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Alternate Fitness Tools

Whatever the power of running, jogging, walking or any other form of exercise may be, if you prefer some other kind of exercise, there are a number of them available today. Some of them are:

Yoga: Yoga is a science that goes back about 5,000 years which helps purify and stabilize the mind and body with a series of purification processes. It sees man holistically and through a series of postures or asanas, seeks to create flexibility in all parts of the body while also removing toxins in the system. This is complemented by special breathing techniques or pranayam which maximizes the capacity of the lings to increase the circulation and oxygenation of the blood and massage the internal organs to get rid of the toxins in the body.

Ayurveda: This holistic system of health determines your body type and metabolic rate after taking into account your state of mind, body and spirit and emotions, your relations with your environment and the food you eat and whether you are true to your passions and interests in life.

Here, the five elements make up the universe and each of these elements is present in the body, e.g, bones and teeth are earth, or oxygen is air. The elements create the three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which govern the different human traits and functions in the body.

Ayurveda has many therapies for your specific problems and treats each one in a scientific manner.

Aromatherapy: No one knows why the sense of smell is so strongly linked to memory and emotion, but we do know that the sense of smell is in a part of the brain or the limbic area. Aromatherapy or the science of using aromatic components of plants to help heal us or cur us contains essential oils which can re-awaken and stimulate the limbic system.

As we inhale the essential oils, the two hemispheres of the brain come together, while the stimulating essential oils make us feel alert while the sedating oils keep us relaxed and calm. During an aromatherapy massage, we send relaxing messages to the brain. Meanwhile, the hypothalamus receives impulses of safety and harmony and, the body understands that the body and mind are in balance and well. For pain, analgesic oils are used.

Pilates: This is a fitness system that concentrates on the core postural muscles that lend balance to the body and give support to the spine. This school of fitness comprises 500 different exercises and is a method of total body conditioning, stressing on good alignment, precision, concentration, centering, breathing, control, and flowing movement that lend strength, muscle tone, greater flexibility, body awareness and energy, besides mental concentration.

This form of exercise works all the muscle groups of the body, and helps them restore and rebuild any sprained or damaged muscles or soft tissue. It also helps build strength and this is why this form of exercise is popular among many dancers.

These are a few choices before you, if you want to do something different in terms of exercise. The underlying message, of course, is regularity in your choice of exercise, whatever it may be.