Gretchen Reynolds writes a great column for the New York Times, and her book elaborates on what science is saying about exercise habits. Well-written, amusing, and empowering.
Lessons for Yogis:
1) The biggest benefits from exercise come from the first 20 minutes. You don’t need to do it for hours and hours. Do stay active all day though – take those yoga moves to your desk job!
2) The amount of fluid you need a day doesn’t need to be consumed as 8 glasses of water. Did you know coffee counts toward your hydration intake? (Also – unless it’s hot yoga, you probably don’t need to drink water during your yoga class).
3) You want to be flexible enough to function in the ways you’d like, but most of us are not pole dancers or gymnasts by trade. Did you know that you don’t need to stretch that much before a cardio work-out? Afterwards is when you really want to stretch. (So, do your cardio hobby first, then do yoga… or jump rope or walk or run before a yoga session for the best exercise benefits for your brain)
Favorite Chapters:
Introduction: A Body in Motion
Ch 3: It’s not about the bites
Ch 10: Pushing back the finish line
If you’d like to check this book out for yourself, you can look for a copy at a library near you. It’s also tree-free on audible or kindle or second-hand
Here’s an interview about the book, which I think is how I originally found it.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/the-surprising-shortcut-to-better-health/
GROUNDING YOGA 