I could hardly walk for 2 days after my first yoga class, over 20 years ago. I was in my early 30’s and had been a gym junkie for years.
Yoga? What’s all the ho-ha about? I’m strong and fit – I can do this…….no problem! Did I leave my ego at the door? Hell no! I was determined to out-bend, out-twist, and out stretch all those yogis! And I paid the price!
Did I go back to yoga? No….my ego was dented!
Not for about another three years. Then I was in a body with a lot of pain. So, I did leave my ego at the door – but that’s another story…….
Do You Feel Like?
You’re heading towards ‘the body you said you’d never have’?
- Or you spend a lot of time achy and sore and don’t know why.
- Maybe things that once seemed easy, now seem difficult for your body to do?
What’s Happening To Your Body?
When you hit this 50 plus age bracket, weird things start happening.
- Namely your muscles begin to shrink and lose size. Annoying!
- Ligaments (the tough tissue that connects two bones or holds together a joint) shorten.
- And tendons (the cord-like tissues that attach muscles to bones) start to get stiffer – which equals – niggling injuries!
Knowing and understanding this is happening to your beautiful body – is empowering stuff. Working on your strength and flexibility is a non-negotiable MUST in this age bracket. If you want to slow down the above process:
Get Your Body Strong And Keep Your Muscles Flexible!
You’ll not only change your outlook on life and what you choose to, do but you’ll spend less time and money on the:
- Chiropractor
- Osteopath
- Physio-therapist
- Doctor
- Healer
- Prescription drugs
- …….and powders and potions that supposedly cure-all!
The 2 Things You Need In Your 50’s – Strength and Flexibility……
- the two go hand in hand. To have one without the other is not an ideal place for your body to be.
- To just be flexible without strength in your muscles, leaves you open to joint and tendon issues.
- Likewise, to be strong but not flexible, leaves you open to the above and also to muscular strains.
Strength & Yoga:
When I did eventually find my love for yoga, I felt like my years of strength training was a hindrance. But it wasn’t……….
You don’t always relate ‘strength’ to yoga – you tend to think about the ‘flexibility’ factor.
- But to hold a pose with good form for 20 seconds or 5 breaths – absolutely challenges your strength.
- Adding light hand-weights to the mix, tests your breath, your muscular strength AND gets your heart-rate pumping!
- Sometimes you have to dig deep to hold a pose. This takes physical AND mental strength.
- But by always coming back to focus on your deep and even breath, you can hold, hold hold……that pose!
So as my practice progressed, I realized that my strength WAS a bonus to my yoga. For a good portion of yoga and other exercise poses, you need strong legs. Lucky for us women, that’s where our strength lies! So see……your strong legs are a bonus!
But for the rest of the poses/exercises, you need to be strong in your upper body.
Core Strength:
It takes time to build this upper body strength…….and it all comes from getting your core muscles strong first.
Core – everything from your shoulders to your butt – excluding your arms and legs.
Once your core muscles are strong, it makes everything else you attempt to do physically, so much easier. Your size is not always an indicator of your strength. I’ve trained some pretty small women who were super strong –and it all came from their core.
Look At Your Training Program:
Whatever training program you’re doing, look at your balance of exercises. Make sure you have the strength and flexibility factor covered – evenly.
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About The Author: Elaine Reynolds is a Master Personal Trainer with over 30 years experience. Reynolds lives in Bali and from there provides guidance and inspiration on how to improve our overall fitness level. We at Kuel Life are thrilled to share her expertise with our community.
You can download her FREE E Book on the “The Toned Muscle In Your 50’s Blueprint” click the link here… OR, visit her at: www.corestrength50plus.com. Make sure to follow Elaine on Instagram: corestrength50plus so you can access her fitness advice directly as well.
