Month: February 2022

Mobility workouts are having a moment, and we fully support it. This type of training can help you manage achy joints, improve your performance in workouts, ease your way back from an injury, protect your long-term health . . . we could go on, but there’s a workout to get to. Let’s just say these routines are good for basically everyone, no matter your goals.

Wondering where to start? We recommend this 20-minute full-body mobility workout created by Jennifer Nagel, ACE-certified personal trainer and CEO of Figured Out Fitness. The goal: “to ensure safe and effective movement,” Nagel says, both in your workouts and in day-to-day life. She describes mobility as the ability of a joint to move freely through its range of motion, so doing mobility workouts like this one can prevent injury and improve both your range of motion and your performance in workouts. “This is helpful to all exercisers, from casual weekend golfers to professional athletes,” Nagel says.

She recommends doing a few mobility moves before a workout or completing a separate mobility workout on its own (see below, hint hint). And since mobility exercises move you through your range of motion without putting stress on your muscles and joints, Nagel says it’s safe to do mobility workout, like this full-body routine, every day. As usual, make sure to listen to your body and space the workouts out if you need to, especially if you’re new to mobility training.

That brings us to this 20-minute mobility workout, which focuses on improving mobility in your shoulders, hips, and trunk to aid you in every kind of movement. Set aside time and give it a try to improve your overall health.

20-Minute Full-Body Mobility Workout

Equipment needed: a towel or resistance band, as well as a sturdy chair or surface for balance (optional).

Directions: Warm up with five minutes of light cardio, such as walking, marching in place, or an elliptical. Then start the workout below, following the rep counts and rest times indicated. (Feel free to rest more as your body needs.) Cool down afterwards with full-body stretches to promote flexibility.

Mariah Bell and Nathan Chen grew up in the figure-skating world and naturally formed a friendship. They both train under coach Rafael Arutyunyan — Bell joined Arutyunyan’s training group in 2016, and Chen had already been with him since age 11. Seeing Chen and Bell support each other during the Beijing Winter Olympics was a sure highlight of these Games amid what’s proven to be an extended period of overwhelming uncertainty and tension in the figure skating competition.

“[Chen is] really, truly one of my best friends in the world,” Bell told People ahead of the Winter Olympics. “I’ve known him for so long. When we started training together, we started to talk more and we have the exact same sense of humor. We’re both huge dorks and we just get along really well and also with the people that we train with, so we just have a really great community. But it’s so cool to go to the Olympics with him. I’ve seen him have so much success over the last couple years. To be there myself and competing too, we get to support each other.”

Chen echoed that sentiment when interviewed by NBC Olympics, saying, “We’ve shared a lot of experiences over the past. She is someone who has become so near and dear to me.” Bell revealed in the same interview segment that they have game nights at home, and Olympian Adam Rippon, who also coaches Bell, called the pair’s relationship a special one.

Chen had a show-stopping Olympics with a short-program world record, gold medal in the men’s singles event, and team silver (though pending results from investigations into Kamila Valieva and her camp, this may upgrade to gold). Bell had a fall in the women’s short program, but she still skated with the effervescence and effortless artistry she’s known for. She finished in 10th.

The duo were on the sidelines, ready with congratulatory praise and hugs (and if you want to see Bell half-lift Chen into the air after his gold-medal victory, you should check out this behind-the-scenes video). Ahead, you’ll find some Chen and Bell greatness from Beijing and over the years.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a category of healthy fatty acids that help form the structures of cell membranes, provide energy for the body, and support heart health. To experience these benefits, the Institute of Medicine recommends adults take in between 1.1 and 1.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids every day, depending on factors like a person’s age and pregnancy status. There are various types of omega-3 fatty acids, however, the big three to keep an eye out for are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

ALA can not be made by the body and is therefore considered to be an essential fatty acid that you can only obtain from specific foods in your diet. According to one study, ALA has also been shown to support brain health, and can potentially offer protection against age-related cognitive decline.

Small amounts of DHA and EPA can be synthesized in the body, but it’s still not enough to fuel the body with adequate amounts to do perform its necessary functions. Therefore, it is important to incorporate these fatty acids into your diet as well. DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids play particularly important roles during pregnancy, with one study showing that adequate intake of these two omegas have been linked to a slew of positive health outcomes, like reduced risk of developing postpartum depression and helping develop the baby’s cognitive and visual development.

