Woman who did yoga daily for 5 years shares how her body and diet transformed: 'I got familiar...'

“It seemed challenging enough and also fun because it wasn’t just a repetition, it was kind of a flow,” she recalled. The practice introduced elements that had been absent from her prior workouts — coordination, balance, and flexibility.

The enjoyment she derived from yoga inspired her to set a goal: 50 consecutive days of at-home yoga. Drawing on advice from a habit-building video, she committed fully. Within weeks, she said she noticed changes — not just in her flexibility and coordination, but in her mood.

“I really got sort of addicted to the lifestyle of moving every day, where that wasn’t the norm for me before,” she said.

Five years on, yoga has become an ingrained daily ritual — one that Finogina credited with transforming not only her physique but also her mindset around exercise, food, and body image.

Her journey echoes the advice of fitness experts who recommend choosing a form of movement one genuinely enjoys to create a sustainable routine. Personal trainer Sohee Lee previously told Business Insider: “It’s important that you’re enjoying the exercise you do,” noting that people are unlikely to remain consistent with activities that feel like punishment.

Without any deliberate goal of bulking up, Finogina built considerable strength and muscle mass through her daily yoga practice. “I definitely look more powerful. I have a lot more defined muscle,” she said.

But physical appearance no longer served as her benchmark for progress. “I measure my progress by the poses I can do, not what my body looks like,” she said.

More vigorous forms of yoga, such as vinyasa or ashtanga, can function as strength training — supporting metabolic health and preserving mobility. After the age of 30, muscle mass naturally declines, but regular strength-based movement helps slow the process and supports longevity.

Over time, Finogina began incorporating more advanced yoga poses — including inversions and arm balances such as crow pose, headstands, and handstands — which required substantial core strength and balance.

“I wasn’t yet capable, it was just a fun challenge,” she said. Repetition helped her build enough strength to execute the poses, and she soon felt motivated to incorporate calisthenics and bodyweight movements such as push-ups.

“I recently got my first pull-up,” she said. “That was something I had never thought I could do.”

Movement became a way for Finogina to reconnect with her body, not punish it. She said she started tuning into how different foods made her feel — noting whether a meal left her energised and light, or heavy and sluggish.

Previously, she admitted to having a strained relationship with food, plagued by guilt whenever she ate “too much” or indulged in something she considered off-limits.

Now, she practises intuitive eating and chooses nourishing foods in larger portions. “When I work out a lot, I eat a lot, and I let myself do that,” she said.

She found that foods like whole grains, legumes, and nuts left her feeling her best — staples of the Mediterranean diet, often lauded as the world’s healthiest eating pattern.

Whereas her pre-pandemic workouts were driven by a desire to change how she looked, today she sees exercise as a joyful release.

“Now I love exercising because it gives me an opportunity to connect with my body and let loose. It’s like having a dog in a way — just let it run, just let it have fun,” she said.

This shift in perspective allowed her to move away from an idealised beauty standard and appreciate her body on its own terms.

“With yoga, I kind of got familiar with my body,” she said. “And my body had the opportunity to be itself and express itself.”