs to be considered. Muscle loss will occur as we age and one of the ways we mitigate this is through sufficient intake of protein. Aim for 1-1.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight, or 20-25g of high-quality protein per meal. Great sources include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. The great thing about protein is that it contributes to satiety – so if you find yourself looking for a mid-afternoon snack, check that you’ve been hitting your protein target.
Fill up on Fat!
There is an increased risk of heart disease as we age and eating a heart healthy diet can help; this includes those good fats.
Switch from saturated to unsaturated fats by cutting down on fatty meats, switching to low-saturate oils and spreads and grilling rather than frying your food!
Include plenty of nuts and seeds and aim for at least two portions of fish per week – think SMASH; sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon and herring.
Fibre is Your Friend!
Swap to higher fibre foods like wholegrain breads and rice, but also make a conscious effort to eat more plants. Aim for 30 plant points per week; 1 plant = 1 point and even if you have more than one portion of the same plant per week, you can only count it once. The aim is diversity! Plants include fruits, veggies, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and legumes! So adding mint to your watermelon salad counts as two points already!
Avoid Processed Foods
Stick to wholefoods as much as possible and avoid ready prepared/processed foods. Ideally, we want to know everything we’re eating so if we notice a change in symptoms, we have a good chance at figuring out what helps/hinders.
Caffeine and Alcohol
Both of these can make menopausal symptoms worse, so drink in moderation. You may find that you need to limit your caffeine intake to earlier in the day only as it impacts your sleep, likewise you may find alcohol sends you to sleep, but then you have an unsettled night afterwards. Alcohol contains 7 calories per g, which is on a par with fat (but we need fat for many body functions) where protein and carbohydrates yield 4 calories per g!
Consider decaf options if you love the habit of sitting with a warm drink, or non-alcoholic drinks if you like a chilled drink at the end of the evening. Kombucha in a gin glass with some frozen berries is a great option!
Avoiding Menopausal Weight Gain Through Exercise
We know that it’s not as simple as calories in vs. calories out for weight gain and loss, but we do know that daily energy expenditure helps maintain a healthy weight. For this reason, it’s important to continue to exercise during and after the menopause for weight management, bone and muscle health, but also mental health.
Exercises that increase daily energy expenditure and help in building and maintaining bone density and mass are as follows:
Weight bearing, high impact exercises include dancing, high impact aerobics, running / jogging, jumping rope, stair climbing, and sports like tennis, basketball, volleyball or gymnastics.
Weight bearing, low impact exercises include walking (treadmill/outside), elliptical training machines, stair step machines, and low impact aerobics. This group of exercises may be considered to improve bone strength by women who cannot do high impact exercises.
Weight or strength training or resistance training exercises include lifting weights, using elastic bands or weight machines for exercise, using simple functional movements such as standing or lifting the own body weight.
Introduction To Weights (£4.99 p/m)
Non-weight bearing, non-impact activities include cycling, swimming, stretching, and flexibility exercises. These should be included to increase overall activity levels.
Non-impact exercises involve exercises that help in the balance posture and attitude, for example, pilates or yoga.
An appropriate exercise plan may be resistance and weight bearing exercise three days a week (on alternate days). Brisk walking, cycling, treadmill, gardening or dancing may be done on the remaining days of the week.
It is thought that we should aim for two hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week.
If you’d like to learn more about weight loss specifically, check out our blog here.
If you’d like to learn more about the menopause, check out our blog here.
The great thing is that menopause isn’t the absolute cause of weight gain in midlife; we may just notice changes in fat deposit locations. If lifestyle factors are the main driver of weight gain during this period, then making appropriate changes could help.
If you would like to include any Instructor Live Programmes in your exercise routine, whether you’re heading for the menopause or are already there, then check out what we have on offer:
Now it’s not a necessity to have protein shakes, or even use protein powder, but if you’re falling short with your protein, they’re a great way to optimise your intake.
How Much Protein Should I be Having?
For most sedentary individuals, 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day is ample, but if you are active, you are looking for 1.5-1.8g of protein per kg of bodyweight. In addition, if you’re looking to build muscle, we ideally want 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight.
