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What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you reach for your phone with bleary eyes, stagger to the shower or press the snooze button? One of the best ways to get blood flowing to the whole of your body (including your brain), improve your posture and get your metabolism moving is by practising some yoga, or simply by doing some stretches. I think what we do immediately after we wake up sets the tone for the rest of the day, so it makes sense to make this time positive, balanced and inspiring.

Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing to create a unity between mind and body. Many exercise fads come and go but yoga is one that has stood the test of time; it has been around for more than 5,000 years!

There are more than 100 different types of yoga with different emphases; some are more fast-paced and intense, while others focus more on breathing and relaxation, and the intensity of your workout depends on what form you choose. The benefits of yoga are huge and well documented and there is compelling scientific proof that relaxing the mind can heal the body. It is used to increase flexibility and strength, boost immunity, prevent injury, improve balance and posture, build muscle strength, reduce stress and anxiety and improve our mind/body connection.

I first started doing Vinyasa yoga after the 2016 Olympics. When I rocked up at the first class I wasn’t sure what to expect; I thought yoga would be a lazy man’s workout with no real benefit but that’s not the case; yoga really is for everyone of all ages and fitness abilities and can really push you. Vinyasa, which is sometimes referred to as ‘breath-synchronised movement’, focuses on flow and is a style of yoga that is characterised by stringing one pose to another seamlessly, using breath. You perform it at your own pace, moving in and out of postures on each inhalation or exhalation. Being aware of my breathing while I exercise has made me much more conscious of my body and of being present in the moment. I now feel and understand my body better than ever before.

Practising yoga has also really helped with my flexibility and given me more functional movement. This means training your muscles to perform everyday movements more effectively and safely, so you don’t end up with a bad back, for example. By using various muscles throughout the body at the same time, it also emphasises core stability and balance, which allows me to train better. All of these benefits become more important as we get older because our muscles become tighter and shorter as we age; by practising yoga, I hope to stay strong and supple for longer. I want to be the grey-haired pensioner on the diving board!

Whether you practise some moves that you know well, or you follow a book or online routine, ten minutes of yoga poses will set you up for the day. If doing yoga doesn’t appeal, just stretching out your muscles will ensure you get the blood flowing, relieve tension and calm your mind. If you sit at a computer all day, it is easy to develop bad posture as a result of poor thoracic and lumbar (upper- and lower-back) control and tight pecs (chest muscles). By stretching in the morning and taking regular breaks throughout the day you will improve alignment in your back, correct your posture and increase your flexibility.

I have included three workouts (see here) that incorporate a mixture of Pilates and yoga exercises, including one workout for when you first get up in the morning. The wide-ranging benefits of these types of workouts are huge. They will improve your balance, posture, flexibility and range of motion and will strengthen and tone both major muscle groups and smaller ones. What’s more, the mental focus and controlled breathing help to reduce stress and will improve sleep and regulate your mood. These exercises complement all the habits in this book, from helping you to become more mindful and focused, through to boosting your immunity and aiding restful and deep sleep.

My advice is to keep a yoga mat under your bed, so you can just step out of bed, pull it out and start stretching. I guarantee that ten minutes later, you will feel ready to face the day!

IF YOU DO ONE THING …

Incorporate 10 minutes of yoga or stretching into your morning routine to awaken, energise and refresh your body and offset the effects of sitting in an office chair all day.

6 rules to get you into shape

We’ve all been guilty of starting a new exercise regime and becoming frustrated when we don’t see instant results. As well as eating and exercising well, here are a few habits to help you kick-start any new fitness regime.

1

Focus on all-body exercise: Yoga is great because it exercises the whole body, but by including full-body exercises, including moves like burpees, squats and press-ups during your more intense HIIT workouts, you train every major muscle group in your body. Also make sure you switch up your exercise, so if you go to the gym, make a point of using the running machine one day, the cross-trainer the next and then the rowing machine, rather than sticking to one exercise machine. You need to challenge your muscles to see results.

2

Stop making excuses: From not having the right equipment, to not having enough time, there will always be an excuse not to train. Once you get started you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to form a new exercise habit. If you try to change your mindset, so exercise is not just about going to the gym and can be incorporated into your day – it can be going out for a brisk walk, playing football with friends or cycling to work – this can help.

