Nicole Brar

Fitness Instructor & Nutritionist

5 Reasons To Add Yoga To Your Fitness Routine

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As a fitness instructor and nutritionist, I am always encouraging my clients to explore new workout routines and activities that can benefit their overall health and well-being. Yoga is one such practice that has been gaining popularity in recent years and for good reason. 

woman stretching on a yoga mat

5 Benefits of Yoga Exercise

Here are 5 reasons why you should add yoga to your fitness routine:

Improved Flexibility and Balance

Yoga involves a variety of poses and movements that can help improve flexibility and balance. By regularly practicing yoga, you can increase your range of motion, reduce stiffness, and develop better balance and stability, which can help prevent falls and injuries.

Stress Reduction and Relaxation

One of the most well-known benefits of yoga is its ability to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Yoga combines physical movement with breathing exercises and meditation, which can help calm the mind and reduce anxiety. Regular practice can help improve your overall mood and sense of well-being.

Increased Strength and Endurance

While yoga is often associated with relaxation, it can also be a great workout for building strength and endurance. Many yoga poses require you to hold your body in a static position, which can help build muscle strength and endurance over time.

Improved Breathing

Breathing is an important part of yoga practice, and learning to breathe deeply and mindfully can have a range of benefits for your health. Deep breathing can help improve lung capacity, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure.

Variety and Fun

If you’re looking to add some variety to your fitness routine, yoga can be a great option. There are many different styles of yoga to choose from, each with its own unique benefits and challenges. Plus, practicing yoga can be a fun and enjoyable way to stay active and engaged in your fitness journey.

Conclusion: Starting A Yoga Practice

Overall, yoga is a versatile and beneficial practice that can help improve your physical and mental health in a variety of ways. If you’re new to yoga, consider taking a class or finding a video tutorial online to get started. With regular practice, you may be surprised at how much of a difference it can make in your overall well-being.

Why Virtual Reality Fitness is the Future of Exercise

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Virtual reality (VR) has become increasingly popular over the past few years, with applications ranging from gaming to education. However, one area that has seen significant growth is the virtual reality fitness industry. This innovative new approach to fitness has been gaining momentum, and for good reason. In this blog post, we’ll explore why virtual reality fitness is the future of exercise and how it can benefit you.

What Are The Benefits Of VR Fitness?

Make Your Workouts Fun

One of the most significant advantages of virtual reality fitness is that it offers an immersive and engaging workout experience. With VR technology, you can enter a virtual world where you can explore new environments and participate in activities that you may not have access to in real life. This allows you to break the monotony of traditional workouts and stay motivated to exercise regularly.

Customization Options

Another key benefit of virtual reality fitness is that it can provide a low-impact and customizable workout experience. VR technology allows you to adjust the intensity and duration of your workouts based on your fitness level and preferences. Additionally, virtual reality workouts can be designed to target specific areas of the body, making them an excellent option for individuals with injuries or physical limitations.

Community & Accountability

Furthermore, virtual reality fitness can provide a social and community-driven workout experience. Many VR fitness programs offer multiplayer options, allowing you to connect and compete with other users from around the world. This can help you stay accountable to your fitness goals while also providing an opportunity to meet new people and build relationships with like-minded individuals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, virtual reality fitness is an exciting and innovative new approach to exercise that is changing the fitness industry. With its immersive and engaging workout experience, customizable options, and social benefits, it’s no wonder that more and more people are incorporating virtual reality into their fitness routines. So why not give it a try and see how it can benefit you?

Nicole Brar is a certified yoga instructor, fitness enthusiast, and wellness coach. She is passionate about helping people live healthy and active lifestyles through her expertise in fitness, nutrition, and holistic wellness. On her website, she shares her knowledge and experience to inspire others to prioritize their health and well-being.

6 Habits For Staying Fit & Healthy

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Your health is everything, and it is so important to take care of it. You only get one body, after all! No matter where you are on your fitness journey, incorporating some key habits will help ensure your health in the long run.

