Yoga Mats, Your Diet and You

Sometimes we fall prey to the lure of a second round of drinks. Sometimes the carb-loaded bagel smothered with fatty cream cheese that your co-worker brought into the office just won’t be denied. You know that once you’ve tasted the delight of certain foods, it is hard to push them away when they’re just sitting there for the taking. Fortunately, there is a way to build your willpower and better equip yourself for those moments of temptation: yoga.  Yes, yoga. Skeptical? Keep reading.

While we already understand how yoga provides an abundance of benefits, from strengthening and toning our muscles to giving us greater flexibility, you may be surprised to learn yoga also helps us improve our willpower when we must stare down unhealthy food temptations.

A thorough study with several hundred adults determined that people who practiced yoga regularly had developed stronger willpower when it came to their eating habits. The basic concept is that the act of performing yoga exercises the discipline muscle, making those willpower moments a little more successful.

Yoga requires particpants to exercise a strict focus on their bodies and their breathing. The theory is that this increased mind body awareness also helps develop a more confident mind body awareness when making decisions about food. This mind body awareness can do wonders for developing your ability to maintain diet discipline regardless of the specific diet you’re using.  

If you’re new to yoga and you’re contemplating this willpower-boosting discipline, the first thing you need is an appropriate exercise mat. Exercise mats provide the right balance of support and cushioning to give you leverage for precisely holding your poses while supporting you to help prevent injury.

Despite all the great yoga DVDs out there, I strongly recommend attending a couple of yoga classes in-person when you first start.  Not only will you get an better idea which exercise mats work best for your body, but those yoga mats will generally be freely available at the facility of the lesson.  

Perhaps more importantly, the instructor can help make sure you are performing the poses properly. Even with a clear video, it may be challenging to tell whether we’re holding a pose correctly without someone else watching and helping us make simple adjustments.  After you know which yoga mats you prefer and you have a good grasp on the primary poses, you can start doing your yoga at home.