A: You can switch to yoga and consider it as your full body resistance training for the week. When you execute yoga moves, your body becomes the resistance. Do poses like warrior 1 and 2 in place of the typical lunges, chair pose for squats, and planks and downward facing dog for the shoulders. However, it is still recommended that you lif weights at least one a week to maintain the shape, size, and strength of other muscle groups taht you can’t isolate while doing yoga.

In Yoga, we use the isometric contraction where you develop strength in one position and angle only, unlike in resistance training where we use the concentric and eccentric contraction to strengthen he uscles at different angles upon movement.

You do not really get bulk when you do yoga because you just use your body as resistance and no weight progresson is involved to bulk up.

The calorie burn after doing a one-hour yoga session would still depend on your heart rate, intensity of the class, and your body weight. Just remember that the more you use your lower body during the workout, the higher your heart rate is, and the more calories you can burn.

Q: I’ve been lifting weights and running consistently for 5 months now. If I stop working out for one week what will happen to my body fat, muscle mass, and endurance? I am just worried since I really worked hard for y body and fitness level. I think I need some rest to recharge and relax for a moment.

A: One week of rest after 5 months of consistent workout would do no harm to what you’ve accomplished already. You can easily lose body fat even after a trip. I believe you’ve been trained as well to make the right food choices. We need to relax our mind and recharge our body so that we start working out again and bring our mind and body to the next level. After one week of no workouts and controlled food intake, the following should be expected:

• Body fat: Might go up a bit especially if you won’t insert any form of physical activity during the week. At least 30 minutes of walking a day is still recommended.
• Muscle mass: There will be no obvious changes.
• Endurance: A small decline in endurance that might be observed once you resume running after one week of rest, although it can still be easily recovered.

Q: I am getting bored with my sual gym workout and I am thinking of other ways to regain my excitement while exercising. Do you have any suggestions?

A: I can only suggest the factors that need to be considered to regain your excitement. I would still depend on the accessibility and availability of your exercise resources:

• You should make yourself aware of the different exercises, physical activities, or sports available. Plan a trial workout of what you think would interest you. A change of environment or workout type and routine will help you regain excitement and energy.
• Your level of motivation should be reassessed and reevaluated to match it to your choice of new exercises. What do you want right now? Lose fat? Reshape a particular body part? Improve endurance and sports performance? Or to relax and enjoy?
• The level of your new workout should be challenging enough for you to set a goal to improve after every session.
• A fitness consultant or personal trainer can help you design a program that you can do and progress on your own.