The Best At-Home Workouts to Get Your Body Moving

 

No matter how you like to exercise, these workouts will help you stay healthy and in shape at home.

The world of at-home workouts has been evolving — turns out, Peloton was just the beginning. In many states gym owners and gym goers have been forced to get creative with many gyms offering at-home solutions for members and new clients alike. Fitness experts agree, the options are endless. And since now, more than ever, it’s important to get moving, we've rounded up some of the best at home workout solutions available right now.

Why You Should Work Out at Home

Being stuck at home automatically lends itself to being more sedentary. Altered schedules and new responsibilities also mean disjointed workout times. Rachel Darden, owner and head coach F45 Training in Fairfield, CT reminds us to get motion in wherever you can. “All movement is good movement," she says. Right now, fitting in an hour of exercise in between homeschooling and housework might feel impossible, but you can break it up. "Working in three 10-minute sessions is just as effective and much easier to schedule and manage.” We can all find time to make that happen!

Lauren Seib, NASM certified personal trainer and postpartum corrective exercise specialist, comments on recent events and gives it a delightfully optimistic spin. “The fitness industry has been forced to make an epic pivot into the fully virtual realm ... and I truly believe this space will forever be altered in an incredible way," she says. "Fitness fanatics and newbies alike have been using this stuck-at-home time and there’s no better time to hone in on feeling great.” Much like your favorite restaurants, Seib also encourages folks that can afford it, to keep paying their gym memberships. “Support your favorite spots by donating or keeping your memberships to ensure they’ll be back once things clear up!”

The Best At-Home Workouts of All Kinds

From Pilates to HIIT training, there’s something out there for every type of exercise enthusiast — many of these gyms also offer kids’ programs! Many of these services are free and for-pay services are offering deals. Check their websites and social media channels for more details.

Rowing

If at home equipment is your thing, Hydrow brings the water to you with virtual, coach-led erg sessions. The newest at-home exercise set up is getting rave reviews.

HIIT Training

One of the hottest forms of interval training has gone virtual. Many HIIT training studios are live-streaming classes to members. Orange Theory and Self Magazine are turning things up using YouTube, social media and their apps to post videos and full workouts. F45 Training is sharing post workout pics of members across the world and even offered a live workout with celeb F45 devotee, Mark Wahlberg.

Yoga, Pilates, Barre

Your favorite yoga and Pilates instructors are stretching their namaste and putting out all kinds of workouts. Reach out to your local instructor to see what they are offering or search your favorite online platform. From gentle meditation to Solidcore to hard core bar barre with BarMethod workouts, you can find ways to push yourself or simply decompress.

Swim

While you may not be able to swim in public pools at the moment, free workouts on SwimOutlet on Instagram and Fitter and Faster feature dry land workouts from swimming pros.

Peloton Recalling Treadmills Over Safety Concerns

Key Takeaways

• Peloton announced voluntary recalls of its treadmills after several reports of injuries and a child’s death.
• The announcement is a reversal of the company’s initial reaction, which it called a mistake.
• The recall affects about 126,000 treadmills in the United States, the UK, and Canada.

Peloton announced voluntary recalls of its two treadmills, Tread and Tread+, which represents about 126,000 machines.

The move comes after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) noted in early April that consumers should stop using the Tread+ if small children or pets are nearby. In March, the company disclosed they had learned about a 6-year-old child’s death related to an accident involving a Tread+.

In a letter posted to the company’s website at the time of that incident, CEO John Foley suggested that treadmill users should put additional safety strategies in place, such as keeping children and pets away from the machine at all times. He did not, however, issue a safety recall at that time, or when the CPSC issued its advisory a month later and wrote in another letter that “[W]e have no intention of doing so.”

In a recent statement, Foley expressed regret for that approach, saying, “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”

The CPSC noted that it had received 72 reports of adults, children, and pets being pulled under the Tread+. The commission released a video of a child getting stuck under the device as it was running, to demonstrate how easily it can happen. In that case, the child was able to get out without injury.

