Okay, I’m getting a little belligerent, but here’s my opinion of yoga: yoga is a great physical and spiritual practice, but not a complete exercise it itself!

Don’t turn into a yoga “wimp”.

My tip for today is:

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, whether you’re young or old, lift weights for building strength.”

If you don’t already lift weights, you should start.

The benefits are numerous:

– Weight lifting will energize you, add functional strength that you can use

– It will improve your posture and reduce your risks of osteoporosis

– It will improve your balance and coordination

– It will improve your immune system and make you less prone to low-back injuries

– It will improve your digestion, your resting heart rate, your muscular endurance

– It will help you look younger, and help you burn more calories when you’re at rest (more muscles burs more calories!)

– It will improve your confidence and may your daily activities easier

And that’s not to speak of the cosmetic aspects!

Don’t start thinking that you will look like the pictures of “Hulk” in the magazines… that’s very unlikely unless you train specifically for that!

Now… when I say weight lifting, I actually mean lifting actual weights, not just your body.

Although bodyweight exercises are great, and I really recommend them, I think everybody needs to actually pump some iron if they want to increase their strength.

Bodyweight exercises mostly build your muscular endurance.

Weight lifting builds your strength.

In theory, you could design some body weight exercises that can also build your strength… but those are too challenging for the average person.

Can you reasonably expect to do a “handstand pushup” (which means you’ll have to stand on hands, against a wall, and push up)?

That’s the way to build strength on your shoulders using body weight exercises only.

But with weight training, you only have to lift a weight above your shoulders to achieve the same benefits. So this is much more accessible to most people.

Don’t think you need any special equipment to start weight lifting, or any expensive gym membership!

All you need are a set of dumbells. Overtime, you can purchase heavier ones or buy a set of adjustable dumbells (If you can save for it… I recommend the best in the world… the Powerblock, a http://www.powerblock.com)

Then you also need an adjustable bench.

And that’s it! That’s all you need to get started.

Of course, you also need to know what exercises to do.

For that, you can learn the routines from a friend. You can buy a book on the subject (a good eBook I recommend can be found at: http://fredraw.westy04.hop.clickbank.net/)

All you have to do is to train for about 30 minutes three times a week, and you will build more strength!

Remember, this is important especially as you get older, and especially if you’re a woman (although men need it too!), because typically women and old people tend to avoid strength-building activities.

So start getting stronger now!