Nicole Brar has worked as a fitness instructor in her local area for more than 15 years and is passionate about exercise and nutrition. Today she shares her top 10 habits for staying healthy.

  1. Incorporate exercise in a way that is sustainable for you. Especially if you are trying to lose fat, you need to exercise in a way that you can maintain. If you exercise a lot to lose weight, then stop exercising as much, and the weight will come back. 
  2. Drink plenty of water. Our bodies are 70% water, and it is so important to drink enough of it. Most people only reach for water when they are really thirsty. 
  3. Walk whenever possible. Many people are used to driving their cars everywhere but try to think of some ways you can take more steps. Park farther away from the grocery store or even just take a walk around the block every day.
  4. Improve your cooking skills! One of the best ways to get more nutrition into your diet is to skip the takeout and cook at home. Plus, you can change up the recipes to your personal taste. 
  5. Do a combination of cardio and weight training. If you are looking to lose fat, cardio burns a lot of calories, but weight training helps your body burn more calories in general. 
  6. Remind yourself that anything is better than nothing. If the only thing you can manage to do today is a 10-minute workout, do it, and congratulate yourself for it.

How Often Should You Be Doing Yoga?

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group of women lying on yoga matt under blue sky

Many people who start taking yoga classes find that they really enjoy the practice and want to incorporate it more into their daily lives. It provides deep relaxation and is an amazing way to stay fit and healthy. But how often should you really be doing yoga? Some people do yoga every single day, but as a beginner, you want to make sure you don’t over-exert yourself.

As a virtual reality fitness and yoga instructor, Nicole Brar teaches all branches of yoga, including hatha, bhakti, jana and hot yoga. Read on to learn more about how often you should be practicing yoga each week.

How often you should practice yoga depends on the style of yoga and your current fitness level. If you are new to yoga, you may be surprised at just how much it works out your muscles. Beginners may find that they can only do one session a week at first and slowly add in more sessions throughout the week.

It also depends on what other physical activities you do outside of yoga. If you are really active at the gym, you probably don’t need to do really intense yoga sessions every day.

Some styles of yoga are more physically demanding than others. It is perfectly fine to do yoga every day if you want to. Just make sure that one or two days a week is more relaxed. Yoga is all about listening to your body, so don’t push yourself harder than you can handle. Yes, yoga can be a really intense workout, but it doesn’t have to be all the time. It’s also about meditation and relaxation.

5 Beginner Yoga Tips

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5 beginner yoga tips nicole brar

Starting a yoga practice is an amazing way to exercise your body, improve your overall fitness, and have some quality ‘you’ time. When you first begin yoga, it can be really intimidating, especially when you see other people getting into crazy poses. Fear not, because everyone starts their yoga journey somewhere.

As a fitness instructor and nutritionist, Nicole Brar is on a mission to help people achieve their health and fitness goals. She provides instruction in all branches of yoga, including hatha, bhakti, jana and hot yoga. Today she shares 5 yoga tips for beginners. 

  1. Find a good yoga instructor. Yes, it is true that there are a lot of great online tutorials, but going to an in-person class is really valuable because an instructor can correct your posture if you’re not quite in the right position (which is common for beginners).
  2. You don’t necessarily need to take a “beginner” specific class. Pretty much any position in yoga can be modified to suit whatever level you are at, including if you have certain physical limitations. If you’re worried, just talk to your instructor about it.
  3. Let go of your expectations, and start exactly where you are. It is perfectly fine if you can’t touch your toes or do the super intense version of the poses. What really matters with yoga is being able to connect with your body.
  4. Make sure you have the right equipment. All you really need to practice yoga is a non-slip mat, comfortable clothes, and maybe some straps, blankets, and blocks. Depending on where you take your yoga class, these things may be provided for you. 
  5. Take it slow and don’t try to rush. Yoga is as much about meditation and mindfulness as it is about exercise.