I’m going to take my first hot yoga class tonight and I’m incredibly excited. I’m looking forward to learning more about yoga. Like you said, I think it will build my strength, increase flexibility and will be a great alternative to running (especially when I’m injured). Be on the lookout for a post about yoga soon.

Thanks so much for reading.

I personally think that yoga is a great idea both in conjunction with your running routine, and during the times when you are unable to run (such as when you have an injury). I’ve been doing a yoga routine twice daily (once in the morning and once before bed) for almost a year now, and the health benefits I’ve received from it are vast. Originally, I began doing yoga only because I wanted to increase my flexibility and muscle strength, but it has done much more than that for me. It warms up my body, has tremendously increased my strength, and helps to heal my sore muscles. Also, I find that I’m able to sleep better at night when I stick to my yoga routine, and have better concentration for other tasks. If you live near a college, they often have free or very inexpensive yoga classes. At my college, they only charge $2 for non-students.

Good luck and I hope your knee heals up

It’s funny you ask because I’m working on a more in-depth post about working out and motivation. For me the key is making the time to take care of my body. If you want to lose weight or get in better shape, start moving everyday and eat fresh foods. Zen Habits has a great post on simplicity and fitness.

Thanks for reading Marci!

@Hayden – I’m looking into a few pool options here in Sacramento. Unfortunately all the public pools (near my apartment) close during the winter. I have seriously thought about moving back to Davis so that I can swim with the masters team again. Before we moved to Sac, swimming with the team was a huge part of my life. Giving that up was hard. So I focused more of my energies on running. But with running, I tend to get more injuries. It’s funny you mention floating in the water. There were a few of us on the team that used to do the same thing after hard workouts. It was the best and so relaxing. Swimming is like meditation for me. I need to find a pool! Hugs to you.

@Pete – Cool! I’ll have to check out McDougall’s book. I’m not sure if I could go barefoot and I have no idea what vibram 5 is. LOL. I’ll have to do some research on this concept tonight. I’m hoping the book will be in the library, if not I’ll bike out to Borders this weekend and buy it.