Hello from New York!!

[nuyorkgurl]

Hi everyone!

I just discovered this group a few days ago when one of my crossfit-obsessed friends posted a link to Spezzy's story from the CrossFit Relentless blog on his facebook wall.

I've never had a weight problem, but I've definitely had FITNESS problems. Meaning, I have always been small... but for most of my life, I fell into that "skinny-fat" category, which consists of skinny girls who have no muscle, definition... or strength! Ugh. I'd always enjoyed working out, but just couldn't stick to anything consistently... I was always on and off. Enter yoga.

I know a lot of people don't consider it fitness, but for me, yoga nurtured a part of me I never knew existed - for the first time, I was doing something consistently, loving it, and seeing amazing results! But now I feel I'm ready to do more than just yoga. I'd love your help and encouragement... but if any of you guys are interested in adding yoga to your current workouts, let me know and I'll help you get started!

Excited to be here.

[ebm1224]

welcome to the community!

[ETFnerd]

Welcome aboard!

[Optimus Prime]

I know a few people who have had great results with yoga. A friend of mine is really into Bikram yoga in particular. She's gotten into amazing shape doing it, to the point where she has two kids in their teens and you would think she was their older sister if you met her.

Welcome to the forums.

[nuyorkgurl]

Thanks for the welcome! Love the story about your friend - hopefully that's my reality after the 6 kids I plan on having (JK... kind of). But I actually hesitate to recommend Bikram (hot yoga) to newbies. Especially for newbies like you all who have tight muscles from lifting and hard-core workouts.

The reason is that the heated environment of a Bikram class allows your muscles to cheat. After a few minutes in the heated room, you feel like you can do anything because your muscles are so loose and you're suddenly flexible. So you end up doing things your body isn't really ready for, increasing the likelihood of injury. Regular, unheated yoga ( I do Vinyasa flow) also creates heat - but you create that heat on your own. The heat comes from within... which is one of the larger lessons of yoga (all comes from within). But your body, instead of being lulled asleep by overheating, remains alert - telling you when to stop or push further. Yoga builds body awareness - which is why it's so great for all athletes and is an excellent way to avoid injury. The different asanas (poses) allow you to connect with parts of your body you've never paid attention to - a few days ago, I found myself thinking "wow, my toes are strong". WHAT??? It's about listening to, feeling, and appreciating every cell, muscle, and bone.

So, ummm.... yeah. Not a big fan of bikram. Lecture over! But definitely appreciate the welcome!!

The nerd-alerts might have just gone of, but whatevs.