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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

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      A 12-Minute Workout to Build Foot Strength

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      Much like how the network of muscles around the hips, pelvis and back act like scaffolding for the spine, the tiny muscles within the feet are responsible for supporting the arch, absorbing load and keeping you stable when you walk or run.“You put four to six times your body weight through your feet when you walk,” said Courtney Conley, the founder of Gait Happens, a Colorado-based online education resource focused on foot health. “And 11 times your body weight when you run.”These muscles within the foot, known as the foot core, are activated when we walk barefoot but become dormant and weak when we wear narrow, cushioned footwear, Dr. Conley said.Over time, a weak foot core alters your gait and can lead to falls and injuries, such as shin splints. Therefore, anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet — such as a nurse or restaurant server and people who run or walk for fitness — could benefit from adding foot strengthening exercises to their routine, said Dr. Conley.If you want to strengthen your running game or simply protect your feet as you age, try the following five drills, listed from easiest to most challenging. They won’t take more than 12 minutes to complete in one session, but you can also sprinkle them throughout your day.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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      For a Strong Body, You Need Strong Feet

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      These three simple tests could save you a lot of pain in the long run.Building long-term strength means training all parts of your body: your legs, your arms and your core. But what about your feet?Your feet are responsible for mobility and balance. And having strong feet with dexterous toes is important for both for health and fitness, said Courtney Conley, the founder of Gait Happens, a Colorado-based online education resource focused on foot health.But most people first learn about the concept of foot strengthening after an injury, she said. Incorporating foot and toe exercises into your routine long before you develop shin splints or plantar fasciitis can help prevent those injuries and improve how you walk, especially as you age.“Toe weakness is the single biggest predictor of falls when we get older,” Dr. Conley said.Why foot strength is importantIn some ways, simply moving through life on your feet gives them a workout, said Martin Ellman, a podiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. You engage the foot core — a network of tiny muscles in your feet that create balance and provide stability — every time you stand or walk.The foot should act like a tripod, said Dr. Conley. When you stand, your weight should be distributed between the heel and the base of the big and little toes (the meaty parts), with your toes splayed in order to create a strong foundation.However, poor footwear often cramps the toes and stiffens the midfoot, said Jim Dooner, a physical therapist at the Foot Collective, a Brisbane, Australia-based foot care company.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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      Do the Wrist Weights Going Viral on TikTok Work? We Asked the Experts.

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      We asked fitness experts what wearable weights, which are popular on TikTok, can really do for your health.Wearable wrist weights, which once seemed relegated to the dustbin of fitness history, are seeing a resounding resurgence on social media.The one- to three-pound cuffs first gained popularity during the fitness boom of the 1980s, when exercisers strapped on models made from fabric and filled with sand. But by the early 2000s, they had mostly gone the way of the leg warmer. It didn’t help that they absorbed sweat, which made them smell over time.Their current resurrection has been fueled by brands like Bala, whose weighted “bangles” look like a fashion accessory: They are made from silicone-covered steel and come in muted colors that seem designed for TikTok and Instagram.Like many at-home fitness brands, Bala’s business saw a boost during the pandemic. The company’s founders presented the bangles in a February 2020 episode of “Shark Tank.” A few weeks later, pandemic lockdowns took effect, and suddenly, “everyone needed toilet paper and workout equipment,” said Natalie Holloway, Bala’s co-founder. Before long, other versions, with a similar aesthetic and silicone design, appeared on Amazon and retail store shelves.In recent years, fitness personalities and social media influencers have promoted the benefits of wrist weights. Beyond Bala, a variety of other styles exist, including sweat-wicking options from Nike and leather wraps from the workout mogul Tracy Anderson.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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      Why Chronic Illness Symptoms are Commonly Dismissed as Just Stress

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      Chronic disease symptoms are often dismissed by physicians — and patients themselves. But that comes from a complex relationship between sickness and stress itself.Amina AlTai had always prided herself on her drive and resilience. When she began experiencing brain fog and fatigue, Ms. AlTai, 39, simply thought it was from working long hours in her marketing job. So she started writing down reminders to keep herself on track. But then her hair started falling out, she gained and lost a lot of weight and she started having gastrointestinal issues.Ms. AlTai was certain that something was wrong. But the first six doctors she saw didn’t take her seriously, she said. Some told her she had so much hair that losing a little bit shouldn’t be a problem. Several said she seemed healthy, and dismissed her symptoms as simply stress. It was only when another physician ordered blood tests that Ms. AlTai was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and celiac disease, two autoimmune conditions that can damage the thyroid and the small intestine.“They called me and told me, ‘Don’t go into work. Go to the hospital instead, because you’re days away from multiple organ failure,’” Ms. AlTai remembered. The two chronic diseases had upended her ability to regulate hormones and absorb critical vitamins and nutrients.Scientists now know that stress is intimately linked with many chronic diseases: It can drive immune changes and inflammation in the body that can worsen symptoms of conditions like asthma, heart disease, arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease. Meanwhile, many issues caused by stress — headaches, heartburn, blood pressure problems, mood changes — can also be symptoms of chronic illnesses.For doctors and patients, this overlap can be confusing: Is stress the sole cause of someone’s symptoms, or is something more serious at play?“It’s really hard to disentangle,” said Scott Russo, director of the Brain-Body Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.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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      3 Exercises to Test Your Physical Fitness Level

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      How do you know if you are fit? Or, at least, fit enough? And how can you tell if your fitness is improving?You have to test yourself. And while most people haven’t participated in a fitness evaluation since their high school Presidential Physical Fitness Test, it’s good to occasionally check in on your progress.“It’s very important to know that what you’re doing is working,” said Matt Fitzgerald, coach and author of “Run Like a Pro (Even if You’re Slow).” “Then you can course correct if what you’re doing is not working.”In fact, some experts say that testing yourself every three to six months can tell you more about your fitness than looking at daily performance, which often varies significantly. While fitness can be measured — and expressed — in many ways, here are three tests designed to track strength and cardiovascular fitness that can be done with little or no equipment.Jump ahead• The Dead Hang for grip strength• The Cooper Test for cardiovascular fitness• The Plank for core strength

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