Yoga

During my year-of-better-health, I got up each morning, hit the mat and enjoyed about 45 minutes of yoga. I found a great set of CDs that challenged me, relaxed me, and made me love this part of my exercise routine. Since I've gotten in better shape and improved my health (and like we all seem to do), I stopped doing some of the things that made me feel good. Yoga was the first to go. It did its job, and cardio and strength training routines eventually took its place. Now I'm paying the price. After walking who knows how many miles, I started to run a bit. And then my hip slipped out of place. No more running for me. My chiropractor slowly got it back into its socket, but not without taking me away from my normal routine. My left hip has been weak since I became pregnant with my first child, but now it has become something I can't continue to ignore. Stretching—in any form—is such an important part of an exercise routine that I now realize that I can't afford not to do yoga.

I highly recommend adding some sort of stretching, or even some version of yoga, especially as you get older to your routine. Here are some links to inspire you.

Good morning yoga sequence.

Essential stretches for tight hips.

My yoga videos of choice are from the Element series by Ashley Turner.

Inspiration for overall good health.

Do you have any resources or stories you care to share? I'd love to hear them.