People who have known me for a long time, know that I am very health-conscious and a bit of a fitness nut. In my early 20's I was a personal trainer, fitness nutritionist and semi-competitive body-builder. Nowadays I keep it down to running up to 8 miles a day and light-weight circuit training a few days a week. I've always enjoyed yoga on occasion and pilates has me quite intrigued. If only I could find a good pilates place in my area! Recently I discovered Bikram's yoga and I will never go back! For those who don't know what Bikram's Yoga is, it's mostly 'stretching' and 'compressing' muscles and joints in a room that is 106 degrees Fahrenheit at about 60% humidity. VERY hot! I go everyday for 90 minutes and it's amazing! Not only am I seeing definition in my legs, arms and shoulders, I'm also a lot more flexible. I'm very calm and relaxed throughout the day. I crave healthy food and not junk like I usually do. I've had lower back pain for quite some time and within a month it has completely disappeared! Even the aches in my shoulders from carrying all my equipment are gone! To top it off, I've lost a few pounds and several inches around my waist, hips and thighs. The biggest payoff for me however is the sense of peace and calm that I feel on a regular basis since starting Bikram's yoga. I'm more aware of my breathing which has allowed my mind (and those racing thoughts in my head) to become quieter. I LOVE hot yoga!
