Strength training at home

Although I manage quite a bit of yoga and go for the occasional run (when I "run" out of excuses), I've been thinking about attempting some weight training at home.

This is because I'm aware my body feels weaker than it could be, and having just turned 40, it seems like an opportune time to begin a new resolution.

The website NHS Choices says "To reduce the rate of natural bone loss that occurs from age 35 onwards, aim to do muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week". This includes "moderate-resistance weightlifting", or "exercising with resistance bands".

Bikram yoga

As a big yoga fan, I was interested to discover the origins of Bikram yoga, or "hot yoga", in a recent conversation with a friend from India.

The practice was established as recently as the late 20th century, which I found surprising. It consists of an unchanging sequence of 26 postures in a room heated to 40°C (104°F), in order to mimic the climate of India.

Its founder, Bikram Choudhury, was born in Calcutta, India, in 1946. He began learning Hatha Yoga - that is, the physical exercises known as asanas or postures - at the age of three. He created the popular Bikram yoga approach from traditional techniques, and insists that all classes run for 90 minutes with exactly the same postures.

Many studies looking at the health effects of Bikram yoga have been published. However, to date, any positive effects have not been confirmed in large-scale, properly-designed randomised controlled trials.

There have been widespread claims of high energy expenditure, up to 1,000 calories per session. But no scientific study has reliably investigated the metabolic response to a Bikram yoga class.

What's more, excessive sweating caused by the hot and humid conditions of a Bikram yoga room can lead to dehydration or hyperthermia (overheating).

All things considered, I think I'll stick to my usual yoga workout which has the relaxing advantage of taking place in comfortable conditions!

Kate Richards

Exercising to beat stress

I've discovered over the years that, although exercising is the last thing I feel like when I'm stressed, it really can help me relax. Our body's 'fight or fight' reaction creates energy, but there's often nowhere for that energy to go, and we can feel tense for hours at a time.

Particularly for those of us with a sedentary job, exercise is the best outlets for this excess energy, and it doesn't have to be playing sport at a leisure centre or going to the gym. Many forms of activity that I enjoy are free and often don't even mean leaving the house. They certainly don't require having a particular skill! But I always feel better afterwards.

Yoga

I've been doing yoga regularly - several times a week - for about 15 years now. I use a dvd at home as I've been to classes and found I couldn't relax as much in public. Clearly not everyone feels the same, as evidenced by the snoring I heard!