You may have noticed how before you start your workouts, depending on how high impact it is, trainers and fitness professionals often urge people to do stretches. These may seem unnecessary, but they play an important role in ensuring your body does not get injured. While there are many stretches you can do, doing yoga may be the best way to ensure your whole body is relaxed and ready for the intense workout, whether it is strength training, running, martial arts etc.

Many people do yoga before these sports. It is a great routine, not just to ensure you don't experience things like muscle spasms, cramps or pulled muscles, but many people also use this time to prepare themselves mentally as well. Yoga helps them focus and redirect their energies properly. These poses can warm up your muscles, increase your flexibility, and prepare your body for the intense movements to come. This can lead to a more effective workout and may help prevent injuries.

Why Yoga Helps Before Intense Exercise

Workouts like running or jumping are tough on your joints and muscles. Yoga helps by gently stretching and strengthening your body. This makes it more prepared for those tough moves. Yoga also helps your joints move more easily and wakes up important muscles, giving you a better base for your workout. Here are some poses you can do as a pre-workout session.

Downward-Facing Dog

This pose stretches your entire body, from your hands to your feet. It's especially good for lengthening the back of your legs (hamstrings) and your calves. It helps wake up your whole body and get it ready for movement.

Low Lunge

This pose is excellent for opening up your hips. It also provides a deep stretch to the front of your thighs and hip flexors. Doing this helps improve flexibility in areas often tight from sitting, preparing you for dynamic movements.

Cat-Cow Pose

This gentle movement is fantastic for warming up your spine. It involves arching and rounding your back, which makes your spine more flexible and gets blood flowing. This helps prepare your back for any impacts during your workout.

Plank Pose

This pose is all about building strength in your core muscles. A strong core is super important for keeping your body stable and balanced, especially during tough, high-impact moves like jumping or running. It helps you stay steady and powerful.

Warrior II

This pose helps make your legs and core stronger while also opening your hips. It improves your balance, which is key for many high-impact activities. Standing strong in this pose builds stability and confidence for your workout.

Triangle Pose

This pose stretches the back of your legs (hamstrings) and your inner thighs (groin). At the same time, it helps strengthen your legs and core. It's great for improving flexibility and stability before demanding exercises.

Bridge Pose

This pose works on strengthening your back muscles, your glutes (butt muscles), and the back of your thighs (hamstrings). It also helps open up your chest, making it easier to breathe deeply during your workout.

Reclined Spinal Twist

This pose is a gentle way to stretch your spine and release any tension in your back. It helps loosen up your core and hips. Doing this can improve your body's overall readiness and comfort for exercise.

After a long day of work, the best way to wind-down is by resting on your bed. However, many people still struggle to fall asleep, regardless of how tired they are. It could be because they are too stressed, anxious or experiencing an imbalanced circadian rhythm, which means their body clock makes it difficult for them to fall asleep at night.

Practicing yoga before bed can be an excellent way to let go of daily stress, both mental and physical, preparing you for a night of peaceful, deep sleep. Adding a gentle yoga routine to your evening can significantly improve how well and how long you sleep. This is especially helpful for those who sleep lightly, struggle with insomnia, or have limited time for rest.

Before You Start Your Bedtime Yoga

There are very few downsides to doing yoga before bed, as long as you practice safely. If even gentle movements seem to make you feel more awake, you might prefer meditation or breathing exercises instead. Your body might feel more flexible later in the day, so be sure to use your muscle strength to support your stretches and avoid pushing too hard. Always talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise, especially if you have health concerns or injuries.

Legs-up-the-Wall

Sit with one side against a wall, then swing your legs up the wall as you lie on your back, getting your hips close to the wall. Rest your arms comfortably. Focus on your breath and let go of tension. Hold for up to 5 minutes.

Reclined Butterfly

From a seated position, press the soles of your feet together and let your knees open out to the sides. Lie down on your back with your hands in a comfortable position. This calming pose helps quiet your nervous system and reduce stress. Hold for up to 5 minutes.

Child's Pose

Starting from a tabletop position, gently sink your hips back towards your heels. You can keep your knees together or wide apart. Let your chest relax onto your thighs and release any tension in your spine. This pose is relaxing and stretches your spine. Stay for up to 5 minutes.

Corpse Pose

This restorative pose is typically done at the end of your practice. Lie on your mat or bed with your feet slightly wider than your hips. Align your head, neck, and spine. Focus on your breath as you completely relax your body, allowing it to feel heavy. Stay in this position for up to 15 minutes.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra is a guided meditation that helps improve sleep, reduce stress, and promote deep relaxation. You lie down, breathe deeply, and follow verbal instructions that calm your mind and release tension throughout your body.

Walking is the simplest form of exercise. While it is something that we are genetically designed to do, there has been debate on its efficiency as a full-fledged form of exercise. In the latest development, scientists in Japan have taken this activity and supercharged it into a research-backed, age-defying fitness routine that's going viral across the world. Called Interval Walking Training (IWT), its health benefits have not stunned even the most dedicated gym goers.

