These days, everyone from athletes to your coworkers have been chasing their om — and for good reason. It’s meditative, spiritual, and can be physically and mentally transformative. But even as an exercise modality, yoga still has a stigma of being slow, easy, and low-impact. This is where hot yoga comes in.

It’s basically just like regular yoga, but you’ll be made to sweat more. This is because the practice is done in a hot and humid room so that your heart, muscles, and lungs can get the most out of your workout.

Now you might be thinking, “It’s the middle of summer. Why would I want to sweat buckets in a yoga room if I can just do it outside?”

 

Well, there are actually a lot of ways that you can benefit from hot yoga. When done properly and practiced safely, you can reap the following benefits from hot yoga and more:

The benefits of hot yoga 

1. For better range of motion

Just think about your last exercise. Remember how you were able to go deeper into your stretches after your muscles have warmed up? Doing yoga in a temperature-controlled room can help you with just this: deep stretching and bending to your full range of motion.

After regular hot yoga practice, you’ll likely notice more flexibility and ease in doing “difficult” poses.

2. For stress reduction

Much like regular yoga, hot yoga can ease stress, depression and help with headaches too. But what’s even better is that you get to sweat more toxins and heavy metals away as you do it.

3. For faster calorie-burn

If you’re looking to lose weight, hot yoga can help you with this goal too.

See, the hotter conditions will encourage your heart to pump faster and you to sweat more. In short, it will make your body work harder than it normally would. This will in turn signal your body to burn more calories than you would in a regular yoga routine.

4. For a healthier heart

As mentioned, the heat can be a bit more challenging to your heart. It forces your organ to work harder and pump faster, which makes hot yoga a great practice for those who want to kick start their cardiovascular health.

Just how fast can your heart rate go in a hot yoga session exactly? Studies have found that a session can work your heart the same way a brisk walk or a slow jog would.

8. For better skin

Want that healthy, rosy glow without the cosmetic assistance? Hot yoga can help you look and feel healthier after just a few sessions. It helps boost your circulation to lend you healthier and more nourished-looking skin.

The takeaway

Love yoga, but want to try a more intense form of exercise this summer? Hot yoga takes you through the same movement and flow  as regular yoga — but with a whole lot more sweating.

Just be sure to drink plenty of water and bring a change of clothes when you do decide to try this popular new exercise.

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As the first weeks of spring approach it is time to prepare yard clean up for summer. Spring is the time when we throw off the long dark nights and chilly days of winter and prepare to welcome family and friends to our homes to celebrate the promise of another season spent out of doors in the fresh air. One of the favorite ways to really get the most out of those Spring days is to fire up the barbecue, make a potato salad, perhaps some corn on the cob and settle down to a day of fun and laughter in the yard. There can be very few things as gratifying as the smell of the fresh grass and the sounds of lively conversation with the smells of the barbecue wafting over that immaculate yard.

However, prior to calling those near and dear and inviting them over for a day of fun in the sun the homeowner is going to have to take a critical look at their yard – which may have suffered a little over the winter months. Once that evaluation is complete it is time to get stuck into that essential part of preparing for the lazy days of Spring and Summer – the yard cleanup.

If you want to make yard cleanup as efficient and painless as possible there are some simple hints and tips that can take the pain out of the process.

Here are some easy to follow yard clean up guidelines:

1. Start with the Basics.

It may not be the most fun in the world but you are going to have to clean up the debris that winter has deposited on the lawn and in your flower beds. Dead leaves, twigs and assorted other debris are the perfect breeding ground for pests. Do it as soon as possible before the pest problem gets out of control.

2. Beware the Branches.

Winter has a nasty habit of weakening branches in large trees. This is especially true in regions where heavy snow has fallen during the colder months. A tree branch may appear healthy – but actually be a disaster waiting to happen. Trim those branches way back in order to avoid trouble.

3. Remove those Leaves from Last Fall

Now that the frost is gone and its time to begin the yard clean up, now pull out the trusty leaf blower to remove old dried leaves and debris. In case its time for a new battery operated model, you might want to head over and check out this article Dewalt DCBL720P1 20V Max 5.0 Ah Lithium Ion XR Brushless Blower Review

4. Get to the Gutters.

Winter will almost inevitably leave the gutters full of dead leaves. Spring is the ideal time to deal with the problem. If you are living in a region that has summer rainfall then cleaning the gutters is an absolute must. Ignoring this task means risking damage to the home and a potentially expensive cleanup and repair exercise caused by water damage.

5. Lawn Care.

You want those who will be attending that first Spring barbecue to really enjoy themselves – so so you want the surroundings to look their best. This includes the lawn which may have suffered a little during the cold months of winter. Spring is the perfect time to take a long hard look at the yard and lawn. Perhaps apply some appropriate fertilizer in order to ensure that the yard lawn has a running start when it comes to looking great when summer rolls around.

6. Start Planting.

You’ve cleared the flowerbeds and now it might be time to sow and plant in order to make sure that when the first day of summer does arrive your beds are looking their best.

7. Hands on Deck.

If you have a deck overlooking the yard is a good bet that it’s where you will be entertaining in the warmer months.

After the chill nights and rains of winter (snow perhaps as well) it might be a good idea to strip and reseal the deck as well as take a good long hard look at any repair work that has to be done.

Yard clean up need not be an absolute pain. Get the right tools and cultivate the right attitude with some planning and you will be surprised at the results – and have a renewed sense of pride in your yard, as well as looking forward to that first barbecue in the sun.

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