As we age, our bodies tend to become less limber and more stiff, potentially leading to a whole host of other health conditions which can negatively impact our overall well-being. This unfortunate fact of life can be prevented or at least slowed down, by following a regular workout routine which includes a yoga or stretching practice. This will help to maintain agility and functionality throughout one’s life, preventing the slow decline into old age that many inactive individuals may begin to face as a result of their habits and routines. Starting a regular yoga routine is a fantastic way to combat this fact of life. Here’s why from your Parker physical therapist.

Improves Your Flexibility

Perhaps the most obvious, straightforward reason to begin a regular yoga routine is that it will improve your flexibility. Performing various stretches will target each area of your body that needs to remain limber, ultimately benefiting your overall physical health as a result. Tightness in your body can play a major factor in pain, which is why doing yoga will help to loosen up your body and potentially reduce your pain level as a result. This will make you more able to complete activities which are more physically strenuous, such as skiing, rock climbing, running, and other more intense forms of physical activity. 

In addition to becoming more flexible, you will also become more able to respond to situations which require you to be more limber and agile. Remaining stiff and immobile is a recipe to become seriously injured due to a slip and fall or other form of setback which can be the result of not being flexible enough. Performing a regular yoga routine may be a pain to initiate in the early stages, but your body will be thanking you for it in the long run, as you will be more prepared to handle all different types of activities. 

Improves Your Posture

A major reasons why you should consider a regular yoga routine is that it will seriously help you with your overall posture. Keeping your spine straight and erect is not something that is natural for many people, especially as we have become a more sedentary and immobile species, dedicated to looking down at our phones more than we would care to admit. Thankfully, yoga can help address this concern, as a regular practice will help benefit your body’s posture, leading to other health benefits as a result. Your body can tend to slump, which can lead to fatigue, back and neck issues, and joint problems. Yoga can reverse these issues and reduce your chances of developing degenerative arthritis in your spine. 

Increases Blood Flow

In terms of things that are beneficial for your health, one of the biggest benefits to any form of physical activity is the fact that it will increase blood flow throughout your body. Any activity which increases blood flow will also help to circulate oxygen throughout all of the cells in your body, which can help with healing and restoring your body to an optimal level of health. You don’t necessarily want to remain immobile, as this will reduce your blood flow and potentially lead to a number of health conditions as a result. Instead, practicing yoga regularly will help to boost your blood flow, leading to increased levels of hemoglobin in your body, which can decrease the chances of heart disease and stroke.

Increases Your Mental Health

Although practicing yoga on a regular basis can have profound physical health benefits, one of the biggest things to keep in mind is the effect it can have on your mental health as a result. This is because exercise and physical activities such as yoga will help to increase serotonin levels in your brain, as well as decrease the amount of monoamine oxidase, which is an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down neurotransmitters and increasing the chances of becoming depressed.

Yoga also can have the profound health benefit of increasing mindfulness and boosting your sense of being grounded. A large component to yoga is the degree of mindful breathing that comes with each exercise. Many instructors will remind their students of how important breathing is when it comes to receiving the maximum level of benefit from any given pose. Yoga is a form of physical meditation, one that can connect a person to their body in a more deeper way than through other forms of exercise, as mindfulness is stressed throughout the exercises. 

Boosts Your Focus

In our busy world, focus and attention have taken a serious hit, as the amount of distractions present in our world have grown exponentially, making it difficult to complete many of the tasks we have on our plate. Thankfully, a yoga practice can boost our attention and focus level, as it trains our mind to become more rooted in our body and breaking the endless cycle of thoughts which can derail whatever we are attempting to focus on. Yoga also contributes to an increase in coordination, as we are more connected to all parts of our body, which is a result of paying greater attention to our physical selves, a major benefit to our mind-dominant culture.

If you are looking to improve your physical health situation is and are in need of physical therapy due to an accident or other physical ailments, contact Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness today and we will be happy to assist you with your first steps towards recovery. We have an extensive team of qualified physical therapists and specialists who care deeply about their clients and go above and beyond the call of duty to provide the highest quality treatment in the industry. If you are looking for a therapist who will carefully assess your individual needs and formulate a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs, Peak Physical Therapy and Wellness is your preferred choice for the physical recovery pro.