Improving Your Physical Fitness: Asanas for Strength Training Your typical day consists of commuting to work, looking at a computer screen for hours, being delayed in traffic on the way home, and being too weary to spend time with your loved ones at the end of the day. Because of a demanding work week, are you unable to follow your interest on the weekends? If you answered yes, then your body likely has low prana or energy levels and low physical fitness.
The body requires energy for any mental or physical effort. This energy is obtained by consuming nutritious foods and receiving appropriate rest for physical fitness. In addition to these two sources, the body is also fueled by yoga and frequent meditation.
Yoga for physical fitness
Yoga poses are the cheapest way to induce profound relaxation and restoration in the body. After sitting for extended hours or switching between duties, one may experience fatigue. By clearing obstructions throughout the spinal cord and smoothing the energy flow, yoga improves the body’s ‘prana’ or life force energy.
Benefits
- Muscular strength improves general health and sports performance.
- A strong physique helps you to conduct powerful actions and activities without becoming exhausted.
- Muscular strength allows you to maintain a healthy body weight by burning calories and improving your body composition, which is the ratio of fat to muscle in your body.
- Strength training may also improve your mood and energy while fostering good sleep habits. This may increase your confidence, give you a sense of success, and enable you to add more challenging or severe exercises to your fitness programme.
- Developing physical strength contributes to the development of robust, healthy muscles and bones. This helps to improve posture and alleviate back discomfort.
- You will have more stability, balance, and flexibility, reducing the likelihood of accidents and falls.
For physical fitness perform these basic yoga poses:
Veerabhadrasana (Warrior pose) for physical fitness
This yoga stance, named after Veerabhadra, a strong warrior and an avatar of Lord Shiva, strengthens and tones the arms, legs, and lower back. It is quite good for sedentary workers.
Utkatasana (Chair position) (Chair pose) for physical fitness
Sitting in a chair may sound quite simple and nice, but sitting in a chair that does not exist may be somewhat difficult! This yoga stance clears energy centres and strengthens the spine, hips, and chest. It helps to strengthen the core and lower back.
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose) for physical fitness
Bridge posture assists in unblocking energy flow along the spinal cord. This yoga stance also improves the back muscles and instantly relaxes a fatigued back. In addition to stretching the chest, neck, and spine, this exercise soothes the brain and decreases anxiety, tension, and melancholy.
Shalabhasana (Locust Pose) for physical fitness
It enhances the body’s agility and strengthens the flexibility and strength of the back, shoulders, and arms. In addition to massaging and toning abdominal organs, this yoga stance also improves digestion.
Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana (Dolphin Plank pose) for physical fitness
Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana is a revitalising yoga pose that strengthens the abdominal muscles. It provides good relief from headache, weariness, and backache. Additionally, it strengthens the arms and legs, tones the abdominal muscles, and alleviates menstruation pain.
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing) for physical fitness
The area between the eyebrows is where all the nadis converge. Activating the energy centres in this area is one of the most straightforward, gentle, and effective methods to revitalise the body and soothe the mind. This approach is therapeutically effective for the majority of circulatory and respiratory disorders and balances the left and right brain hemispheres. It also eliminates any collected stress.
Changing Energy Through Yoga
Regular practise of these yoga poses will increase your energy levels and keep you active throughout the day. With more energy, you can finish your task before the deadline and still have time for your hobby or to spend more time with your family. Incorporating yoga into your current exercise regimen will also increase your agility and stamina over time, allowing you to ultimately enjoy life more.
Energy may be converted from one form to another, but it cannot be generated or destroyed, according to Newton’s law of energy. Yoga facilitates the assimilation and utilisation of this energy while maintaining the body’s physical and mental wellness.
Foods that promote muscular strength and for physical fitness
Bananas
Natural sugars such as Sucrose, Glucose, and Fructose are abundant in bananas. They provide instantaneous energy and supply the body with potassium to nourish functioning muscles. Bananas include the amino acid tryptophan, which aids with memory preservation, improves the capacity to learn and recall, and affects mood.
Broccoli
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C. Everyone knows that vitamin C is your best buddy when it comes to boosting immunity and strengthening the body. Broccoli also includes chemicals that prevent cancer and is a rich source of fibre.
Greek yoghurt
Yogurt, homemade curd, and even buttermilk are rich in calcium and proteins, which aid in bone health and injury prevention. In addition, yoghurt contains beneficial bacteria known as probiotics that stimulate the immune system, promote gastrointestinal health, and cool the body.
Spinach
Spinach is abundant in nitrates, iron, and vitamins, which assist combat muscular weariness and weakness. Additionally, spinach helps avoid iron deficiency, boosts the immune system, and maintains healthy eyes. Add spinach to your curries, smoothies, and soups, as our ancestors have been urging us for years: “Eat your greens!”
Protein-Rich Sources
Paneer, tofu, soy, chicken, and fish are examples of bio-available sources of protein. 100 grammes of these contain around 20 grammes of bioavailable protein, making them an ideal post-workout snack.
Nuts: Peanuts, Walnuts, Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts, and Almonds
Nuts are all incredibly rich in Calcium, Zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids, all of which assist in maintaining muscle endurance! In addition, nuts are particularly beneficial for skin health since they help the skin appear fresh and radiant.
Muskmelon
Vitamin C content is high in watermelon. It is not surprising that it prevents dehydration because 90% of its composition is water. Additionally, it includes components that help prevent cancer, boost heart health, and promote healthy skin and hair. Moreover, it helps reduce muscular stiffness, which is all the more incentive to have it as a post-workout snack.
Conclusion
Each journey begins with a single step. You continue to take one step after another until one day you realise you’ve climbed a mountain. Incorporating all of these asanas and nutritional advice into your lifestyle is a gift for which your body will be eternally grateful. So get started, and when in doubt, consult the specialists who will assist you in beginning your trip!