So What Exactly IS Interval Walking Training?

Developed by exercise physiologist Dr. Hiroshi Nose, this method alternates between three minutes of brisk walking and three minutes of easy pacing, repeated five times in a 30-minute session. As per its creators, it is all about small bursts of energy. The results? A fitter heart, stronger legs, and even a shot at turning back the biological clock.

How Is It Different From Regular Walking?

Most people associate High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with gruelling sprints or gasping for air on a spin bike. But IWT flips the idea by using something as accessible as walking. And yet, this deceptively gentle routine does more for your metabolism, cardiovascular health, and fat burn than hours of slow-paced activity.

The technique has a empirical backing too. Scientific trials in Japan have shown that those who practised this method four times a week for three months saw measurable improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and even muscle strength. One 68-year-old participant had his heart rate shoot up to 130 bpm during the fast intervals — a pace comparable to moderate cycling.

Can It Reverse Ageing?

The creator of this walking method, Dr. Nose, even claims that consistent IWT participants improved their aerobic power and thigh muscle strength by 20% — enough to make you feel ten years younger. For many, symptoms of lifestyle diseases like hypertension and obesity dropped significantly, and depression scores were halved.

Why Does Japanese Walking Work So Well?

It is all in the timing and intensity. During fast-paced intervals, your body taps into glycogen stores and increases oxygen demand, triggering a cascade of metabolic benefits. The alternation between effort and recovery mimics the rhythm of elite athlete training, just with lower impact, making it ideal for seniors, beginners, or anyone recovering from a sedentary slump.

This burst-and-breathe pattern revs up your heart rate, challenges muscle coordination, and improves balance, especially in older adults. The circulation boost helps detoxify organs, enhance nutrient absorption, and sharpen mental clarity, making it not just a physical workout but a rejuvenating full-body experience.

Variations For Every Lifestyle

Want to take it up a notch? Add light weights to your walk to tone muscles and increase calorie burn. Want to spice things up indoors? Try zig-zag paths, backwards walks, or figure-8 routes to engage underused muscles and keep your mind focused. These patterns not only improve neuromuscular coordination but also keep boredom at bay. So the next time you’re thinking of skipping your workout, remember: A smarter walk could be your shortcut to a longer, stronger, and more balanced life.

Yoga plays a very important role for our health- It not only helps us strengthen our body, but it also increases our endurance and mental tenacity. It is an ancient practice that involves asanas, breathing exercises as well as meditation. It has become very popular in recent years as people learn about its accessibility as well as the benefits of doing it. Other aspects of yoga include increasing organ capacity like strengthening your lungs.

How Yoga Increases Lung Capacity

A 2015 study published in the International Journal of Yoga people with heart conditions like coronary artery disease (CAD) often have weaker lungs. We did a study to see if yoga, including breathing exercises (Pranayama), could help. We split 80 heart patients into two groups: one did yoga for three months along with their usual medicine, and the other just took medicine.

The results showed that the yoga group had better lung function and even improved heart health, like lower blood pressure. This means yoga can be a helpful extra treatment for people with heart disease.

According to the American Lung Association, Yoga is a great gentle exercise that combines physical poses (called asana) with breathing exercises (called pranayama). Both parts help keep your body and mind healthy.

Doing basic yoga poses can boost your energy and strengthen muscles, but don't push yourself if it feels uncomfortable. If you're new to yoga, especially if you have lung disease, take it easy and avoid any poses that make it hard to breathe. Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise, including yoga. If you join a yoga class, make sure the teacher is qualified and understands your specific needs. Many classes are designed for people with health conditions.

Yoga Poses That Strengthen Our Lungs

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

This gentle pose involves arching your back like a cobra. It helps to open up your chest and makes your spine stronger. By expanding your rib cage, it allows you to take deeper breaths, which is great for your lungs.

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

In this pose, you lift both your chest and legs like a bow. It deeply stretches the front of your body, including your chest and belly. This helps your lungs become more flexible and can make breathing easier if you have issues.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This pose involves arching your back and reaching for your heels. It strongly opens your chest and throat area, which gets your breathing system going. It encourages full, big breaths and can help clear out your air passages.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

This is a seated twisting pose. It gently squeezes and then releases your insides, which helps blood flow around your lungs. This pose can improve how well you control your breath and helps to clean out your breathing system.

Pranayama

This isn't just one pose, but a group of special breathing exercises. Techniques like breathing through one nostril at a time or taking deep belly breaths directly improve how your lungs work, helping you take in more oxygen and feel calmer.

Revolved Side Angle Pose

This standing twist stretches the muscles between your ribs. This makes your chest more flexible, allowing for deeper breaths when you inhale. It's a great way to improve your lung capacity and make breathing more efficient.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

In this pose, you lift your hips off the ground, forming a bridge shape. It gently opens your chest and stretches the front of your body. This pose can help ease chest stuffiness and make it simpler to breathe.