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    Rest Days Are Good. Active Recovery Days Can Be Better.

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    Low-impact, easy workouts can offer relief for sore muscles.Rest is an important piece of any exercise routine, and on some days all your body needs is a long lounge on the couch. But active recovery, which falls somewhere between a full rest day and a workout, can help your body bounce back more quickly.Research has found that low-impact movement, such as walking or swimming, can be more effective than rest for reducing muscle soreness after exercise. That may be why competitive and elite athletes have long incorporated active recovery into their training schedules, though there’s not enough evidence to say that it improves athletic performance.If you’re exercising regularly, doing something on a recovery day is often better than doing nothing, said J. Jay Dawes, a professor of applied exercise science at Oklahoma State University, especially if your goal is to reduce soreness between workouts. Light movement like walking can increase blood flow and circulation, and “literally as little as a stroll can be beneficial,” he said.Here’s how to use active recovery to your advantage, according to exercise scientists and coaches.Why is active recovery helpful?When you exercise, your body cycles between periods of stress and repair. Your muscles may be sore or tight after a hard workout, but with proper recovery that short-term soreness gives way to increased fitness.Recovery days — both active ones and full rest days — allow your body to repair your muscles and replenish its stores of energy, said Kate Baird, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Active recovery can provide some pain relief by reducing soreness, she added, and promote better mobility and range of motion.For anyone who follows a training schedule or exercises regularly, active recovery days can be mentally beneficial too, said Conrad Goeringer, who is an Ironman-certified coach and the founder of Working Triathlete, a coaching service. Continuing to move — however easily — can have a calming or meditative effect that full day of inactivity doesn’t always provide.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Can Exercise Help With I.B.S.?

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      Working out is not a cure-all for your gut, but it can be an important part of managing your symptoms.Exercise is often heralded as a “wonder drug” for just about every part of the body, whether it’s the brain, the heart, the pelvic floor or the lungs. But what about the stomach?While going for a jog with a sensitive stomach is rarely appealing, regular activity is an important part of treating many gut maladies, particularly irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, a lack of movement, perhaps because of an injury, can even be the initial trigger for I.B.S.“Exercise is part of lifestyle management, which is the first-line treatment for any patient with I.B.S. or other bowel-related issues,” said Dr. Anthony Lembo, the research director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease Institute.What does exercise have to do with a healthy stomach?Studies have consistently shown that I.B.S. patients who exercise regularly have fewer symptoms than those who don’t. But, while experts agree that mild to moderate exercise is beneficial, the reasons are a bit of a mystery.I.B.S. is caused by miscommunication between the brain and the gut, which leads to pain and bloating during the normal digestion process. For some people it primarily causes constipation, while others experience mostly diarrhea or a combination of the two.The digestive system has a complex network of neurons — sometimes called the “second brain” — that controls blood flow, secretions and hundreds of gut functions through the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to organs in the body. As such, the brain has an outsize influence on the digestive tract, and vice versa.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Is It Safe to Exercise When You’re Sick?

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      If you have a cold, Covid or the flu, here’s how to determine whether it’s wise to work out.It happens to all of us: Your alarm goes off for a morning workout and you roll over with a groan. You’re not just tired — your body feels off.If you’re starting to get sick, is it better to rest or push through an illness to get to the gym? And how sick is too sick to exercise?Look to your specific symptoms for answers, said Dr. Greg Summerville, a sports medicine physician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.“Your body is speaking to you,” he said. Your symptoms are there for a reason. With fall virus season picking up, The New York Times asked doctors how to know when you should skip your workout and when it’s safe to get back to exercise.Use your symptoms as a guide.When you first feel an inkling of illness, Dr. Amy Comander, the director of the lifestyle medicine program at Massachusetts General Hospital, recommends evaluating how your whole body feels, and doing a “neck check.” If your symptoms are above the neck — say, a runny nose, congestion or a sore throat — you are probably safe to work out as long as you feel up for it.But if you are experiencing symptoms below the neck, such as muscle aches or an elevated heart rate, that is probably a sign that your body is working hard to fight off an infection, and exercising could set back your recovery time, she said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A 25-Minute Strength Workout for Beginners

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      If you’re new to lifting, navigating the weight room can feel like a bigger challenge than the workout itself. But it’s worth overcoming that initial intimidation; a regular strength training regimen can positively impact mental health, improve longevity and make it easier to accomplish daily tasks. That’s even more important as you age, when loss of muscle strength can put you at greater risk of falling.By focusing your workout on a combination of machines and free weights, you can create a simple and well-rounded program that can be easily progressed as your strength improves.A good rule of thumb for a comprehensive workout is to include one exercise that hits each of the fundamental movement patterns. In other words: “Push something, pull something, do something for your legs, do something for your core,” said Kelvin Gary, a New York City-based personal trainer and gym owner.While it may be tempting to design your workouts around aesthetic goals like bigger biceps, Mr. Gary recommends focusing instead on movements that improve overall strength by incorporating multiple joints and muscle groups. “Train movements, not muscles,” he said. OverviewTime: 25 minutesIntensity: MediumWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      A Beginner’s Guide to the Weight Room