3

Learn to be present: You must find exercise that you enjoy and discover what it means to be present. For example, when you practise yoga, concentrate on the feelings in your body and your breathing. Really breathe into the muscle or the posture you are working on and feel what is going on inside your body. Don’t think about it but let your mind actually be in that body part or muscle.

4

Set goals: Whether you want to learn a tricky yoga pose, or do 100 press-ups in a row, setting achievable goals will help motivate and inspire you. Ensure they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely). Write them down and plot your progress.

5

Make sure you have a rest day: Some people think that in order to get into shape you should work out seven days a week. If you are working out properly, then you need to have at least one rest day, if not two. These periods are more important than the training because they let your body repair and recover, prevent injury and allow you to keep moving forward.

6

Don’t get hung up on fitness trackers: Wearable technology is becoming increasingly popular and I think it has its place because it can be a great way to figure out your limits and track progress, whether weekly, monthly or even yearly. However, I think the best way to get results is to listen to your body and pay attention to what it needs. Daily tracking of weight, progress and strength can quickly become demotivating and stressful.

Top reasons why yoga is healing

The health benefits of yoga are vast and studies continue to show that there are consistent rewards in almost every area of our health and well-being. Here are just a few ways in which it can be healing.

Boosts immunity

Yoga is one of the most effective and time-tested natural immunity boosters. It can help to stimulate the four main physiological systems that are linked to the immune system: the digestive, circulatory, endocrine and nervous systems. Poses that affect at least one of these four systems can help bolster immune function.

Increases blood flow

Like other forms of exercise, yoga gets the blood flowing around your body, improving circulation by transporting more oxygen to your cells, so they function better.

Relaxes your nervous system

Yoga makes you concentrate on the here and now, relaxing both the mind and body. It shifts the balance from the sympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response, to the parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system slows our heart and breathing rates and is both restorative and calming.

Helps you sleep deeper

Studies suggest that regular yoga practice leads to better sleep and can help with insomnia. Yoga breathing techniques can also help you to relax and switch off.

IF YOU SUFFER FROM MIGRAINES, BACKACHE, ARTHRITIS OR OTHER CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS, COUNTLESS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING PAIN

Encourages self-care

Rather than being a passive recipient of care (in the case of conventional medicine), yoga provides you with the tools to make a difference. This gives you the power to effect change; seeing improvements in your health and tuning into the positive changes in your body creates hope and optimism.

Improves self-esteem

Could your self-confidence do with a boost? Practising yoga allows the mind to relax and refocus, so you are less likely to engage in impulsive and unproductive behaviours. One Australian study showed that after a 12-week yoga programme, women who struggled with binge-eating reported improved body image and higher self-esteem.

Releases tension

Do you notice your shoulders hunched over your computer or desk? Or your hands tight around the steering wheel as you drive to work? Unconscious habits can lead to muscle fatigue and chronic tension. Doing yoga can lead to a greater awareness of your body so you will learn how to release this tension.

Workouts to boost your brain

Our brains are capable of some pretty amazing things and are constantly changing in response to our habits and lifestyle. It’s not just our body that loses muscle over time, our brains can weaken, too. A healthy diet and regular exercise are important for brain health. In the same way that working out our bodies and using weights helps us to add lean muscle and retain muscle as we age, regular brain exercises can help increase our brain’s cognitive reserve. Experts call it ‘neurobic exercises’ – cross-training for the brain!

Challenge your memory

If you’re anything like me, you probably rely on your smartphone for most things. Training your memory is really easy and can be done on your daily commute: learn all the lyrics to a song in the car, or memorise the words to a poem on the Tube. Or make yourself do a task from memory, like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or getting dressed in the dark.

Get lingo-happy

Language activities encourage our brains to understand, recognise and remember words. By practising language fluency your brain will be stimulated to remember old words and understand and recognise new words in context. A simple way to do this is to read outside your normal realm; rather than reading the sports section of a newspaper, read the business section, so you are exposed to new words. Learning a second language has also been proven to prevent dementia in later life.