How To Structure Your Workout The Mindful Way

Kyla Gagnon practices, excels and continues to learn fitness through meditation, silence, gratitude and yoga.

“Meditation has been named as the number one remedy for stress over thousands of years and for good reason,” she explains. “I love it and cannot imagine a day without it.

“Society spends so much time on the outer shell, with our physical fitness, our hydration, our nutrition, our hair and make-up and it’s high time we focus on our insides.”

Monday

5-10 min meditation

30 min full body circuit yoga

Tuesday

Meditation

Yoga 60 min

Wednesday

Meditation

Gym training

Thursday

Meditation

Yoga 60 min

Friday

Meditation

Gym training

Yoga 30 min

Saturday/Sunday

Meditation and an outdoor activity such as hiking

Full body gym training example

10min sprint interval, 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds rest

• Weight + walking lunges x 30

• Assisted pull-ups x 12

• Squat press up x 12

• Deadlifts with resistance band around knees x 30

• 500m row

Repeat

• Burpee bicep curl x 12

• Plank 1 minute

• Tricep extensions x 20

• T push up x 12

• Skipping 1 minute

Repeat

– RELATED: 6 Of The Weirdest Yoga Classes –

Guided Meditation

Step 1: Sit in a comfortable seat in a quiet, relaxing place.

Step 2: Close eyes and place hands palm up on thighs.

Step 3: Exhale all your air out.

Step 4: Focus on one word, emotion or color that lights you up. Inhale to that word.

Step 5: As you exhale, give that “word” out to the world. Repeat with the same word.

Step 6: Start with 2 mins a day and work into extended meditation practice.

Find your balance

Find your balance If meditation is new to you and feels a bit scary, use Kyla’s simple tips on how to get into this way of life

1. Use an app: having the guidance of an app as a beginner is a great tool

2. Commit 5: give yourself five minutes a day to sit in stillness.

3. Bathroom breaks: during your busy work day take 30- 60 seconds in the bathroom, to ground your feet, close your eyes and take 3-5 long deep breaths, bringing yourself back to the current moment.

4. Be grateful: with your meditation practice or at another time, write down 5-10 things in your life you are grateful for. These can be people, places, things, emotions, songs… big or small. What brings you gratitude and happiness in your life? Write these down and take the time to absorb the gratitude. It is proven that the most successful and truly happy individuals are those who do both, celebrate the blessings in life with a gratitude practice and take time daily to meditate.