The key is to balance

Yoga is one of my favorite exercises. It is the perfect mixture of strength, stretching, and balance. I have always been an active person, but most recently I have started working out four or five times a week. In my workouts, I focus on strength training more than cardio or anything else. It was working wonders for me, but I slowly began to realize that my joints were always hurting. I was always feeling soreness in my body and joints. My boyfriend was actually the one who explained to me just how important stretching is.



                                          


Stretching is actually super important. Stretching helps to keep your joints and muscles function in their full range of motion. It also helps prevent injuries like tears, rips, and overall soreness. It keeps your muscles young and happy :)

Yoga is by far, my favorite way to incorporate stretching into my workout routine. When I first started doing yoga, I could barely touch my toes. The workout helps you slowly and less painfully ease your muscles into a flexible state. The instructors remind you to breathe into the stretch and focus your mind on your breathing. It makes a world of a difference.

I am in college, and being a college student without a steady paycheck, I do not like to pay for my workouts. Luckily, a lot of my favorite yoga instructors that I follow on Instagram, will post full yoga workouts on Youtube. It makes me love the fitness influencers that I follow. They help me save money and still get the results that I want. I also use the P90X yoga workout for more of a strength workout, but they use social media to advertise as well.

Water: the least expensive weight loss agent on the market

I am sure that you have heard, "drinking more water can help you lose weight." But most of us think that is a hoax. Drinking water is way too easy and inexpensive. It cannot be that easy! It really is, though.

                                       

When your body is even slightly dehydrated, all of your body's processes slow down, including your metabolism. Even though it is only temporary, you could be burning more calories just by staying hydrated. Also, the act of drinking water forces your metabolism to increase, because your body has to process and place all of the water you drink. Water can make you feel fuller, more energized, It is as easy as drinking water, literally.


Dehydration can cause side effects that you wouldn't even think to attribute to a lack of water. It causes:

• Irritability
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fast breathing
• Rapid heartbeat

(Mayo Clinic)

I think that sometimes people get caught up buying crazy teas, pills, workout cds and forget to go back to the basics. A lot of that is due to the rise in healthy lifestyle bloggers on social media. Sometimes bloggers sell products that they believe in, but sometimes they are selling products to get a paycheck. Be careful when choosing weight loss agents, because some of them can be dangerous. Do you research, but more importantly, stay hydrated!

So why not be happy, feel great, and lose weight the easiest way possible? Drink water!