Aging and Weight Loss: How Yoga Can Keep You Fit During Your Golden Years

Using yoga as an effective way to combat aging is rapidly growing in popularity and interest. We all know that yoga comes with numerous benefits, not just physiological ones but also emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness.

Like other forms of exercise, yoga can help the body retain its youthful glow and vitality by improving circulation through deep breathing exercises, stretching and toning the muscles through yoga poses, as well as promoting overall wellness. But what sets the yoga apart from the rest of other exercise regimes out there?

Below are some of the well-known advantages of yoga that makes it an ideal fitness program for seniors who want to age gracefully:

Great Stress Reliever

Stress is a common reaction that we often deal with on a day to day basis. No longer merely associated with traumatic situations, stress is also connected to daily living, such as in dealing with financial difficulties, juggling hectic schedules, beating deadlines, and so much more. Through the regular practice of yoga that promotes mental, physical, and emotional balance, you become better equipped to cope with stress.

As we all know, frown lines and wrinkles are ill effects of aging and stress. Through learning how to better cope with stress using meditation and relaxation techniques taught in yoga, you can attain that inner sense of calm and cultivate inner happiness that radiates from within.

Physical Impact of Yoga

Through regular yoga practice, you can enhance the flexibility of the muscles and the elasticity of the spine. When the body grows rigid and inflexible due to a lack of physical activity, it can increase the risks of injury and speeds up the aging process. By working to improve muscular flexibility, good posture is better supported by the spinal muscles, promoting that youthful appearance and enhancing vitality.

Yoga poses have also been known to help relieve aches and pains that come with aging, such as the all too common condition of chronic low back pain. Through stretching the muscles regularly, oxygen is delivered to the system, thereby reducing oxidative stress, which is also closely linked to aging.

Studies on Yoga

In several studies, yoga has also shown to be highly beneficial, especially when the underlying culprit is stress. Several studies support the practice of yoga for lowering anxiety, reducing blood pressure, and eliminating headaches, among others.

While yoga is not an intense cardio-burning exercise, it can also help maintain idea weight. With these slow stretching sequences, yoga is highly ideal for senior who can no longer engage in strenuous physical activities but wants to stay fit.