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      Lifting at your local gym can be intimidating. Here’s how to get started.The first time I approached the weight room at my local gym, over a decade ago, I froze with fear in the doorway. The maze of complicated-looking equipment — and the crowd of people who already knew what they were doing — were immediately intimidating.After mustering the confidence to ask one of the in-house trainers for a tour, I learned that most weight rooms consist of two main sections: the free weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells) and the machines. You can build a well-rounded routine using one section or a combination of the two.Even one strength session a week can have a positive impact on your health. “Overall the biggest benefit comes from doing nothing to doing something,” said Lauren Colenso-Semple, a muscle physiologist. Strength training has been shown to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality, decrease symptoms of depression and minimize fall risks, among other benefits.Using both machines and free weights can also make it easier to perform daily tasks, by improving your joint mobility and range of motion. “Being a stronger and more muscular person makes you a more functional person,” Dr. Colenso-Semple said.Weight MachinesWeight machines are a great introduction to strength training because they are relatively safe and easier to master than free weights, said Kelvin Gary, a New York City-based personal trainer and gym owner. And, according to several recent studies, machines are just as good as free weights for improving muscle mass and strength.George Etheredge for The New York TimesGeorge Etheredge for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Do You Have Healthy Brain Habits? Take This Quiz to Find Out.

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      What can I do to take good care of my brain and lower my risk for a neurological disease? That’s the No. 1 question neurologist Dr. Jonathan Rosand hears from his patients (and their family members) at the Massachusetts General Hospital McCance Center for Brain Health. To help answer it, he and his colleagues, with […] More

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      6 Exercises to Help You Move Easier

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      When you sit in a chair, lift a package off the floor or climb a flight of stairs, your body is doing some form of squatting, hinging or lunging. But just because you perform these movements every day doesn’t mean you’re doing them correctly. Whether you round your back while lifting or overload your knees when you stand up, repeatedly moving with poor form can lead to pain and injury.Training these six fundamental movements — hinge, squat, lunge, push, pull and rotation — can help you accomplish daily tasks more easily and without pain as you age. Similar to a musician practicing their scales, mastering the basics can help you expand your range of motion, said Beth Lewis, a movement and exercise specialist based in New York City.Through procedural memory, you learn and store movements to perform them without thinking about each step. That’s what allows you to hop on a bike and start pedaling, but it can also cause you to compromise your form hundreds of times a day without noticing.There are a few versions of the fundamental movements framework, but the idea behind each one is the same: to build functional fitness by mimicking the motions you use for everyday tasks. Each of the exercises below, which you can easily train at home or in the gym, corresponds with a key movement pattern that you use in daily life.OverviewTime: 12 minutesIntensity: LowWhat You’ll NeedLight or medium resistance bandA light dumbbell or kettlebell (choose a weight that feels challenging for the last 15 seconds of each exercise, but you should still be able to maintain your form)How OftenIf you don’t currently do any strength training, begin with three days per week and progress to daily over time. You can also complete one set of this routine as a warm-up for other forms of exercise.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      How to Exercise to Improve Your Mood

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      Physical activity can brighten your outlook and calm your nerves — if you do it strategically.We’ve all encountered that person who comes back from the gym or a run seemingly high on life. In fact, scientists say that even a single bout of exercise can alter your neurochemistry in ways that create feelings of hope, calm, connection and a generally better mood.But for others, a workout just leaves them feeling worn out.“It’s normal not to find exercise rewarding,” said Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”While some people are simply more genetically or psychologically inclined to enjoy exercise, recent discoveries have helped experts understand why it can be such a high. And, they say, by making a few changes to your workout, you can train your body and mind to find exercise more pleasurable.It’s not just about endorphins.Scientists once thought the rush people felt from exercise came exclusively from endorphins, which act like natural opioids in the brain by relieving pain. But in recent decades, researchers have discovered a more complex cocktail of other key “feel-good” chemicals produced during movement.Each ingredient plays a distinct but complementary role, said Julia Basso, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech who runs a lab studying the effects of exercise on the brain. “These neurochemicals are really working in tandem,” she said.The most potent players appear to be endocannabinoids, which share similar molecular structure with THC, and bind to the same receptors in the brain — giving you that buzzy feeling that all is right in the world.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      What Do Olympians Eat for Breakfast?

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      The road to the Olympics is paved with carbs.An estimated 15,000 athletes are prepared to compete in Paris this summer. Most will arrive with detailed plans for what to eat before, during and after their events.“Part of their training is their nutrition,” said Sarah Wick, a sports dietitian and the director of sports nutrition for the Ohio State Sports Medicine Institute. “It’s just like strength and conditioning. They need to know just what nutrition they need, and when they need it.”High-performance athletes require plenty of carbohydrates for energy and enough protein to repair their muscles and recover between workouts. Every event and athlete has different needs, but they all require fuel, and lots of it. Still, that doesn’t mean they’re eating only health foods.Usain Bolt, for one, estimated that he ate 100 McDonalds chicken nuggets each day at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, because they were a familiar food he knew his stomach could handle. He went on to win three gold medals.We asked a handful of Paris-bound Olympians to share their food diaries and photos from a typical training week in the lead-up to the Games.Here are their breakfast routines, along with a few other snack highlights.Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More