Whether you’re trying to maximize your nutrients while you’re pregnant, or trying to just have a more balanced diet, eating enough omegas is always a good idea. To get your daily omega-3 boost, you should include foods that naturally contain this key nutrient in your diet every single day. Of course, if you have a hard time eating these foods consistently, a supplement can always be considered.

1. Walnuts

Walnuts are the only tree nut that is an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid. A one-ounce serving of walnuts provides 2.5 grams of this fatty acid. Along with the healthy fats that these nuts provide, they also contain fiber, plant-based protein, and vitamins and minerals that support overall wellness.

2. Salmon

Salmon is one of the best sources of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, making it a fantastic food to eat when trying to get in those important omegas. Including salmon in a variety of recipes can be a simple way to ensure your body is being fueled with the DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids that it needs. A 3-ounce portion of salmon contains roughly 0.9 grams of DHA and 0.23 grams of EPA.

3. Oysters

Oysters can give your body a serious boost of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. Just remember to avoid eating them raw if you are pregnant to reduce your risk of experiencing a foodborne illness. 3 ounces of oysters contain 0.212 grams of DHA and 0.4 grams of EPA.

4. Caviar

These fish eggs are jam-packed with DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids. If you are a sushi lover, know that the fish roe found on the outside of your rolls is an excellent source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids too. 1 ounce of black and red caviar contains 1 gram of DHA and 0.78 grams of EPA.

5. Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are a plant-based source of ALA omega-3 fatty acids, making them a great addition to your oatmeal, smoothie, and bread recipes. Since the shell of the flaxseed can be hard for your body to absorb its nutrients, freshly ground flax seeds are often recommended. 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds contains 2.35 grams of ALA, per The National Institutes of Health.

6. Soybeans

Tofu, edamame, and roasted soybean snacks are all great sources of ALA omega-3 fatty acids. Leaning on soybeans as a protein source can fuel your body with this key fatty acid and fiber. ½ cup of frozen edamame contains 0.28 grams of ALA, per The National Institutes of Health.

7. Grass-fed Beef

Since grass is a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, it makes sense that any animal that eats grass would also contain this fatty acid as well. Grass-fed beef contains healthy omegas along with key nutrients that many of us don’t get enough of in our diets, including iron and zinc. The amount of omega 3s provided by grass-fed beef can vary based on various factors.

8. Spinach

Spinach may be known for its vitamin and mineral content, but this low-calorie veggie is also a great plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Combining some cooked spinach with a piece of baked fish will give your body a well-rounded and balanced meal containing a variety of omega-3 fatty acids. ½ cup of cooked spinach contains 0.83 grams of ALA omega-3s.

9. Hemp Seeds

No matter whether they are sprinkled on your avocado toast, added to your salad, or included in your smoothie, enjoying hemp seeds can give you some important plant-based ALA omega-3s. Although these seeds won’t give you as much of this healthy fat as flax seeds, they can still be a healthy addition to your diet that can give your dishes a satisfying, nutty taste. 3 tablespoons of hemp seed contains 2.6 grams of ALA.

10. Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are jam-packed with fiber, iron, calcium, and a slew of other key nutrients. Simply adding these tiny seed to your dishes will help you meet your quota for omega-3 fatty acids. It should be noted that eating chia seeds that are freshly ground may help your body absorb more ALA omega-3 fatty acids, so consider taking that extra step if you want to maximize your omega-3 fatty acid intake. 1 ounce of chia seeds contains 5 grams of ALA, per The National Institutes of Health.

11. Avocado

As if we need another reason to love avocados! This fruit is a natural source of ALA omega-3 fatty acids. While it doesn’t contain a huge amount of this key fatty acid, it offers up more than other fruit varieties. Adding avocados to your dishes is no sacrifice, as most of us are already sold on enjoying dishes like guacamole and smoothies that have this fruit. One-half of a medium avocado contains 0.112 gram of ALA per The National Institute of Health.

