Yoga??

Pretty new to this site and dieting.

I just turned 21 and i work in the food industry. In the past year I've noticed some changes in my body that i'm not enjoying. Used to be pretty fit as a teen ( was a cheerleader)- always working out at practice and such. Now that i'm a little older and joined the working world i've fallen out of the work out thing. I'm pretty flexible so i was thinking about trying yoga? Has anyone tried any dvds and liked them?

You should definitely give it a try. I am not really fan, but I am more of the endurance sport type, and no so flexible, haha.

Go to www.yogatoday.com and they have free videos on there if you want to test it out before purchasing a DVD. 

Good luck :)

I would definitely give yoga a try.  It's a great stress reliever along with stretching and toning your body.  I have a yoga for weight loss DVD that I've been doing for a month, and I've already started to notice a huge difference in how my pants are fitting me.  I do it 2-3 times per week for 45 minutes.

I will definitely second the www.yogatoday.com suggestion. They have a really great variety of classes for whatever level you're at and they are full, hour long classes for free you can get right on your computer. They're relatively challenging too for the most part. :) I really enjoy them for my in-between running days or rainy days. I love the way yoga makes me feel tired but relaxed. Kinda like I worked out while getting a massage. hehe.

I love YOGA! It has made my muscles more limber and trim. You should definitely try it!

i love yoga too! i try to do it at least 20 minutes 4x a week. i have a really lame dvd that i wouldn't recomend but online videos are fun. i really look forward to yoga it's a really relaxing way to work out and it increases strength and flexibility while relaxing your mind. awesome.

Thanks for all your replies! i tried it at my gym the other day and didn't like it. Something about the way the lady was directing the class i guess. So i think i'm just going to try it at home. I'd like to know some dvds so i can watch it on my big screen though. thanks again guys!! :)

Has anyone tried hot yoga?

Another thing you can try is Pilates.  I have the Windsor pilates DVD's.  There is a 20 min workout and an hour workout. I have done yoga at my gym, and for me one of the hard things is that I don't know the names of the poses and that makes it hard to follow along.  With the Pilates, there aren't all the poses to remember.  One thing thats nice about the Windsor pilates is that for the 20 min workout, all you need is a mat. 

i have denise austin's 'yoga buns' dvd, and even though i think she's super annoying, i really like the workout.   it is challenging for an inflexible, un-toned person like myself the first time, but it gets easier every time i do it.   and you can definitely feel it the next day in all of those muscle groups you work.   and my flexibility is starting to improve, too.  

i've also started doing a simple 10 minute yoga routine in the morning, first thing out of bed.   i've found that it really helps to get me going and keeps me energized.  

Personally I am a great fan of Chaz Rough's YogAmazing.

www.yogamazing.com

It's free to download through Itunes and there's a pretty impressive back catalogue available on Itunes and you can buy more for about $1.99 or something from the website. He does a new class every week, each time tailored to  something specific like weight loss / swimming / concentration so things are always changing.

I'm also a fan of Yogalates, my friend leant me to Solmon Yogalates DVD over the summer and I found it great fun. But then, I like the stretching and the lack of impact.

I did a yoga class, and while I didn't lose a ton of weight, I overall felt way more healthy at the end. But I'm wary of yoga dvds which aren't, obviously, tailored to your body, which can react differently than you might expect. But that's just me.

I LOVE yoga! Hence the user name...

But like sandpoptart said, the person teaching the class can really make it a good experience or a bad one. I have not enjoyed classes at the gym in the past, but I really enjoy classes at yoga studios. Certain types of yoga (ashtanga, vinyasa) are particularly good if you're looking to lose some weight. Try to find a studio near you and take a class there! Good luck!

What about Bikrim?? I do it and its Awesome. Most classes are around 90 minutes! and according to this website http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Calories_Bu rned.asp  if you are a 150lbs person who does bikram for 90 min you burn over 1,000 calories!

Now just to be clear, Bikram is done in a 104 degree room with 40% humidity (that is HOT)! and has 25 different poses. so it is certainly not the easiest type of yoga out there but because personally i am already an athlete i like the challenge.  

Be prepared to SWEAT it out! and yes i know its only water weight, it's still fun to go home and see yourself -3lbs!

to OP: the instructor makes just as much difference as the type of yoga you're doing.  even the voice and tone of the instructors voice matters.  try to find one you like.

to wardo11:hope you're rehydrating properly after with R4, an electrolyte drink, or at least water (listed best to worst, imo)

OH YEA... haha i usually opt for like coconut water which is good in electrolytes.

and yea i agree with sunglasses... the type of instructor makes ALL the difference

I LOVE yoga.  But I do it at home, by myself, so that I don't feel funny trying to do the different poses.  You can get the dvd's for pretty cheap (I try looking for them on discount racks and second hand stores).  It can be really nice when you give it a try.

A lot of the dvd's have different difficulty levels and whatnot.  Also, if you end up wanting to try a class or something, drag a friend along...then at least you can have fun with someone else you know.