Some people swear that yoga was the best thing that ever happened to them, while others swear that going to the gym is utterly cathartic. And while some people find comfort in going to the gym and consider it their natural habitat, other people find home on their yoga mat.
The endless debate between doing yoga or going to the gym can feel overwhelming. Both of these regimes have countless mental and physical benefits that you could reap. Remember that you do not have to choose between this or that; combining both yoga and gym can be your sweet spot!
However, if you absolutely have to choose black or white, you have to consider different factors that will be discussed in our article below.
1- The Kind Of Lifestyle You Lead
If you are one of the busy bees, you might consider yoga as a valid option. A yoga session of only 20-30 minutes is more than enough to reap the amazing health benefits of yoga.
All you have to do is roll your yoga mat out and start your session. You can do it from the comfort of your own home at any given time of the day.
However, going to the gym will at least consume one hour of your time. You have the actual driving distance to take into consideration, and the question of “where to park my car”.
Let’s not forget that you have to warm up your muscles before starting the actual physical workout and then you have to stretch at the end of your workout. Not to mention the dreaded drive back home while you are soaking in your sweat.
At some point throughout our lives, we all feel busy and overwhelmed to dedicate a chunk of our time in order to hit the gym.
2- The Goal You Are Aiming For
What’s your initial purpose? Are you aiming to shed more light on your mental health? Are you trying to find any way that could relieve your anxieties and hush the voices in your head?
Do you feel like stress is consuming the best of you? In this case, you might want to consider yoga as your go-to option.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and it has been scientifically proven to enhance mental health and reduce stress levels. Although you can think of yoga as a workout for the mind and soul, it is also beneficial for your body. Yoga regulates your heartbeat, increases your flexibility, and moves your body in a gentle way.
Nevertheless, if your goal is to improve your physical health, tone your body, build body mass, and enhance your physique? Then the gym is the perfect place for you to do that. It’s also worth mentioning that working out also enhances your mental health because it kicks out the hormone oxytocin, aka the stress hormones, from your body.
3- The State Of Your Physical Health
If you suffer from a chronic type of pain, such as back pain or muscle damage, it’s best to adopt yoga as your form of exercise. Going to the gym might end up harming your body more than benefiting it.
It can actually be quite dangerous to do rigorous forms of exercise if you already suffer from chronic pain; you do not want to put a certain amount of stress on your muscles because you will end up hurting yourself. Unless your doctor advises it, it’s better to practice a more gentle form of exercise such as yoga.
Moreover, if you consider yourself not fairly active, then it’s better to start off slow and then build from there. Your muscles are probably in rest mode and you do not want to wake them up with rigorous forms of exercise all of a sudden.
However, if you are moderately active and you’re looking for more ways to build your physique, the gym is the perfect place for you to do that!
4- What Your Budget Looks Like
We tend to underestimate the cruelty of our world and sometimes fail to understand that some people cannot simply afford to go to the gym. For some of us, these few dollars make all the difference.
To begin with, you need to pay for a monthly gym membership. You also have to purchase appropriate gym outfits because it can actually be dangerous to play in certain types of clothes.
For instance, loose pants might get stuck in the bicycle pedal and cause serious bodily damage. Or you could end up tripping and falling on your face.
Not to mention, not all people enjoy the privilege of driving a car; some people live their entire lives without owning a car. Sometimes, your gym cannot be within walking distance and sometimes you can’t take other forms of transportation for different kinds of reasons.
In this case scenario, yoga might be your answer. All you have to do is purchase a yoga mat and find a small space on the floor to do your session. You only have to purchase it once and you can pretty much find low-priced mats anywhere!
They Both Teach You Discipline, Commitment, and Resilience
Committing to any type of exercise will train you to become more disciplined. It takes physical and mental effort to dedicate a certain amount of time to do any of these exercises.
Whether you choose yoga or the gym, you will reap tremendous amounts of benefits and the dedication you put into it will eventually pay off.
Yoga puts you at ease and creates this inner peace that will calm the heaviest storms within. And the gym will teach you to become this resilient beast that can stand in the face of anything.