12. Sardines

Sardines are jam-packed with DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids. And since they are lower on the seafood food chain, sardines have a lower methyl mercury content compared to other fish choices (making them an excellent omega-3 choice for pregnant people). 3 ounces of sardines contain 0.74 grams of DHA and 0.45 grams of EPA, per The National Institutes of Health.

13. Shrimp

If you are more of a shellfish lover than a fish aficionado, know that you can get some DHA and EPA omegas from eating foods like shrimp. To get more shrimp in your diet, try out a shrimp curry stir fry or a delicious honey garlic shrimp dish one night this week. 3 ounces of shrimp contains 0.12 grams of both DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, per The National Institutes of Health.

14. DHA Fortified Orange Juice and Milk

Certain orange juice and milk manufacturers are now adding DHA to their products to help people get in this crucial nutrient in a simple way. The addition doesn’t affect the taste of the popular fridge staples, but it helps people who don’t eat a ton of fish. The amount of DHA omega-3 fatty acids found in these products varies depending on the manufacturer.

US skier Mikaela Shiffrin posted this powerful and uplifting video to her Instagram account for people dealing with hateful comments. Although people have shown overwhelming kindness in response to what the 26-year-old called “failures” and Shiffrin is aware of all the positives amid her defeat at the 2022 Winter Olympics, she wanted to share this message. Her caption read, “My message for the peeps who receive the hate . . . all love for you here, you’re beautiful.”

Shiffrin said in the video, referring to last night’s previous Instagram post, that it was intended for those people who are getting hate. Looking straight into the camera, Shiffrin said candidly, “I truly believe that if you try to address the haters by hating on the haters, it really only continues to spread hate, and it doesn’t fix the problem.”

She mentioned that the haters have decided that they want to hate you, so there’s nothing you can really do to stop them. “You really might as well not waste your energy on that,” Shiffrin said. But she wanted to send some words of support to those on the receiving end of those hateful comments and messages that she said, “make you feel about this small, and that make you feel like your entire self-worth is summed up in an awful sentence, sent by an awful person, who thinks awful things about you.”

Shiffrin doesn’t want those types of hateful comments to stop you. Her advice is “to get up, and to keep going, get out of bed the next day, even though you’re getting these messages that make you feel AWFUl.”

She said those comments are always going to be there, and “You can choose to take them, and dwell on them, and let them make you want to retire, let them make you want to disappear, and just never be seen again. Or you can just say, ‘Hey! I’ve got a great sense of humor, and I’ve got a lot more to give to this world, so back off, and let me do my thing.'”

To the people getting these messages, Shiffrin said, “I think a lot of you have that fire in you. So you just go for it!” She said not to waste your time sending messages to your haters because they don’t deserve your energy being wasted on them. She said with a smile, “You just spread the message to the next person who’s getting hate, keep on going, keep on getting up, and do your thing. And that’s beautiful.”

If you want to take your home workouts to a whole new level and elevate your home gym — literally! — get your hands on a POPSUGAR Step Deck ($35). It weighs under six pounds and is just over two feet long; it’s a versatile piece of workout equipment you can use for cardio and strength training. Since it’s adjustable to two heights, it’s perfect for all levels of fitness. Keep reading to see closeup pics of the Step Deck and to learn how to use it effectively to strengthen your muscles and get your heart rate up.

Competing at the Olympics is the pinnacle of any athlete’s career. For figure skaters, the Winter Games mark the culmination of years of intense dedication and training, and there’s nothing quite like seeing an athlete capture their “Olympic moment,” when everything comes together at exactly the right time. With that level of pressure, though, there’s also a good deal of heartbreak, and at times, even moments that are so difficult to watch, they stay with us for years.

Since making its Olympic debut, figure skating has seen a number of particularly memorable moments, from unforgettable victories to redemption arcs to scandals that forever changed the sport. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will undoubtedly go down in history not only for its breathtaking performances, but also for the unusual events that cast a pall over the competition. As these Games come to a close, let’s look back at some of the most significant moments in Olympic figure skating history — for better and for worse.