Protein shakes are an easy way to increase your protein intake, and don’t worry, you can use them for a mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon boost or after your workout, the point is to hit your protein target over the cour
se of the day. But if you’re bored of protein shakes, or would simply like to mix your diet up, we have included some recipes that don’t include a shake too!
Chocolate Mint Shake
Chocolate protein powder
Unsweetened chocolate almond milk (amount to suit powder guidelines)
3–4 drops pure peppermint extract
8 raw almonds
1 cup water
6–8 ice cubes
- Combine all ingredients, blitz and blend. You can substitute with unsweetened coconut milk if you’d rather.
Protein Pancakes
1 cup oats
Vanilla protein powder
1 very ripe banana
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbs coconut oil melted + more for cooking
1 Tbs almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
- In a blender, combine all ingredients.
- Heat a large pan with coconut oil and pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. These take a little longer to cook (about 5-8 minutes per side).
- Serve with a small drizzle of agave or maple syrup and fresh blueberries.
Chocolate Chip Bark
Base Ingredients
Vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup Coconut oil
1/3 cup Agave syrup
Topping Ingredients
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 tablespoons Agave syrup
1 teaspoon Cin
namon
Dark chocolate chips
- Combine base ingredients and press into a greased baking dish.
- Melt and mix all toppings except dark chocolate chips.
- Pour topping mixture on top of base, sprinkle chocolate chips.
- Chill for five minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Protein Mug Cake
Protein powder (chocolate)
1 egg white
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sweetener
2 tbsp. skimmed milk or almond milk
1 heaped tsp. Cashew Butter for the centre (optional)
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a mug.
- Add in the egg white and milk. Mix the mug cake batter until smooth.
- Drop in any extras for the middle – try a heaped tablespoon of your favourite nut butter.
- Microwave for around 1 minute on high. Keep an eye on it – if it starts to bubble over the top, stop microwaving and press the batter back into mug with a fork, then continue microwaving.
- When finished, the cake should be cooked but still very moist.
Lemon Protein Bars
Vanilla Protein Powder
16 oz Almond Butter
1 1/4 cup Agave Sweetener
Zest from two lemons
¼ tsp lemon extract
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sliced almonds (½ c in mixture & ½ c for topping)
3 cups rice crispy c
ereal
- Add the almond butter and agave to a large bowl, microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds (until it’s easy to stir). Immediately stir in lemon and vanilla extract.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Blend well with clean hands. Press into a rectangular pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares and enjoy!
With all of these recipes, use the amount specified for a portion in your chosen protein powder –
many manufacturers vary on scoop size.
If you give any of them a whirl, let us know and tag us on social media. Don’t forget we have our very own Instructor Live Protein Powder too!
There are literally thousands of species on the planet, from puffballs to truffles they can be an everyday addition to your diet or a pricey treat at a fancy restaurant. But, what health benefits do mushrooms possess?
Mushrooms contain a range of compounds which can have a range of health benefits. First up, their antioxidant function.
Antioxidant Benefits of Mushrooms
Free radicals are created in the body from normal essential metabolic process like exercise, or when your body converts energy to food. You can think of them like the exhaust fumes of work. But they can also be a result of external exposure to x-rays, smoke, air pollution, industrial chemicals and the ozone.
The thing is, free radicals are a bit cheeky, because they are short of an electron, they snatch what they need from other cells. In the process, these other cells become unstable and then become a free radical themselves – and so the cycle continues.
When the number of free radicals outweighs the body’s ability to cope with them, we end up with oxidative stress which isn’t anybody’s friend. Oxidative stress can damage cells and even our DNA. It is mostly associated with premature aging, but it has also been seen to play a role in many health conditions like diabetes, cancer, and cognitive decline.
So, here come our antioxidants.
Antioxidants neutralise free radicals. They have a few tricks up their sleeve to do this and one way is to donate an electron to stabilise the free radical. In this process, they don’t themselves become destabilised, so they stop the cycle. Nifty things aren’t they.
Our body produces some antioxidants on its own, but an insufficient amount, so it can be helpful to get them through the diet and mushrooms are a great source!
The other reason we love mushrooms is for their beta-glucan content.
