{"id":47144,"date":"2018-04-17T06:05:26","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T10:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=47144"},"modified":"2018-04-18T16:58:05","modified_gmt":"2018-04-18T20:58:05","slug":"its-all-about-balance-fitting-fun-and-exercise-in-to-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/its-all-about-balance-fitting-fun-and-exercise-in-to-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s all about balance: fitting fun and exercise in to your life"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know you should do it but there’s work to do and activities to get the kids to, home improvements and taxes that need your attention, snow to shovel (again<\/em>…c’mon spring!), and you don’t even want to know what the cat did in the corner.<\/p>\n

Forget being a priority\u2014me time isn’t even on the list. But in just an hour a week, you can recharge and be prepared to do battle with whatever life throws your way. Here are a few suggestions that you can find in the Spring\/Summer Leisure Guide from the Town of Huntsville that we tried out on your behalf (you’re welcome).<\/p>\n

Ohmmmm my goodness, this feels good<\/h6>\n

You take a deep breath and move into a new position. The surface under your feet holds, belying what your eyes want to tell you. You settle in and feel the stretch. You even close your eyes for a moment, trusting your feet to stay rooted where they are. There is no accompanying splash to indicate you’ve lost your balance and you smile. This feels good.<\/p>\n

Welcome to aqua yoga.<\/p>\n

Taking to the water for a few asanas isn’t quite the same as what you’ll experience in a yoga studio. The poses are familiar but thanks to the slight imbalance created by being on the water, you’ll work your core in a whole new way.<\/p>\n

An aqua mat is like a firm air mattress, anchored to the lane ropes in the pool so that it doesn’t skitter away from you. It’s stable, unlike the inflatables you’d relax on during a vacation, but still cushy enough to sink into at the end of a satisfying yoga session. Falling in is a possibility, of course, but it’s not as likely as you might think.<\/p>\n

Some poses you will find more challenging, primarily because your core muscles have to work harder to help you maintain your balance. But you might find you can do things you can’t do on land\u2014instructor Monica Larade usually struggles with wheel pose (a backbend) but on an aqua mat has no trouble getting into and holding the position.<\/p>\n\n\t\t