Home Gym Tips - How To Build An Inexpensive Home Gym

Times are tough. Fortunately, exercise can be performed nearly anywhere. Many people are opting to work out at home, whether for convenience or due to the cost of gym memberships. If this appeals to you, before you race to the store and buy a trunkload of equipment, bars, and weight plates, I urge you to ask yourself why you want a home gym and answer honestly. Or better yet, if you invest the money, will you really use it? You don't want a $100 laundry hanger or $1000 dust collector, do you?

Once you commit to using your new gym, the next steps are to determine what room you will set it up in and how much space you realistically have. Look around the room. Many people with good intentions tell themselves that each time they use their gym, they won't mind moving the couch, the table and chairs, or the desk, but after a while, they start using this as an excuse not to exercise. Will having to slide a couch 4' out of the way be a deterrent? Is there is a television in the room? If so, do you have the self-discipline to not watch Oprah, Judge Judy, or a soap opera instead of working out? Can you control the temperature in this space? If not, can you add a fan? Once you start a, you will probably need it. Who else uses the room? Will there be conflicts? Will someone move your equipment or think it is a toy for them to play with? Don't be intimidated by these questions. Working through them shouldn't be that difficult or time-consuming, especially if you let your family or roommates know what you are doing.

Now the excitement begins because it's time to get started! A simple and inexpensive home gym can be built with five pieces of equipment. They total about $100 and are easy to find and transport home. You can buy them from local exercise stores, online, or perhaps used on your community's Craig's List. Following each is a few of their possible uses.

1. Exercise Ball abdominal and core stabilization, upper body exercises)
   
   
2. Resistance Bands (one full set of resistance bands can give you a total body workout)
   
   
3. Yoga Mat (push ups, abdominal/core work, stretching, pilates, and of course yoga)
   
   
4. Pull-Up Bar - some can be installed in doorways or follow the traditional installation method (back and limited bicep work, abdominal/core work), and
   
   
5. Jump Rope - if you have ceiling clearance (warm up, cardiovascular work).

Also, use what you may already have available in your home:

• Move a chair without wheels or arms into the area (decline push ups, tricep dips)
  
• Run the stairs (cardiovascular, leg work)
  
• Stairs (standing calf raises)
  
• Wall mirror to check your form
  
• Radio or headphones to play your favorite music, and
  
• Television or monitor with DVD player for taped routines

If you aren't sure how to start, meet with a personal trainer for a couple of sessions. It will be money well-invested because you will be given a program based on your family history, exercise history, and your goals, you will understand how to properly use your equipment, and you will have learned proper form and technique which reduces the chance of injury.

And as with all exercise, you should wear appropriate shoes and comfortable clothes. Bring a bottle of water and a towel, and get to it!

Yoga Styles That Have Become Popular In The Western World

Hatha YogaHatha yoga, also called Hatha Vidya, was introduced in the 15th century in India where Hatha is introduced as a preliminary step of physical purification towards higher meditation.Hatha comes from two words, ‘Ha’ and ‘Tha,’ sun and moon, which are considered to be the fundamental channels of energy of the body that must be totally functioning in order to reach a state of concentrated meditation. One definition of 'hatha' in Sanskrit is forceful. Hatha yoga is the style most people in the western world associate with Yoga and most commonly practiced for mental and physical wellbeing. Hatha yoga class generally is applied to the traditional asanas and breathing techniques too. For one just starting Yoga, this style would be the practical one to follow as s/he is still establishing her/his tempo.Kundalini YogaKundalini yoga employs postures and breathing exercises different from other styles of yoga. In this adaptation, the goal is attaining a higher stage of consciousness in directing the energy via the body's chakras. In a book on Kundalini Yoga, it is depicted as "the body's latent spiritual potential.” Energy is portrayed like a coiled snake at the bottom of the spinal column.Kundalini's meditations involve chanting while it is being done. The breathing techniques include vigorous exhalations through the nose while most asanas are performed in a sitting position.Ashtanga YogaAshtanga moves are flowing and more exact at the same time, in contrast to hatha. The movements in Ashtanga is such that one sequence of positions is such that each change is in one breath. Vinyasa is the term applied to the synchronized breath-movement and longtime devotees perform these swiftly. The principle behind this style is the stimulation of sweat glands which facilitate toxin removal and body purification. The swift and flowing movements likewise help in blood circulation. It would take one who's used to the many postures to do this style properly.Bikram YogaBikram yoga is ideally performed in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% humid. It is popularly referred to as 'hot yoga.’ The heat is important for the protection of the muscles being stretched and at the same time, encourages enhanced cardiovascular workout. Circulation is also cleared and toxins are expelled from the body. Since there is high level of heat and humidity, yoga newcomers should best come to class well hydrated.

How to Do Yoga at Home

There are many benefits to doing yoga at home rather than at a studio or health club/gym. Here are some steps to help you create a home practice that will help you grow physically, mentally and spiritually.

1) Identify what your goals are in your yoga practice

2) Create a tranquil atmosphere

3) You will also need to purchase a yoga mat, which can be found on the internet or local stores. Depending on where you live, you might be able to drive somewhere and buy one.

4) Try buying some beginner yoga CDs

5) If you're following your own routine, you should start your practice with a short meditation and breathing exercise to calm your mind and center your thoughts. The move into a warm-up, standing poses, backbends, twists, forward bends, reclining poses, and finally, final relaxation pose

6) Choose a time in which you will not be disturbed

7) Decide how often you want to practice

8) Deepen your practice

9) Keep a yoga practice journal.