Why Tread+ Is Different

Unlike most treadmills that use a continuous belt, the Tread+ has rubberized slats that move on a ball-bearing system. That design, as well as the amount of clearance under the machine, has increased the risk that people and pets can get pulled beneath it.

Another significant concern is that the touchscreen on the Tread model—which was only sold between November 2020 and March 2021 in a limited release, and only represents about 1,000 machines—can potentially become detached and fall. The commission reported there have been 18 incidents of that happening.

For those who have a Peloton treadmill, the company suggests immediately discontinuing its use and contacting Peloton for a full refund. It is currently working on a repair that will be offered to treadmill owners within a few weeks. For example, it’s expected that a new software update will automatically lock the Tread+ after use and require a passcode to unlock it.

HEALTH AND FITNESS: Let’s agree to agree about food

Eating a healthy diet is a goal for many people to help them treat or prevent disease, improve exercise performance, or maintain a healthy body weight. If you pay attention to news about food and nutrition you have probably noticed that there is a great deal of controversy about what constitutes a healthy diet. It’s easy to find lists of foods to avoid and things to eat every day. Unfortunately, lists from different sources may not be the same or, worse, a food that is on one “never eat” list is on another “always eat” list.

There is a different approach you could take to plan the foundation for a truly health way to eat. Instead of focusing on what is different, think about what recommendations are shared among most “healthy” diets. Here is some diet advice that almost everyone agrees on.

Eat your greens

Green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber and should be part of almost every meal. There is some debate about how to prepare these vegetables, whether they should be eaten raw or cooked and what to put on them. If you eat an abundance of vegetables, sometimes raw and sometimes cooked, sometimes with dressing and other times plain, you are on the right track.

Berry good

Fruit is a delicious way to get vitamins, minerals and fiber in your diet. However, some people believe that the naturally-occurring sugar in some fruit makes it unhealthy, especially if you eat a lot of it. But almost everyone agrees that berries are a fruit you should eat. High in antioxidants, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are nutritious and delicious.

Go nuts

Eating nuts can be a tasty way to make your diet healthier. Nuts are beneficial because they are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, natural plant sterols and essential vitamins and minerals. Although the specific nutrients vary among different nuts, all nuts are thought to be healthy. This includes tree nuts such as almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts and pecans, which have the most research to support their health benefits. Look for plain nuts, as seasonings and coatings on many varieties also include added salt and sugar.

Eat less added sugar

Added sugar is probably the biggest problem most people face when it comes to the way they eat. Beyond the extra calories and the direct health effects of eating too much sugar, adding sugar to food otherwise healthy food like fruit and grains serves to make it less healthy. This is the case for most processed food, which is almost always high in added sugar. Cutting as much added sugar from your diet is something everyone (except for the food industry!) agrees is a smart move.

Drink water

Water should be your drink of choice at all times! Water provides hydration without added sugar and calories, something that is important for weight control. Ideally, this means plain water, but flavored water is better than sweetened beverages like soda, sweetened tea, sports drinks, and many fruit drinks. It’s fine to have other drinks during the day, but water should be your primary source of hydration throughout the day.

These tips can go a long way to improving the quality of your diet and fit with recommendations that almost everyone agrees on. Keep in mind that a person touting the “best” diet to improve your health is likely doing more than just eating healthy; they are almost certainly exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and, maybe, taking medications properly to address specific health problems. To achieve optimal health, you will need to do these things, too.

