Yoga benefits

Improved flexibility – Your muscles become more supple, flexible and lengthen.

Strength – Helping you move, balance and protect your bones and joints from impact, injury or fall.

Healthy joints – Increasing strength and reducing the onset of arthritis and degenerative disease.

Healthy bones – Retaining bone density and avoiding osteoporosis.

Weight loss – Yoga can be a very vigorous way to exercise where you can expend a lot of energy.

Stress less – Also lowering blood pressure and reducing the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

Improved circulation – Yoga will get your heart working more efficiently.

Improved mental health – Reduced depression and more serotonin, the happy hormone.

High protein

High protein and low carbohydrate “dieting” has been a buzz in the fitness and nutrition space for some time now. However, it is important that we realise the implications of such eating patterns and most preferably, get ourselves back on track towards a healthy, balanced diet.

As a general rule, your body needs 1 gm of protein per day, per kilogram of bodyweight. For fitness enthusiasts and more active people, this number might be closer to 1.5 gm. For those looking for muscle gain or interested in body building, the number would peak at 2 gm.  Excess consumption of protein is wasted. It also puts unnecessary stress on the liver and digestive processes, inhibits fat loss and may lead to dehydration.

It is important to get this one right – protein supplementation should only be used when there is a deficiency in the recommended daily intake for the individual and their objective.

Low carbs

A high protein and low carbohydrate diet may in some cases lead to a reduction in scale weight (unfortunately what some people like to see) but this comes at a cost.  Carbohydrates are the bodies preferred source of energy and are a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. When you limit this energy source, the body will turn to its next best source of fuel, your muscles, potentially resulting in a loss of lean muscle which is counterproductive.

Your digestive processing may also become more complicated, and you miss out on all the benefits and health requirements associated with a proper balance of vitamin and mineral intake.

The best advice on carbohydrate consumption is to limit the portion sizes of starchy carbohydrates like pasta, rice and bread, as well as limit the intake of simple sugars.