As Barras Paralelas da BOOMFIT são o complemento certo para um treino intenso e versátil, que traz dinamismo aos...
START or RESTART?
The first month of the year brings a lot of emotions, resolutions and decisions taken during the holiday season, which are soon very easy to forget.
If you're a personal trainer, then you know how hard it is to keep up that initial energy throughout the year! Many studies from universities such as Illinois or Harvard showed that including a meditation and yoga component considerably improves many aspects of daily life, from sleep and concentration to memory and injury prevention!
Everyone needs:
A moment of (re)Start…
“Meditation means the capacity to be joyously alone, the capacity to be happy with yourself, the capacity to keep company with yourself. To be with yourself is meditation. There is no need for the other in meditation; the joy of aloneness, not the misery of loneliness, is meditation...”
Osho, a spiritual guide and writer of more than 600 books about spirituality
If you have any doubts, research proves that including meditation and yoga in your workout plans has many benefits for the athlete:
1- Improves focus and concentration
Bringing yoga and meditation into the workout plans is an excellent complement as it helps to improve concentration and mental focus on the daily routine or on the goals you committed to when you outlined the workout plan together.
A research study from the University of Illinois in the US found that regular yoga practice improves the body's relationship with stress and that there are significant improvements in focus and memory. Other studies even say that it can help by playing a positive role in the fight against degenerative diseases that arise with age, such as Alzheimer's, for example.
2- The stress and anxiety goes down
Our daily routine is reason enough for us to feel more agitated and anxious. That's why including a moment of relaxation in your workout plans can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety.
Adding meditation and yoga to your workout plans improves the body's response to stress, helping athletes to deal with physical and mental challenges. In fact, yoga can reduce anxiety and the presence of other negative emotions that affect our behaviour, increasing energy levels with just a few minutes of practice and reducing depression.
3- It prevents injuries and speeds up muscle recovery
Yoga also improves what is known as body consciousness, i.e. the athlete ends up gaining a better perception of his or her body's behaviour, noticing signs of exhaustion and thus managing physical effort in a different way.
On the other hand, regular yoga practice can help improve flexibility, range of movement and even balance. In fact, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention even considers yoga as a physical activity that increases muscle elasticity (known as tone) and bone strength.
4- Ensures quality sleep
Sleep is an essential component of a workout plan (in fact, it was part of our tip 7 on how to create a successful workout plan!). Regulated sleep allows the athlete to get more out of his or her workouts and has a big impact in the long term.
Meditation and yoga come into play here: these two practices have a positive effect on the act of sleeping because, as well as reducing stress and anxiety, they help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and improve the quality of sleep, resulting in quieter nights and more restful sleep.
Final Considerations
A workout plan is much more than achieving goals: it involves commitment and motivation. Adding a component that promotes mental well-being will help keep your athlete committed, focused and motivated.
If you're focussed on making regular exercise a resolution for 2024, then include meditation and yoga in your plans and you'll see the results! We're not the ones who say it...
At BOOMFIT, you can find a range of equipment and accessories that will help you include yoga and meditation in the exercises you promote!
Our team is always happy to help you to pick out the best accessories, whether for yoga and meditation or for other fitness activities. Get in touch with us!
Have a good workout!
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