Follow this diet to bring down your blood pressure

01/6Diet and blood pressure

In this fast-moving world, we all are suffering from some or the other health issue. The most common of all is, high blood pressure, and the credit goes to our diet and lifestyle. According to a recent study, flavanol-rich foods and drinks, including tea, apples, and berries, could lead to lower blood pressure. Scroll below to know more about it. (Image: istock)

02/6​The Study

According to a study published in Scientific Reports that studied the diet of more than 25,000 people in Norfolk, UK and compared what they ate with their blood pressure and it was found that the difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4 mmHg. In contrast to most other studies investigating links between nutrition and health, the researchers did not rely on study participants reporting their diet, but instead measured flavanol intake objectively using nutritional biomarkers -- indicators of dietary intake, metabolism or nutritional status that are present in our blood. (Image: istock)

03/6​The fact file

This is comparable to meaningful changes in blood pressure observed in those following a Mediterranean diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Notably, the effect was more pronounced in participants with hypertension. (Image: istock)

04/6​Expert’s take

Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading who led the study said: "Previous studies of large populations have always relied on self-reported data to draw conclusions, but this is the first epidemiological study of this scale to objectively investigate the association between a specific bioactive compound and health. We are delighted to see that in our study, there was also a meaningful and significant association between flavanol consumption and lower blood pressure.

"What this study gives us is an objective finding about the association between flavanols -- found in tea and some fruits -- and blood pressure. This research confirms the results from previous dietary intervention studies and shows that the same results can be achieved with a habitual diet rich in flavanols. In the British diet, the main sources are tea, cocoa, apples and berries. (Image: istock)

05/6​What’s more?

This is one of the largest ever studies to use nutritional biomarkers to investigate bioactive compounds. Using nutritional biomarkers to estimate intake of bioactive food compounds has long been seen as the gold standard for research, as it allows intake to be measured objectively. The development, validation and application of the biomarker was only possible because of the long-term commitment of all collaborators. In contrast to self-reported dietary data, nutritional biomarkers can address the huge variability in food composition. (Image: istock)

06/6​Final words

An international team from the University of Reading, Cambridge University, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Incorporated studied 25,618 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk study and found that the biggest difference was observed in participants with the highest blood pressure. This suggests if the general public increased its flavanol intake, there could be an overall reduction in cardiovascular disease incidence. (Image: istock)

The road to better exercise might be in your playlist

 

(Plan Shoot/Imazins, Getty Images)

Music may be just what you need to stick with an exercise program – and picking the right tunes could even improve performance.

Federal exercise guidelines recommend people get at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, each week. For those who don't love the act of exercising, those totals can seem like a tall order.

But over the last decade, researchers have begun to build the case that music during exercise might just give an edge.

A recent study in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise concludes that listening to motivational music during sprint-interval training has the potential to not only improve the participants' level of enjoyment, but their performance as well.

"People I find who may have trouble staying with an exercise program or who begin one and quit after a month may find this as a method to help them enjoy it," said Costas I. Karageorghis, one of the study's authors. "The real benefit of this type of research is that the more people you can direct toward a healthier lifestyle, the better."

In the study, the participants' peak power output and heart rates were higher when listening to motivational music than when listening to podcasts or to no audio. They also rated their post-workout enjoyment higher after listening to music.

Paige Cervantes, a professional trainer based in McKinney, Texas, said the right music affects her health and happiness, even on a tough day in the weight room.

"I know especially on days where I knew I was going to be lifting heavier, I felt my performance would improve when it was harder rock music," she said. "There was something about that beat and the guitar playing that would just kind of set the mood to where I could lift heavier and almost get to the point of getting a little angry."

Her choice for those workouts? A little heavy metal.

"That would kind of bring up the fight in me. Bubblegum music doesn't do much for me when I am trying to lift weights."

Karageorghis, a professor of sport and exercise psychology at Brunel University in London, said a good place to start is to look for playlists that feature music starting about 120 beats per minute, the pace of a brisk walk. Over time, as workouts intensify, the tempo of the music can increase as well, up to about 140 bpm.

"I find people who devote time and energy to creating playlists for their workouts actually enjoy their workout much more than those who just select music randomly," said Karageorghis, author of the book Applying Music in Exercise and Sport. "Ideally, if you turn your playlist over every couple of weeks, it will keep it fresh. It will be more stimulating, and you're likely to derive greater athletic and psychological benefits than if you simply listen to the same playlist over and over."

