Yoga is a great form of exercise.
By: Isabella Rivera, Photographer

By: Adrian De Guzman, Reporter

While exercises such as yoga, pilates, and Zumba are generally not taken seriously among athletes, some do use these low exertion exercises to become better at their sport. Others are discouraged because it doesn’t seem as intense as weightlifting or other forms of conditioning. However, these forms of exercise are just as valid as more intense workouts in terms of strengthening one’s body.

Although the word yoga or pilates may conjure up an image of a group of women following a leader in a series of synchronized movements, men do yoga as well because of the benefits that come with participating in these exercises. Yoga is a very good way to balance the muscles in one’s body. Not only does yoga allow people to become better attuned to their body parts and have more control over them, it also strengthens their muscles so they are less prone to injury.

Senior Trey Nicarry says, “Yoga is a great stress reliever. Its really great for someone to do it in their free time.”

Even though pilates and yoga are similar, there are slight differences in the overall effects of the two exercises. Pilates helps to condition the whole body and build muscle strength, but doesn’t put emphasis on how large your muscles are. It allows athletes to coordinate their body with ease by repeating high-intensity exercises to strengthen their muscles. The work required by pilates is more focused on physical and less on mental aspects than yoga is.

Freshman Joanna Lopes says, “Pilates is a very beneficial exercise for your whole body, unlike what many people believe.”

Zumba is also another great form of exercise that just about anybody can do. Zumba is a dance workout done alongside fast paced music. Though dancing may not seem like the best option to keep oneself fit for a sport, Zumba is an enjoyable and easy way to keep the pounds off and one’s body in great shape. Zumba can also be seen as more fun than monotonous workouts such as lifting weights and running miles to stay in shape.

Sophomore Tamera Mason says, “They’re better for people who aren’t as strong and as capable to do harder activities.”

The workout provided by these different exercise programs all have different advantages to someone participating in them. However, even though these great workout forms aren’t well practiced, their effectiveness is not lessened in keeping someone fit and in shape. Though one may treat these ‘lesser workouts’ with contempt because they aren’t rigorous conditioning exercises, they are quite beneficial to one’s body and have many positive effects that are often overlooked.