Supporting Immune Function
The beta glucan content found in certain mushrooms has been seen to promote and regulate immune function. What this means is that they help your immune system fight off what it needs to.
Beta glucans have been seen to:
- Activate immune cells,
- Increase antibody production,
- Increase immune function against certain cancer cells,
- Inhibit tumour metastasis,
- Reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines,
- Inhibit prostaglandin synthesis.
Overall, beta glucans have been seen to improve levels of intestinal inflammation, reduce cholesterol, improve resistance against allergies and positively influence the metabolism of fat and sugar.
Not only that, but mushrooms are a great source of B Vitamins and Vitamin D which have their own influence on the body.
B vitamins help to convert the food we eat into energy, so they are crucial for our day-to-day activity and Vitamin D is important for:
- Bone health,
- Immune function,
- Nervous system health,
- Lung function and cardiovascular health,
- Insulin regulation and blood sugar control.
If you’d like to increase the levels of Vitamin D in your mushrooms, store them on your windowsill in the sun!
How to include mushrooms in your diet?
You can add mushrooms to many meals, or even have them as the star of the show – a stuffed portobello mushroom is a quick and easy recipe. Reishi mushrooms are adored for their immunomodulating benefits. Maiitike mushrooms have been used for their antibacterial function and cordyceps have been seen to inhibit inflammatory responses throughout the body.
Opt for a mushroom stroganoff dish and include a range of mushrooms!
Saute some mushrooms and red onions with some chopped garlic for a great prebiotic side! You can drizzle with balsamic for an extra dose of polyphenols too!
Last but not least, check out our smokey BBQ black bean and mushroom tacos recipe for a tasty way to increase your mushroom intake.
Hands up, how many of us have taken up running just to see what that “runner’s high” feels like? Except, we’re still not entirely sure because we spend the whole time wishing we weren’t, or instead running through our to-do-list in our head!
We know that running is great for us, it can help keep our joints healthy, it improves our muscle strength, supports healthy circulation, and improves and maintains the density and strength of our bones. Not only that, but during running, certain hormones and chemicals are supposed to be released which help us feel good; this in turn reduces stress, anxiety and potentially depression.
For some of us, we want to run because we know we can reap the rewards, but when we actually get out there, we seem to hate every second. Here at Instructor Live we’re a huge fan of finding exercise that we enjoy, so if you really can’t get into running, that is totally fine, there are many other options available, but before you throw in the towel, there may be some simple tweaks that can change your running experience for the better.
Walk Before You Run!
How many times have we heard this? It is so true. Many people take up running and start running. If you haven’t performed at this level before, it becomes challenging very quickly. In physical activity we have an adaptation period – it’s where the body adapts to the challenges presented to it, so next time it is stronger and better able to cope with the challenge. We need to do this in preparation for running.
Start by walking for 20-30 minutes, twice per week. Then, start introducing running intervals. You will run for 30 seconds and then walk for 2-3 minutes. Repeat for 8-10 sets. The next week, run for 30 seconds and walk for 1-2 minutes, repeat for 10-12 sets. The week after, run for 1 minute and walk for 1 minute, repeat for 10 sets. Over time you increase your running time compared to your walking time. But go at your own pace!
Run Slower Than You Think!
Try to run at a conversational pace. When we start running, we have no idea about pacing, and so we often go hard! We soon hit a wall and that’s generally where our hatred begins! Start as you mean to go on, see if you can keep the same conversational pace for the duration of your run.
Explore!
We often think about runs as a destination – we want to cover a certain distance or run for a set period. This can be great to monitor progress, for example we know we have shaved 30 seconds off our existing time, but if we want running to become part of our lifestyle, it sometimes helps to think of it as a journey. Notice where you are running, smell the trees around you, notice where the light hits the ground or buildings. When we are told not to think of an elephant, the only thing we can think of is the elephant. If we aren’t thinking about anything other than hitting our 2-mile mark, we can start to get impatient waiting for that 2-mile mark. If however we are noticing how the leaves are changing, or the mornings are getting a little lighter, before we know it, we’re at that 2-mile mark.
Train For A Race!