But he warned to be wary of the volume.

"In many exercise facilities that I visit, the music is way above 80 decibels," he said. "If you're able to maintain a comfortable conversation with the person next to you, the music volume is probably about right."

His previous research shows even when people exercise beyond comfortable levels, such as at levels higher than 75% of their maximal heart rate, music can put them in a better mood – despite the associated fatigue or exhaustion – than when the workout includes no music.

Those positive effects on mood are important, said Russell Pate, an exercise science professor in the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. Sticking with a workout routine, he said, depends on a lot of different factors, including support from family and friends.

"But the more positive it is, the greater the likelihood that they'll choose to do it again tomorrow and the day after that."

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Cheap, Legal And Everywhere: How Food Companies Get Us 'Hooked' On Junk

 

Hooked author Michael Moss says processed food companies appeal to our childhood nostalgia: "What we eat is all about memory."

Grace Cary/Getty Images

If you're someone who has turned to snacking on junk food more in the pandemic, you're not alone. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss says processed food is engineered to be "craveable," not unlike a cigarette or a hit of cocaine.

His 2013 book Salt Sugar Fat, explored food companies' aggressive marketing of those products and their impacts on our health. In his new book, Hooked, Moss updates the food giants' efforts to keep us eating what they serve — and how they're responding to complaints from consumers and health advocates.

Processed food, he notes, is "inexpensive, it's legal, it's everywhere. And the advertising from the companies is cueing us to remember those products and we want those products constantly. So the food environment ... is one of those key things that makes food even more problematic for so many people."

Moss notes that memory — and nostalgia in particular — play a big role in the foods we crave.

"The soda companies discovered that if they put a soda in the hands of a child when they're at a ballpark with their parents, that soda will forever be associated with that joyous moment," he says. "So later on in life, when that child now wants to experience a joyous moment, they're going to think of soda."

During the pandemic, he says, many people have sought comfort in the snacks they remember from childhood. "We went into the store and we started buying products we hadn't had since we were kids," he says — recalling "great joyous moments."

Moss examines the way these companies capitalize on our memories, cravings, and brain chemistry to keep us snacking.

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Interview highlights

On how the processed food industry appeals to our sense of nostalgia

One of the reasons I came to think that some of these food products are even more powerful, more troublesome than drugs can be is memory. What we eat is all about memory. And we begin forming memories for food at a really early age, possibly even in the womb, depending on what our mother is eating. And we keep those memories for a lifetime. They don't go away. ... And the more we eat these products, the deeper those memory channels go. And so the food industry, knowing that, spends lots of time trying to shape the memories that we have for their products.

Hooked, by Michael Moss

Penguin Random House

On how processed food is designed to make your brain react fast

One of the hallmarks of addiction that scientists who are studying drug addiction discovered back in the 1990s was that the faster a substance hits the brain, the more apt we are as a result to act compulsively, impulsively. So they sort of speak about tobacco and alcohol and drug products in terms of the speed that they hit the brain. But it turns out that there's nothing faster than food in ... its ability to sort of hit the brain. ...

For me, this puts kind of the notion of "fast food" in an entirely new light. In fact, I like to call what we're talking about here "fast groceries" — that 90% of the middle part of the grocery store. We refine these things, because everything about the processed food industry is about speed, from the manufacturing to the packaging — making it easy for us to open up those packages and get at the food — to the actual speed of their products exciting our brains.

Michael Moss is an investigative reporter who formerly worked for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation into the dangers of contaminated meat.

Daniel Sheehan/Penguin Random House

On the language these food companies use internally

Not just at Kraft, but at other companies, they use other language that's kind of startling when they talk about maximizing the allure of their products. They talk about engineering "snackability" and "crave-ability" and one of my favorite words, hearing from them is "more-ishness," as in, the person eating [and] wanting more and more of it. These aren't English majors; these are bench chemists and psychologists and marketing executives sort of talking about their efforts to maximize that.

