Paying attention to your diet is good. But managing your stress is just as essential to take care of your health! An effective way to provide physical and mental well-being and thus reduce anxiety is: yoga. This increasingly fashionable practice has many advantages for our health. So what are the benefits of yoga?
In this article, discover 8 good reasons to get started!
Why is yoga good for you?
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1. Yoga to reduce stress and anxiety
It’s no secret that yoga is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. Studies show that yoga lowers the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. However, high levels of cortisol are commonly seen in depression or chronic stress.
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2. Conquer your insomnia with yoga
In addition to reducing stress and anxiety states, yoga would also have positive effects on insomnia. Studies show that yoga relaxes its practitioners to the point of promoting the secretion of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep and wakefulness.
Remember that yoga also has a significant effect on anxiety, depression, and stress – three major factors contributing to sleep problems.
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3. Boost… his immunity!
Did you know that regular yoga practice will boost our immunity? While stress is now known to over-stimulate the immune system (making it less effective against external aggressions), yoga, on the other hand, decreases this stress, allowing our immune system to function properly.
A Norwegian study even found that the current practice of yoga would cause changes in the expression of the gene responsible for immunity. Thus, it would help improve the cellular immunity of our body.
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4. have healthy joints
Another benefit of yoga: it allows you to work on your flexibility by correctly stretching the muscles and, at the same time, releasing tension. Our ankles, knees, wrists move better and are more mobile, which limits the risk of fractures and long-term pain.
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5. Improve your general health
Stress, anxiety, fatigue linked to insomnia or even a weakened immune system are all factors that make us more vulnerable to disease. Practicing yoga for the long term would thus help protect our general health.
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6. Relieve migraines
According to research, people with migraine suffer much less from migraines after three months of yoga practice. To try, therefore, if you have migraines!
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7. Fight against snacking
Researchers at the University of Washington have found that regular yoga practice is associated with greater understanding and control of the physical and mental sensations associated with hunger. Breathing exercises performed during yoga classes allow you to channel hunger pangs and make better choices when the cravings strike.
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8. Rejuvenate in your body and in your head
Last benefit of yoga: it would have the ability to slow down the aging of our body. This makes sense when you know that stress and anxiety promote the production of free radicals, molecules that promote oxidative stress.
As a reminder, oxidative stress is one of the main causes of cancer and is thought to play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, or in other pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular accidents, rheumatoid arthritis, or cataracts. In other words, yoga would mean preventing us from these diseases.
Tips for eating after yoga:
After a yoga session, the mood is often more fatigue than laughter, and the most fragile among us will be much more sensitive to being unwell or feeling bad. So that this does not happen, it is essential to drink a glass of water, or even more. In short, drink water, hydrate your body, it is very important to renew cells after a yoga class, group, or individual.
Whatever the time of day, we will therefore favor fast sugars, depending on our state of health at the time. A good post-sport diet, whatever it is, also defines the way our adipose tissue evolves, and allows, thanks to foods rich in fiber, for example, to gain muscle, abs, or simply to feel well and in shape! Consult a nutritionist if you have any doubts about what to eat.
Whether it’s an evening meal, a simple snack, or breakfast, our eating habits must match our physical activity (yoga in this case). It is not a question of wondering how many calories we want to ingest, but knowing how to draw on our resources, so as not to sink after a yoga session.
Most of the time, we often prioritize carbohydrates after a session, to return to our body what it has just spent, the calories that we could have burned, and the carbohydrate intake that the rest of the sessions requires. Foods rich in carbohydrates such as ideally, wholemeal bread, are then effective allies in the face of potential fatigue. White bread is also good but contains less fiber and good nutrients.