Whilst we know the benefits of running, it can feel like we are just going through the motions. Sometimes, having something to work towards can keep us motivated. The race doesn’t have to be long, but it can be a goal. On those days when we don’t think we have the time, if we have made a commitment, then we somehow find the time. Enter with friends or see if anyone local to you is entering the same race. Having a running buddy can make all the difference. Park Runs are great for this!
As we mentioned, we advocate finding exercise that you enjoy, so if running isn’t for you, there are many more forms of exercise you can do, including the range of programmes we have on offer, but if you would like to get that runner’s high, try our top tips and let us know if they help.
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 oz Thin Rice Noodles
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
8 oz Shiitake Mushrooms
6 Cups Vegetable Stock
2/
3 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger – Grated
1 Tsp Chilli Sauce
4 Scallions – Thinly Sliced
4 Carrots – Thinly Sliced
8 oz Green beans – Tr
content/uploads/2025/12/wiki/wiki-zanaflex.html
no prescription with fast delivery drugstoreimmed and Cut into 2-inch pieces (more…)
Much like the Atkin’s diet, the keto diet involves significantly reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. It is thought that this reduction in reliance on carbs puts your body into a state known as ketosis, becoming more efficient at burning fat for energy.
There have been many suggestions why keto may be good for you, so let’s take a look in a little more detail.
The Keto Diet
There are a few versions of the keto diet:
Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.
Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high carb days.
Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
High protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
But it is the standard keto diet that most people are familiar with.
To understand the mechanism behind the keto diet, let’s explore metabolism briefly.
The human body requires energy to function, for the most part this is provided by glucose. When carbohydrates are eaten, they are absorbed into the blood stream, increasing the glucose content of the blood. This makes its way around the body, fueling cells and functions as it needs. If glucose isn’t used, it is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. If these stores are full, then it is converted into fat as another storage mechanism. When the body requires energy again, it taps into its liver and muscle stores, if these are exhausted, fat is liberated, and the constituent parts are converted into glucose. Here you can see that carbohydrates provide energy.
When you limit your intake of carbohydrates, the body still needs energy, so it turns straight to fat. As the liver breaks down fat, it produces ketones which can then be used as fuel.
Everyone has ketones, but usually they are in low numbers, this is because in high numbers they can upset the chemical balance of the blood resulting in ketoacidosis.
The Benefits of Keto
There are a number of touted benefits to the keto diet including a reduced risk of:
- cardiovascular disease,
- diabetes,
- metabolic syndrome.
But for the most part, the literature highlights that this is likely due to the associated weight loss and the inclusion of more healthful foods in the diet due to the restriction in carbohydrates.
There is some data highlighting keto is beneficial in ca
ses of epilepsy, but due to the restrictive nature, many do not continue with the diet.
In addition, keto has been favoured in cancer cases. Being in a state
of ketosis has seen a decrease in glucose uptake at tumour sites and demonstrated no evidence of progression.
That said, the ketogenic diet has been seen to cause some potential side effects. The acute side effects of high fat intake are typi
cally lethargy, nausea, and vomiting. There are also reports of some deficiencies in trace minerals like selenium, copper, and zinc. There are reports of elevated LDL cholesterol and kidney stones in those consuming a ketogenic diet long term too.
For the most part, the keto diet isn’t generally advised for the majority of the population, but we can take some great lessons from the diet design.
In the keto diet, it is generally advised to avoid the following foods:
- sugary foods including fizzy drinks, cake, ice cream.
- starches including wheat-based products like white rice, white pasta, cereal, etc.
- unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils
- alcohol
- sugar-free diet foods: sugar-free sweets, syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc.
The issue with many high-sugar foods is that they are nutrient deplete; other than the sugar and fat content, you find few other nutrients. Whilst
you may get the reward in your brain, your body’s cells aren’t getting any sort of reward at all.
Many starchy foods also have all their nutrients processed out of them too. They tend to have low fibre content which means your blood sugar can spike soon after eating them.
Lastly, alcohol ranks high in terms of caloric intake. Where carbohydrates and protein contain 4kcal per gram and fat contains 9kcal per gram, alcohol sits in the middle at 7kcal per gram! If you are trying to tackle your caloric intake, alcohol may be a consideration to make.
