Yoga or Zumba – Which one is better exercise?

Written by Evolve for better life on October 4, 2020 in Fitness

Are you looking for best exercise to lose weight at home? Are you confused when your friend says weight training is best way to lose weight? And the other one recommends zumba or yoga? Learn why either of these may not be suitable for you.

Discover how to choose best exercise plan to achieve your fitness goals. And learn how it is possible by just 30 minutes daily workout. (Plus get a bonus Printable Monthly Exercise Log to track your workout and achieve your fitness goal)

Choosing the right way of exercise is the biggest challenge that we face when we start our fitness journey. We look around for motivation from our friends and family.

Your friend has lost whopping 15 kgs of weight in 3 months by Zumba. Whoa!! Your cousin can do a head stand now. That fitness influencer on the instagram is flaunting lean body with visible 6 packs besides his 6 month before pic where he looks just like you. One with beer belly. He says weight training is the game.

And now you are thinking yoga, calisthenics or weight training? You need to start doing something to become fit. The days of pizzas and burgers are over. Now it is time to gear up in your athletic wear. Even the doctor is saying so. So what shall you choose.

Let me assist you in deciding which exercise will suit you better.

yoga best exercise — Learn how yoga is good exercise for agility and flexibility

How can you choose best workout to achieve your fitness goal?

Let’s break down every word in the question. So it is about fitness goal, suitable workout and you. Where you rank best in all of these categories, that exercise is best for you.

What is your fitness goal?

Define your goal. The goal could be to lose weight, to build muscle, to become lean, to be able to walk, to reduce the level of cholesterol, to counter other health parameters, to be able to play with your kids without being tired…….

What is your goal. Write down your goal in simple words.

“I want to lose 15 kgs weight”

“My doctor has said I need to work out”

“I am keen to participate in marathon next year”

“I want to have six pack abs”

All the above goals are good but they lack purpose. Find your big WHY? The “why” answers the purpose of your goals. Goals become meaningful if they are driven by a purpose which is close to your heart. Which is important enough for you to put in efforts every day.

Add purpose to your goal.

“I want to lose 15 kgs weight to look good”

“My doctor has said I need to work out so that I can improve my medical condition and stay healthy”

“I am keen to participate in marathon next year so I have to build stamina”

“I want to have six pack abs to look good on particular occasion”

So define your goal with your purpose.

Which exercise best suits your goal?

No physical activity is good or bad. Every exercise is best suitable for a particular purpose.

If a swimmer wants to win medal in swimming competition, he will practice swimming every day. But if a runner wants to win marathon he shall not practice swimming. Swimming is good exercise but it does not make runner better at running. Runner needs to focus on running more often, building stamina and training his legs to adapt to running longer distances.

Yoga is focused on achieving balance and flexibility. The principle of yoga is to align the body and mind. Every Asana of Yoga is aimed at alignment of mind-muscle connection.

Zumba is more fun recreational activity. The movements are fast and rhythmic. They are more focused on improving cardio-vascular function along with each movement.

Weight training or resistance training is kind of functional training which aims at toning of muscles and building strength.

Walking / Running is more focused on usage of only legs towards burning of calories and affects your cardio-vascular function more. Not much of other muscles get trained.

All the activities cross each other functionality but there is one or few areas of emphasis which is better in each. Like yoga too improves cardio-vascular endurance but not as much as running.

So decide which activity is best as per your goal. Which physical activity benefits you better towards reaching your goal?

Does your chosen workout suit your current health condition?

Squats is excellent workout for legs but if someone has pain in knee joints, it is not advisable to perform squats. Same goes for someone with heavy body weight. Performing squats shall have high impact on the knees.

Someone who is obese should not choose walking or running. Higher body-weight shall impact the joints negatively while walking or running.

If you have heart ailment, then activities with high cardio-vascular endurance should be avoided without any medical guidance.

So check if the chosen physical activity is suitable as per your current body condition.

Does your chosen workout suit your lifestyle?

How much time can you work out? How many days can you devote to your workout? Can you go to gym or join classes? What resources will you need to do a home workout? All these are important questions to ask yourself to build a sustainable workout routine.

For a person with busy schedule, building a workout plan of 02-03 hours per day is over ambitious and not sustainable. Decide what you can achieve without compromising much with your current lifestyle.

Slowly build the fitness routine. Start with shorter slots of workout regime. Then you can increase the time as per your schedule.

Gather all the resources that you may need to workout.

So are you ready to choose the BEST WORKOUT PLAN FOR YOU.

Final Note :

Let me sum it up for you. Ask yourself below questions and find for yourself which one is better for YOU?

What is my fitness goal?
What are the exercises / Physical activity / Workout that I would like to follow for rest of my life?
Is the chosen exercise routine suitable as per my current health condition?
Is the chosen workout routine suitable as per my fitness goal?
How much time can I devote for workout routine? Is it enough as per my chosen workout?
How many days can I practically devote for workout?
What are the resources that I have or will need to start my regular workout routine?

Stay in touch

Now you are ready to choose your workout plan. Let me know in the comments below what is your best exercise routine.

You can also learn about ways more about wellness and self-improvement on Pinterest, Instagram, facebook. Join my facebook group to mingle with like-minded people who are interested in personal growth and self-improvement.