Yoga or Workout, Which is Better?

Yoga or workout? If you are also in the same category that has confusion regarding yoga or workout then this article should be able to provide clarity. Workouts and yoga both are essential parts of our lives. Both help us to live a healthy life. However, there is a difference in both as both can have different purposes and results. Before we move ahead I want you to think, why do people go for yoga or workout? Do you have the answer with you now, is it for maintaining fitness? Is it to lose weight? Is it for building muscles and looking good? Is it for good health? is it for mental health? Is it to overcome pain? Is it to get mental peace and strength? Is it to heal? Is it to increase immunity? I hope that now you would have got little clarity and differentiation in purpose for both.

Workouts and exercises are practices in our modern lifestyles to keep ourselves healthy, active, and fit. Unlike childhood, when people used to be active in sports and many extra curriculum activities which involves physical workout, now with age and office lifestyle people do not get enough exercises for body and muscles. This sometimes creates health issues. Small-time allocations for exercise or workout people try to balance this gap.

Purpose of exercise or workout

• It helps in staying healthy and keeping away from lifestyle diseases
• It controls weight gain and helps in reducing weight too
• It increases the strength
• It increases power and stamina
• It increases flexibility in body
• It increases speed
• It helps to overcome pain
• It helps in building muscles and reshaping body

On other hand Yoga is an ancient way to foster harmony in the body, mind, and environment. Yoga professes a complete system of physical, mental, social, and spiritual development.  There are two types of health benefits with yoga practices – mental and physical.

Mental health benefits from yoga:

• Yoga improves mental health and helps in recovering from diseases related to mind like – anxiety, depression, phobia, trauma, sleeping disorder, psychological disorders, and personality disorder.
• Yoga improves concentration.
• It is good for mental peace, brings calmness
• It reduces stress
• It improved memory

Physical health benefits of yoga:

• Lifestyle Diseases – Yoga helps to prevent or overcome lifestyle diseases like – blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, cardio vascular disease, thyroid, hormonal imbalance, constipation etc.
• Immunity – Yoga practice helps to strengthen the immunity in body.
• Respiratory system – Yoga decreases the respiratory rate through a combination of controlled breathing exercises and better fitness.
• Metabolism – Consistent yoga practice helps find the balance and creates a more efficient metabolism
• Healthy Organs – Yoga improves the health of all organs- heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestine, reproduction system, and brain.
• Chronic Pain – It helps to reduce and can cure chronic pain.
• Detoxification – Yoga stimulates the detoxification process within the body. This helps in delayed aging.
• Posture – Yoga improves posture in body which can prevent or cure pain
• Energy – Regular yoga practice provides consistent energy.
• Strength – Since yoga makes one to stay in one pose which may have body weight on particular part or stretches of muscle and vein this can help in increasing the strength in body.
• Stamina – Regular practice of yoga can increase the stamina in body.
• Balance – An integral part of the yoga practice is balance and control over your body.
• Weight – The benefits of a better metabolism along with the exercise of yoga work to keep the weight in check. Additionally, the stretching of muscles longwise helps to reduce the amount of cellulite that can build around muscles.
• Sleep – Because of the many benefits to both body and mind that a yoga routine can provide, yoga helps in good sleep.
• Sexual Health – Yoga can improve sexual health through better control, more relaxation, and more self-confidence.

How to decide among workout and yoga?

Yoga is good for everyone and can be included in daily routine. If practiced correctly this is complete package and solution to all health related issues. A healthy person performing yoga can prevent health issues and person with certain health condition can opt for relevant yoga poses to overcome the disorder. However it doesn’t mean that exercise or workout is not important and can be ignored. Exercises are easier and better options for elderly people and for those having certain critical health conditions in which yoga cannot be good option. Workouts with weight can be helpful to people having profession with physical strength like wrestling, weight lifting, body building, modeling, military personnel, life guard etc jobs. For certain people exercise is better option over yoga. Sports persons, athletes, dancers, performers need to practice exercise which can increase their speed, strength and stamina.

If one can afford adding up yoga along with exercise or workout is much better option as Yoga can take care of mental and internal body health. Also, yoga with meditation can bring positivity, focus and determination to achieve bigger goals.

I hope this article will give you clarity in deciding upon Yoga or workout for your health and personal developments.

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