Ashley Wagner is a three-time US champion, 2014 Olympian, and “very” retired figure skater. She’s also a host of Peacock’s “Olympic Ice.” Here, Wagner reacts to the ruling that allowed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to continue competing at the Beijing Olympics despite testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) temporarily suspended — then reinstated — Valieva, and a Court of Arbitration For Sport’s (CAS) panel confirmed that her provisional suspension should remain lifted. On Feb. 17, Valieva came in fourth in the women’s figure skating competition after multiple falls.

I remember waking up and looking at my phone. It was 4 a.m., I’d gotten two hours of sleep, and I had to keep reading over my texts with the news Kamila was allowed to compete, because, in my mind, there was no way she could skate. It’s the wrong decision in so many ways that it was almost unbelievable. But it isn’t about her — it’s about everything that has happened to get her to this point and the adults who have failed to protect her from becoming the face of a scandal much bigger than her.

I had a lot of emotions watching Kamila skate: I was infuriated and heartbroken because a 15-year-old girl was at the center of this scandal, and allowing her to compete was just a slap in the face to clean athletes who have had to play the game fair. There have been countless electric, exciting moments that have happened out on Olympic ice, but they’ve been completely overshadowed by this scandal.

If I was competing, it would be so hard to not only focus on myself, but to feel like anything I did out there actually mattered. CAS argued suspending Kamila would cause “irreparable harm,” but letting her publicly crumble under pressure is irreparable harm. I will never forget seeing Anna Shcherbakova standing by herself, holding a teddy bear, stone-faced despite being just crowned Olympic champion. I’ll never forget Alexandra Trusova screaming after she realized she didn’t win. The chaos following that event was not because these athletes weren’t equipped for failure. It was a reaction to a toxic pressure-cooker environment where value is tied to results and nothing else.

Kamila is an extremely talented athlete, though she will never know how good she could have been. I believe she really is one of the best in the world, but now you can’t definitively say that, and her team is taking that credibility away from her. We will always look back on her career through the lens of this doping scandal.

I’ve been in this sport for 25 years. I competed in Sochi 2014, and when I found out two years later that over a dozen Russian athletes who’d won medals in Sochi were tied to a state-run doping scheme, the entire foundation that sports were built on was shaken. We just had to blindly trust that the people in charge would do the right thing. Now, we were put in a situation where an athlete who absolutely shouldn’t have been out on the ice got the green light to compete. To me, it felt like we were prioritizing the promise of one gold medal over the longevity and well-being of this sport.

In the past, if you tested positive for a banned substance, you were out. You didn’t get the benefit of the doubt, and if you wanted to challenge it, you had to wait on the sidelines. We have seen that precedent established with many athletes who came before Kamila. In January 2021, American pairs skater Jessica Calalang tested positive for a banned substance (4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid). She didn’t understand how it happened, but while they were going through all this jurisdiction, she was not allowed to skate, and she lost months of training. It turns out that it was in her cosmetic preservatives, and she was cleared by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) eight months later.

Look at Sha’Carri Richardson, who tested positive for a drug that wasn’t even a PED (performance-enhancing drug), and immediately, just like that, she was suspended by USADA ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. USADA and, in Kamila’s case, RUSADA are two anti-doping agencies, but the standards at which they hold their athletes are so wildly different.

Though I know what it’s like to be 15 in this sport and feel like you don’t get to call the shots in your own life, no one knows how much power Kamila has in hers. I also cannot speak to what it’s like training in Russia. However, this is a federation that has proven it is willing to participate in state-wide doping in order to guarantee the success of its athletes. I don’t quite see what the next move is to bring any believability to its integrity in the sport.

That being said, figure skating always boils down to those who have power and those who do not. It is time to dismantle a culture where the adults in charge value the performance of the athlete more than the well-being of the person. Kamila, at just 15, is in an impossible position, and it becomes really difficult to believe that there wasn’t an adult in charge who opened this door for her to walk through. She is now bearing the weight of a broken system, and she is the face of it, and that’s not her obligation. That’s not her responsibility.

How are we still here? It’s been eight years since Sochi, and still, we can’t completely guarantee everyone is playing by the rules. If figure skating is ever going to move past this, we need to know that athletes are showing up and skating clean. We need to know the people in charge of making the right choices will do so. It’s also time to raise the age limit for senior competitors; we can’t function under a system where your age allows you to be treated as an adult only when it serves you. The second step is making sure that every single anti-doping agency is functioning under the same set of standards.