10) Be patient and stick with it

Yoga Can Ease Back Pain

If you are practicing yoga, you may not know what you are missing in terms of back pain, stress and anxiety. However thousands of Americans suffer from back pain every day. If you happen to know one of them, consider passing along a bit of new information that might help them: A new back pain study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health showed better results with yoga than conventional therapeutic exercise or information alone."The study suggests that for people who are looking to do something for themselves, you could clearly say that yoga is the best," says Karen Sherman, an epidemiologist and researcher with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, and the lead author of the study.The study compared 101 adults with chronic lower back pain. One group tried conventional therapeutic exercise taught by a physical therapist. Another took weekly classes in viniyoga, a yoga style focusing on safety and therapeutic benefits. The third group studied a popular back pain book, “The Back Pain Helpbook.”At the end of the 12 week study, the yoga group showed far more increased function than the other two groups in tasks like walking up stairs without pain or bending over to tie their shoelaces. The yoga group and needed less pain medications as well. Your yoga practice could be saving you trips to the doctor and the pharmacy even now.Viniyoga is an ancient Sanskrit term that implies differentiation, adaptation, and appropriate application. This highly personalized style adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of the individual, according to the American Viniyoga Institute. This approach evolved out of the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India, and incorporate many dimensions of teaching and practice, including asana, pranayama, bandha, sound, chanting, meditation, personal ritual and textual study.Breathing was mentioned as an important aspect of yoga by the study’s lead author. Since yoga breathing practices make people conscious of their body’s movement, it can also make them aware of unnatural movement patters which can contribute to their back problems. Be sure not to overlook this aspect of your yoga practice.The study also highlights the importance of a good yoga instructor and a studio environment for best results. So if you’ve been using mainly DVDs and booklets, now might be the time to consider joining a studio. The group reading the Back Pain Helpbook actually increased their medication usage.Kate Lorig, one of the co-authors of "The Back Pain Helpbook" and the director of the Stanford Patient Education Research Center, underscored the need for proper instruction rather relying on written directions."We have long known that in most cases giving people information alone is not enough to change either health behaviors or health status," she says. "I would never expect a book alone to make much difference."

Kundali Yoga to fight stress

It is true that positive stressors can be good for us and good for our nervous system. It is only when the stress is too extreme, too prolonged, inappropriate to the challenge or accompanied by strong negative emotions like fear that the stress load gets unmanageable.
In Sanskrit the word kundalini means life force. Literally translated the word kundalini actually means "that which is coiled." Many yoga practitioners refer to the kundalini as a serpent. The serpent in the body is also known as the person's life force.
Kundalini is a type of yoga that focuses on communication between mind and body. People who practice kundalini believe that such communication is important for physical and mental health. They also believe that this yoga will promote psychospiritual growth. That is why people who practice kundalini are masters of concentration. Concentration is essential for communication. It is the first step for connecting the physical and spiritual self.

On the other hand, stress in the body comes from emotional stress or physical stress that we put on the body through our activity, our environment (toxins) or the food we eat. The stress response shifts all the resources away from repair and maintenance. We stop repairing muscle, managing our blood sugar levels and relaxing our heart and vessels. This may explain why rest alone is not the cure for all stress. We need a deeper “relaxation response” that re-engages the innate maintenance mechanism of the body’s innate intelligence. When we are chronically stressed we don’t go back to zero. The body stays on high alert and we start to literally break down- drowning in our own cortisol soup. If we can regularly get to that inner zero point, we give ourselves the chance to heal. That is why lifestyle, meditation and exercise are very effective treatments for this

Beauty Fitness Yoga And The Improvement Of Your Figure

have no doubt, Beauty Fitness Yoga is the one to which the majority of women will want to know. Knowing as you do that Beauty Fitness Yoga can give you a perfect figure you have made Beauty Fitness Yoga your main reason for pursuing the subject.
I assure you this is no worse a reason for beginning the study of Yoga than any other. There cannot really be a bad reason for wanting to do something good, and though Beauty Fitness Yoga offers much in the way of a peaceful and healthy existence your main concern, at this stage anyway, is how to get that pad of fat off your hips and reduce that bulging tummy.
There is little need to explain to you the connection between obesity and your health. Apart from being aesthetically all wrong it puts a strain on the heart, the internal organs, the legs and feet and in fact the entire body. It is dangerous to be overweight. It is your duty to improve your figure for the sake of your health, your peace of mind and your general well being.
Beauty Fitness Yoga can help you to regain a slim, supple, and graceful figure, but I must impress on you right at the beginning that there is no magic formula which will sheer those extra pounds off you while you go on eating four square meals a day with snacks in between and goodness knows how many cups of tea sweetened with sugar. In short, Yoga is not black magic. It is sheer common sense. It will help you if you are prepared to help yourself.
You must study Yoga as a whole and let it pervade every part of your life. Let it gradually alter your way of thinking and in time it will affect your attitude towards food. For many people food is a social occasion, or a means of chopping up the day. To very many others it is a form of sheer solid comfort in times of stress or anxiety. To still others it is a hobby or a release from boredom. They don't know what to do with themselves so they eat—and grow fat.
I do not suggest that you try drastically to alter your eating habits. Let Yoga gently do that for you. Practise Beauty Fitness Yoga as a complete science, and very slowly adjust your eating habits according to your state of mind.