Yoga and Fitness in Kamloops BC (or anywhere else, for that matter)

What do you do if you live in Kamloops, BC, and you want to keep up (or simply start) your fitness training or yoga practice? Well you have some great options, and I’ll give you tips here that can help you stay motivated and know what to do with your exercise and yoga routine.

By the way, even if you don’t live in Kamloops, you can still get a lot out of this article.

We all know how important exercise is for health, right? Yet sometimes it can be hard to get the momentum going in the first place, especially if you’ve been away from a fitness routine for a while. Or even if you’re super dedicated, you might want a fresh approach to keep it fun.

Exercise is vital for everyone. Somehow, some way, make sure you get yourself moving, breathing, and working out at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. And that’s the bare minimum.

Your body NEEDS it. The circulation and breathing clears out toxins and brings in nourishment. Your bones are strengthened by resistance training, helping you to avoid things like osteoporosis. Your joints get lubricated, helping you avoid arthritis. Your muscles get toned, which means you’ll look and feel better.

One of the great things about Kamloops is the amount of options open to you, both in the great outdoors and in facilities around town. But even with so many choices, you won't get anywhere if you're not determined. So, let’s get into one of the most important elements for fitness: Motivation.

Sure, there’s lots of excuses.

“I don’t have enough time,” is a big one, but if you think about how much better you feel when you exercise, you realize you can get more done.

“I’m too tired,” is an excuse that actually can be cured by getting your body moving and becoming stronger.

“It’s too hard,” is a bit of a cop out, and you might find that you actually like the challenge when you get going.

I tend to get cranky when I don’t exercise or if I skip my yoga practice. My body feels fatigued and tight. Sometimes it’s super hard to get going, but once I do, I feel SO much better!

Here’s some great ways to keep motivated to stay fit:

• Take classes or sign up for a bootcamp. Having someone else lead you can be so much easier than figuring it out yourself, and will give you great ideas that you can then do on your own. Just make sure you like the person teaching you, and that they can train you in a safe, fun, and challenging way.
• Find someone you admire who is totally committed to their health and fitness. It can be someone you know, or maybe a celebrity or professional athlete. Even a fictional character in a book or movie might do it for you, but just pick someone who inspires you and think about becoming more like them when it comes to fitness.
• Set a schedule. Carve out some time from your busy days that is dedicated to your exercise. Don’t miss it! Make it super important – this is your health and happiness we’re talking about here. Don’t blow it off.
• Keep it stress free. Don’t judge yourself for being out of shape, or compare yourself to anyone else (other than for inspiration.) Adding frustration to your life will not make you want to work out. Instead, be proud of yourself every time you exercise. Savor how good it feels to breathe deep and sweat, even when it’s super challenging.
• Think about how STRONG you’re becoming. It doesn’t matter if you’re totally out of shape or are a pro athlete, you can always get stronger and improve your body. Isn’t that great? There is no ceiling to improvement. Visualize yourself getting stronger as you work out, and notice how good it makes you feel!
• Take it one day at a time. Don’t expect instant transformation, but at the same time realize that every workout brings you closer to your goal. Allow your progress to happen as it does, and just stay focused on a consistent schedule. If you keep working out week after week, pretty soon you’ll look back and be blown away by how far you’ve come.

Yes, fitness can be fun. If you enjoy something you’re a lot more likely to do it, right?

Here are some ideas for fun fitness:

• Change it up. Adding variety not only increases the fun factor, but you’ll build different muscles and skills in the process. What activities do you like to do? Go out and play!
• Dance! Yes, dancing counts. Taking a dance class, turning up the music and having your own little party in your house, or going all out on the dance floor at a club or party are all ways to shake your booty into a lovely shape.
• Find a Friend. Though you can surely exercise alone, sometimes having a buddy is a good way to have fun and stay consistent. If you commit to meet someone else at a certain time for a fitness session, you’re a lot less likely to skip it. It’s important that you both stay motivated, though, because if one person says “maybe today we should just go to a coffee shop instead” the whole thing can fall apart.
• Laugh. Smile. Don’t be so serious. If you look in the mirror at the gym and catch yourself all tight in the face, give yourself an instant face lift by turning the corners of your mouth up. If you fall over on the exercise ball, laugh. You’re not the first to do so.
• Listen to music. Yes, there’s a reason you see most of the people in the gym with headphones in their ears. Unless you’re working with a partner, you can inject a bit of energy into your system in the form of motivating music. If the music makes you want to move you’re more likely to work out for a longer period of time and give your all to each exercise.

Yoga? Oh yeah. If you haven’t tried it, you’d be surprised how challenging yoga can be. It does depend on the style of yoga and the teacher, but if you find the right class, you can breathe yourself into bliss and a stronger, more fit body all at the same time.

To me, a perfect fitness routine includes challenging exercise and a whole lot of yoga.

I’m talking fun, profoundly transformational yoga. Get on your mat and grove your body into health, yoga.

Why? Because, for one, the alignment in the yoga that I practice and teach informs my posture when I’m working out. By learning how to align my body in yoga I keep myself injury free while exercising, and get a lot more out of it.

One of the most remarkable things about yoga, however, is that it brings together your mind, body, and spirit so your entire being is engaged and feels fulfilled. It means your capacity as a human being expands, and you not only look and feel better physically, but you are able to have less stress and more happiness in life.

You want the best of both worlds, right?

Me too. That’s why I combined my ideal fitness routine of yoga and intensely fun and effective exercises into a boot camp class just for women. Read more by following the link to the right.