We by nature are drawn to food that has calories, because for much of our previous existence, getting calories was a life or death thing.

Michael Moss

On why we are naturally drawn to high-calorie foods

We by nature are drawn to food that has calories, because for much of our previous existence, getting calories was a life or death thing. It enabled us to put on some body fat, which enabled our brains to grow and us to get through hard times and have more babies.

On if the food industry is knowingly trying to get us addicted

I've been crawling through this industry for 10 years now, and I still resist the idea of looking at them as this evil empire that intentionally set out to make us obese or otherwise ill on their products. These are companies doing what all companies want to do — make as much money [as they can]. But I think ... the problem lies in, kind of, their own dependence on making their products inexpensive and super yummy and incredibly convenient for us. And now that more and more people are caring about what they're put in their bodies and are wanting to eat healthier, these companies are finding it really difficult to meet that new demand because of their own addiction, if you will, to making these convenience foods. ...

In much of the industry, there really isn't a smoking gun. They wear their marketing schemes and their psychology and the things they go after, kind of, on the sleeves. You can see it on the packages, except for the way that they go after sort of our basic biology — that you can't see on their products. And I think that that's what made Hooked so interesting for me, was looking at the things that they're doing that aren't on the product label that cause us to lose control of our eating habits.

Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Deborah Franklin adapted it for the Web.

6 reasons why women should not give up on strength training

 

Make sure you focus on proper form and technique to avoid injuries!

Women are often told that the most effective workout for weight loss is practising cardio like running on the treadmill, Zumba or aerobics. Not only that, often many try to ditch the strength training because it gives their body a slightly masculine look. This, however, is not true.

“But, this is a misconception. On the contrary, strength training is hugely beneficial for women. It will not only help them lose weight faster, and achieve better health but also gain strength and confidence” says Mr Jitendra Chouksey, Founder of FITTR.

Check out these 6 reasons to get you started with strength training!

Facilitates efficient fat loss

It has been found that women have about 6 to 11 per cent more body fat than men.  When one Includes strength training in their workout routine, it helps develop muscles and burns fat faster says Chouksey.

It also speeds up the metabolic rate, which aids faster absorption of nutrients. More importantly, strength training helps in burning calories not only during the workout but also while the body is at rest. “The reason is – muscles need more energy to sustain as well as repair after strength training. Therefore, strength training is an effective way to achieve fat loss” he explains.

Promotes healthy bones

There are several studies to suggest that strength training for women helps increasing bone density over a period of time, and makes bones stronger. As a result, the chances of women developing age-related osteoporosis are reduced considerably. Moreover, stronger bones and increased muscle mass can help bring better flexibility and balance.

Reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes

“According to a study by National Institute on Aging (NIA) and Harvard Medical School, women averaging 62.6 years, who did any type of regular strength training, achieved a 30 per cent reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D)” says Chouksey.

Additionally, their risk of developing cardiovascular disease dropped by 17 per cent. Experts believe that strength training plays an important role in reducing the risk of various cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Decreases stress and anxiety

Strength training requires focus and concentration, which, in turn, help in channelising energy. Endorphins released during exercise gets us pumped up, improving our mood.

“This helps in diverting your mind from all the stress and other problems. Resistance training at a low-to-moderate intensity produces the most reliable and robust decrease in anxiety and stress, according to research. Plus, achieving a fit body can work wonders for our confidence” he adds.

Better sleep quality

After working out, our body requires rest to rejuvenate. Therefore, if one has trouble falling asleep or wants to improve the quality of sleep, strength training really works. A heavy workout can help in calming the body into a deeper sleep to help drive the rejuvenation process.

Enhances strength

“Weight training is one of the best ways to improve strength in areas such as the core, legs, lower back and upper body. This, in turn, enhances a woman’s ability to perform daily activities at work and home with ease” lastly adds Chouksey.