I have always been an advocate for women and children in this sport, and I will continue to do so. Unfortunately, we’re at this point where in order to advocate for positive change, we have to shine a light on one particular person because she’s an example of the flaws that are deeply ingrained in this system.

As told to Sam Brodsky

California is officially shifting gears when it comes to statewide COVID-19 protection measures, becoming the first US state to announce an endemic-based approach. Centered on prevention and rapid response to outbreaks rather than mandates and shutdowns, the new plan could be a look into the future of COVID-19 measures across the US. So what’s different about it, and what does it mean for the rest of the country?

Announced on Feb. 18, California’s endemic plan is called SMARTER, which stands for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education, and Rx (forms of treatment for COVID-19) — the pillars of the state’s evolving approach to the virus. Specifically, goals include increasing vaccination rates (especially among children); stockpiling tests, masks, and personal protection equipment (PPE); tracking cases and quickly identifying new variants; and using education to combat pandemic misinformation. With these initiatives, the state will begin “moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus,” California governor Gavin Newsom said in a press conference on Thursday. Along those lines, California recently lifted indoor mask requirements and plans to set a date for ending mask requirements for children in schools.

Rather than simply removing these measures, California seeks to replace them with a forward-thinking plan that addresses the virus as a less powerful but still active threat. In other words, it seeks to treat COVID-19 as an endemic disease — still present in the community but increasingly manageable as collective immunity increases. During the press conference, Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH, California’s secretary of health and human services, explained that California will adjust its approach based on how the virus changes over time. If the virus’s symptoms become more severe, the state will monitor infection rates; if the virus begins spreading more quickly, it will keep an eye on hospitalization rates and respond accordingly.

This endemic plan is the first of its kind in the US, but it also feels like the logical next step, experts say. With California’s case numbers dwindling, “the timing is right on,” said Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH, an epidemiologist at the University of Southern California, in an interview with NPR. Strict testing and surveillance of the virus, along with advanced vaccination and treatment measures, “make it appropriate to shift our response from a pandemic response of trying to do everything possible, to a more rational response to try to implement things that we have strong evidence that work,” said Dr. Klausner.

It’s no secret that approaches COVID have varied across state (and sometimes city and county) lines since the start of the pandemic, but California’s plan may offer a glimpse at a sustainable way forward. The state was the first to implement a lockdown in March 2020 and has maintained a “thoughtful approach” to the pandemic, said Robert Wachter, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco, in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News. While Newsom has been criticized for the state’s aggressive approach to the pandemic and his own maskless outings, Dr. Wachter noted that California has the “lowest per-capita death rate of any large American state.” He said he was “impressed” by the plan, which applies lessons learned in the past two years to create “the smartest possible approach to this rapidly evolving threat.” NPR reports that other countries are beginning to take an endemic approach to the virus as well.

As the shape of the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve, we may see more plans that similarly maintain guidelines and remove mandates one by one while aiming for a shift back to some degree of normalcy. “We move out of the pandemic phase, and we move into a phase which should allow confidence that we are not walking away,” Newsom said during the press conference. “That we’re taking the lessons learned, and we’re leaning into the future.”

Therabody, the makers of Theragun massage guns, sent me the new RecoveryAir JetBoots to test out. These super-long boots zip up the entire length of your legs. They have a wireless pump integrated into the boots and fill up with air to offer pneumatic compression therapy. Basically that’s a fancy term for squeezing your legs in a delicious, amazingly relaxing way to help with muscle recovery.

What Are the Benefits of Pneumatic Compression Therapy?

According to the website, compression therapy is used for recovery and to recharge your muscles. Some of the benefits the site mentions include:

Lately my workouts have consisted of long-distance rowing, hiking, strength training, and yoga, and my legs get so sore. Although I’ve used (and loved!) Theragun massage guns, I’ve never used anything like these. Keep reading to find out how it feels to use these RecoveryAir JetBoots (hint: it’s like a massage!); if they helped with tight, sore muscles; and how much they cost.