Retired couple discover yoga (News Journal)

If age is a state of mind, then Carol and Ben Thomas may have achieved nirvana. Ever since incorporating yoga into their fitness routine, they’ve experienced more flexibility, greater strength and increased energy.

But it’s an experience that almost didn’t happen.

“A friend dragged me to it one day and said, ‘Just try it,’ ” said Carol, 70, of Wilmington. “So I did, and I liked it right away.”

Ben, however, needed more convincing. “I hated it,” he said. “I came home and said, ‘This is just awful. It’s not athletic, you’re not doing anything.’ But I stuck it out and finally at the last session I said, ‘When have I ever felt younger?’ ”

That was eight years ago. Since then, they’ve “graduated” to heated yoga, where the temperature of the yoga room approaches the body’s own temperature. “The heat increases your relaxation and allows your body to be much more flexible,” said Carol, who was a bit apprehensive at first. “After a while, you just melt into it and it becomes your ally.”

Practicing yoga has also made their exercise routines more productive. “Yoga lets you know where your body is and whether it’s aligned properly,” Ben said. “So if you’re lifting weights, you [may] notice that your knee is splaying out or that your back isn’t straight. If you don’t change, you’re going to get hurt.”

The couple, who retired from teaching English in the mid-1990s, tailor their routines to meet their individual needs and goals. For Carol, exercise is a way to prevent the heart disease that runs in her family. For Ben, 69, it is a way to maintain the strength he needs to remain competitive on the tennis court.

For both it is a way to maintain good health as they age. “Neither of us is hardly ever sick,” said Carol. “My getting that little stomach flu [a couple weeks ago] was a major event. I cannot remember the last time I had a cold.”

Carol and Ben Thomas take classes at Empowered Yoga in Wilmington. The two have incorporated yoga into their daily fitness routines for the past eight years.

In heated yoga, the temperature of the yoga room approaches the body’s own temperature.

Burning calories also has its rewards. “You can eat,” said Ben. “I can have lasagna and the good stuff I really enjoy without worrying about it.”

Their advice for anyone wanting to embark on a fitness program.

“Do what you like,” Carol said.

“It’s like anything else,” added Ben. “Start doing what you can. Keep records of it and don’t be too judgmental. But you have to do it.”

Written byGET FIT – CHRISTINE FACCIOLO