Processed vegetable oils can also cause more problems than we thought too – when they are heated to high temperatures, they oxidise and can cause damage to body tissues.
The other lesson we can take from the keto diet is to include the following foods in our diets:
- meat
- fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel
- eggs
- butter and cream: grass-fed butter
- cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat or blue
- nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds
- healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil
- avocados: whole avocados or freshly made guacamole
- low carb veggies: green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers
- condiments: salt, pepper, herbs, and spices
If you were tempted to try the keto, perhaps opt for a lower carb design than usual – opt for complex carbs with your meals, but remove simple carbs as snacks etc.
The weight loss associated with keto is generally thanks to a lower caloric intake – so try creating a calorie deficit if weight loss is your goal.
And remember, before attempting any new diet, speak with your healthcare provider.
A 3,000-year-old tradition, yoga is now regarded in the Western world as a holistic approach to health. The word “yoga” comes from a Sanskrit root “yuj” which means union, or to join, and to direct and concentrate your attention.
There are a number of styles of yoga, and you’ll likely find that you prefer one style over another. In our latest blog we thought we’d take a look at Vinyasa Flow Yoga in a little more detail and why people love it!
What is Vinyasa Flow Yoga?
In Sanskrit, Vinyasa means to place in a special way. Vinyasa might be defined as the intentional placing (and ordering) of movements. During a Vinyasa yoga class, you don’t do one pose, stop, and then do another. Instead you intentionally yoga flow from one position to the next.
The super-cool thing about vinyasa flow yoga is that no two classes are the same – the instructor can put poses together in whatever combination they choose.
The Benefits of Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Improved Mood
A study in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy measured the stress levels of 20 college students, as well as their positive and negative feelings, before and after they did eight weeks of twice-weekly Vinyasa yoga classes. By the end of the eight weeks, scores of positive feelings increased and negative feelings decreased.
Improved Cardiometabolic Health
In 2021, thirty yoga practitioners with a minimum of 3 months of practice experience were enrolled into a study.
Lipid profile, glucose concentrations and mood (both positive and negative) were assessed before and immediately following a 1-hour vinyasa flow yoga session.
Researchers found that one single bout of yoga improved mood and lipid concentrations in healthy adults with a history of yoga practice.
Other studies have concluded that you may find improvements in arterial stiffness and improved blood pressure through the practice of yoga.
It can Strengthen Muscles
Most poses in Vinyasa yoga will be held for anywhere between 30 and 120 seconds. When you’re holding your body in these poses, your muscles must work hard to maintain the shape and as we know, muscles grow when they are challenged.
It’s Cardio Too!
Whilst some think of yoga as low intensity, the flow of vinyasa yoga can get your heart rate up too.
One study enrolled adults aged 21-54 years with prior yoga experience. Participants completed a 50-minute yoga session and during the session their heart rate was monitored.
The researchers found:
- 6 participants performed in less than 50% of their heart rate max.
- 21 participants performed in 50-63% of their heart rate max.
- 10 participants performed in 64-76% of their heart rate max.
- 1 participant performed in 77-93% of their heart rate max indicating this was vigorous activity for them.
So it seems yoga can be aerobically challenging for some too!
It May Help You Quit Smoking!
A 2012 study in the Journal of Women’s Health, recruited 55 women undergoing cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to quit smoking and divided them into two groups. One group would complement their CBT with Vinyasa yoga twice a week and the second group would complement it with a more general health and wellness programme.
Researchers found that participants in the vinyasa yoga group avoided smoking longer than those in the second group. The women in the yoga program also reported lower anxiety and stress levels than those in the second group.
Ready to give Vinyasa Flow Yoga a whirl?
Our Instructor Live Vinyasa Flow Yoga classes combine breath and movement to promote a healthy body and mind.
With low-impact movements, Vinyasa Flow Yoga is an extremely effective way to get a full-body workout without risking injury. It also makes this programme suitable for people with conditions or past injuries.
The benefits you will see include:
- Relief from stress,
- Feeling of greater harmony between mind and body,
- Better circulation,
- Enhanced fitness,
- Improved core strength,
- Better flexibility, balance, and body control,
- Increased muscle tone and weight loss.