Yoga, Gym, Aerobics, Swimming - What is the best training for you
We humans have a tendency of praising ourselves, the things we own, and the activities we do. Thus, many professional yoga/gym/aerobics/swimming/whatever instructors or devoted longtime practitioners claim that their chosen activity is the best because of “blah, blah, blah” and other activities are not (so) good because of “blah, blah, blah”. For example, people who practice yoga usually dislike gyms and people who go to a gym usually dislike yoga.
Here is a simple but often disregarded truth: unless you want to be a professional in a certain sport/activity or you have a specific health issue that makes some sports/activities especially beneficial or dangerous for you, by far the best thing to do is to completely change your recreational activities every couple of months or years. Why?
Yoga will make you flexible, stable, grounded, calm, and relaxed like no other mentioned activity will. But you can practice it for 10 years and still be unable to run 50 meters without losing your breath, lift anything remotely heavy, or get in a water without dying. Isn’t it a bit shortsighted and imbalanced to achieve extreme flexibility while having such shortcomings?
Gym can make your muscles big and pretty, it can make you strong and confident, it can allow you to eat more without getting fat due to the increased basic calorie needs of your body. But that again, isn’t is shameful to look extremely fit and fail to run, jump, move, hold a position?
Aerobics strengthen your heart and lungs, boost your stamina, and allow you to burn more calories per hour than anything else mentioned, but it won’t build your muscles, it won’t allow you to burn a lot of calories even if you stop practicing it, it won’t make you really flexible, it won’t make you very grounded. You won’t have many chances to jump/run for hours in everyday life, so, isn’t it better to be able to jump/run for 30 minutes but also have a nice body shape and be more relaxed?
Swimming is great for your cardiovascular system, for your posture, for stress relief, and efficiently builds your all-round stamina. However, it doesn’t help much with flexibility, it doesn’t build your muscles (professional swimmers and water polo players have large muscles because they need them so they lift weights a lot, they haven’t built those muscles by swimming), and it doesn’t make you as agile as aerobics. Again, why put an exclusive focus on swimming and miss the other benefits and abilities?
To conclude: go to a gym, take yoga classes, do aerobics, go swimming, play sports, dance… Make your trainings as varied as possible, change or mix activities every couple of months or years, and enjoy a fit and healthy life!
Have a wonderful day, week, and life!
Good words! Personally I do gymnastics, dancing and I swim. I feel super healthy but I think that‘s also because I love to do those sports! It‘s important that you can‘t live healthy just with the right mix of activities, you also need a healthy mind! So do something for your mental health as well and start doing a sport you love to do!
Hi @ikooyo, I love dancing to, I'm dancing the Argentinian Tango almost every night. I totally agree with you, it's definitely important to love what you practice. I see that you are new on Steemit, good luck and keep up with the thoughtful comments! 😊
Thank you 😊
I think everyone should do yoga because it balances our body with our mind. Swimming doesn't help you to use lose weight but what's better than spending hours in a swimming pool? And the gym, I feel a bit awkward cuz the guys with big muscles look at me like ''Kid, are you lost or something? But man, I love all of these things and I have done all of them! So I can proudly say what you're saying is right! You know, if you do Aerobic Gymnastics you will able to get flexibility, speed, and strength too. I'm planning to make teaching series on here, so people will get to know more about it.
Hey @mashiliyanage, thank you for the thoughtful comment. I've noticed that it's actually guys with solid but not pro muscles that will look at beginners like "Kid, are you lost or something?". The guys who have really big muscles are probably going to the gym for very long, so they're used to seeing beginners. Cheers! : )
Yeah, I'm a kid is another problem. I can only workout in the school gym. I'm a girl though... ;) I just want to gain some strength, without many muscles :D
Oh, I see, a kid girl would be an interesting sight in a pro gym indeed! 😊
Please note that gaining muscle strength and "shape" without increasing their size is a common myth. I've actually written an article about how much should (gym) workout programs for men and women differ about two months ago, feel free to check it out if it interests you.
Wow, that article was really helpful. I agree with you. That's thing that people put in our minds ''Girls shouldn't lift weights or otherwise, they'll end up bulky''. Gah, screw that. I've been training for six years but my biceps aren't still bulky. Thanks for the information.
You're most welcome, keep on training and enjoying various activities. See you around! 😊
Love gymnastics. Makes you crazy strong and super flexible. It's everything you need, all in one. Plus, you get to show off!
I don't really like show off actually, I'm a bit shy =^^= But it's not so bad to get some admiring looks ;)
Have you tried it? I love Areobic Gymnastics better than normal gymanastics.
Oh and I used to be shy because I sucked at every skill but now that I’m getting better at handstands, I can’t help but show off. I feel great being able to inspire onlookers the possibility of what the human body can do.
Oh, I still couldn't do a handstand without support. I'd love try new moves but I'm kinda sfraid.
Use a wall, it’s your new best friend. I used to be scared too. Just gotta do it and not be afraid of falling. The only way to get stronger!
Thanks for the tip. There's nothing better than a wall ;)
Never tried aerobic gymnastics. What skills do you do that’s different than normal gymnastics?
Gymnastic is about using many material and stuff. But Aerobics Gymnastics is more about the rhythm and postures. Some skills are the same but the dancing steps are advanced. Kinda like a modeling show, judges give points for everything XD
Like rhythmic gymnastics. I love their amazing flexibility and how they move so graceful!
Oh yeah, it's entertaining to watch Aerobic gymanastics too :)
Thanks for sharing i also believe we should just work out in order to stay in shape and healthy not necessarily one single activity but try a few and change every now and then in order to learn more about our limits and bodys.
Hi @living-young, changing activities is definitely a good way to learn more about our limits and bodies! I see that you are new on Steemit, good luck and keep up with the thoughtful comments. 😊
Amazing post! Everyone has their favorite sport and of course something they enjoy the most, but it's important to keep your whole body in good shape to be healthy! There are many gyms that offer different classes -they might be more expensive than others but I think that what they offer is great! :)
Thanks, @theywillkillyou.
Yes, I got my favorite too (Argentinian Tango) but variety is extremely important for overall welness.
Cheers! : )
Had to resteem as yoga is how I start my day and what keeps me sane!
Thank you, @artedellavita.
I love your pics and poetry ("Skin" is amazing), and your doctorate in Metaphysical Theology and a career as a Hypnotherapist, Life Coach and Spa Owner sound really exciting. I'll follow you.
Namaste. 😊
Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by.
Following you right back🌱
Namaskar
Wonderful post because in this post everyone activity is well explained like yoga, swimming, aerobics & gym I think we should take part in all these activities to live healthy life thanks for this lovely post @lifenbeauty
Key is just do something you love. For me, it's stretching and doing handstands. I'm not fond of doing any conditioning for the sake of conditioning, but if it's related to making my handstand stronger, I'm all for it!
Handstand is quite an interesting hobby. 😊
Argentinian Tango is my passion, but I also do some stretching, strength training, and swimming in order to keep my all-round fitness high.
I like yoga its very important for all women
Swimming is great fitness for our health..
Eating chocolates in bed. I can think of no sweeter training 😂
You're absolutely right! I cannot resist chocolate or ice-cream like Ben and Jerry's so I have to be very strict with myself every week when grocery shipping. It is so hard!