Tausi Insider

M emories of my mom reminding me to “Sit up straight!” come to mind every time I think about my sometimes less-than-stellar posture. Younger me may have thought it was just a bit of harmless nagging, but now that I am in my mid-thirties, I can really feel that lower back ache after a day of sitting at the office. It’s hard not to think I should have heeded that advice a bit more. (Okay, okay, I hear you, Mom!) According to the National Library of Medicine , correct posture can reduce back pain, an issue that affects more than one fourth of the working population. But while most of us know we should focus on keeping our body in alignment, how much should we really be working on it? According to physical therapist Femi Betiku, DPT, a certified Pilates instructor for Club Pilates , the answer is pretty often—daily, to be exact. “I would recommend posture exercises be done every single day, alongside mindfulness to correct...

W e’ve all been there: You're trying to get into that perfect party dress, but you can't seem to get your arm and shoulder to bend in the way you need them to in order to get that zipper all the way up. It can be level-ten frustrating. Not this year! We’ve got you covered with four easy stretches that home in on shoulder mobility so you can break out your best holiday dresses—zippers and all. “Reaching up to zip a dress requires internal rotation of the shoulder, as well as flexion of the elbow, wrist, and a stretch of your chest,” says Austin Martinez, MS, CSCS, ATC, vice president of training and experience with national assisted stretching studios, StretchLab . “A more mobile shoulder joint can help you better reach your arm behind your back and up farther between your shoulder blades.” While some people naturally have more range of motion than others, Martinez explains that chronic poor posture can make your...

There is little doubt that human bodies come in different shapes and sizes. Although all humans can stimulate muscle hypertrophy, genetic predisposition most certainly plays a role in how fast an individual gains muscle, how strong they can become, and how much skeletal muscle mass they can build before the body no longer responds well to training.

I mproving your posture isn’t a one-and-done kind of endeavor. Standing tall requires muscles that are strong enough to hold you upright, and but also long and loose enough to stay open. It’s actually a circular conundrum: Poor posture can negatively affect your mobility, and decreased mobility will affect your posture, which will cause your muscles to shorten and weaken—and make it harder to hold yourself upright. "One of the biggest factors to compromise mobility is poor posture,” Emily Kiberd, DC, a chiropractor at Urban Wellness Clinic , previously told Well+Good. “Weak muscles from sitting too much can lead to compensations in the body which can prohibit mobility, and cause joint degeneration, tight muscles, and headaches." How can we stop the cycle? By practicing exercises that strengthen our upper back and shoulders, as well as integrating lengthening stretches, and mobilizing rotations. This new workou...

I f you’ve been struggling with long COVID, a new study shows there might be a surprising path to recovery: Pilates. The research, published in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach , found that long COVID sufferers—who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and had reported shortness of breath and fatigue since being discharged—saw their lung function increase by a staggering 34 percent following an eight-week Pilates program. More specifically, those who undertook an aqua Pilates course improved their lung function by 34.7 percent, while those who did traditional Pilates improved by 32.3 percent. There was also a significant improvement in quality of life scores for both groups. Research co-author Cain Clark , associate professor of epidemiology and statistics at Coventry University, UK, says the results are "clinically significant" and represent "a "pretty big increase." The preliminary s...

Sodium intake seems to be somewhat of an issue here in America. Even national dietary guidelines for Americans urge dietary habits that would inevitably decrease total intake such as minimizing intake of processed meats and dairy products (1). Why the push to lower sodium intake? Why is it such an issue, and are you someone who should start cutting back on salt? Read below for tips on how to manage our sodium intake and see why salt really isn’t that bad.

Anyone who has ever tried to get more muscle definition in their calves knows that it can sometimes be a tough task. Training your calves for muscle growth takes intentional effort, time, and a solid plan. To grow your calves, you want to choose the right exercises and perform the right number of reps and sets to see results. This article will show you how.

T he latest TikTok fitness trend isn’t a new treadmill routine or push-up challenge: It’s seated calf raises. Namely, it utilizes the soleus muscle, which runs from below the knee down to the heel. As published in the journal iScience , researchers from the University of Houston found that doing “soleus pushups” (SPUs)—which involve raising and lowering your heels while seated—can help your body regulate glucose and improve its metabolizing of fat. TikTokkers have gotten wind of the study, and some have  published viral videos about the supposedly easy way to juice your metabolism. In fact, experts agree that these findings are exciting. Your metabolic processes can slow down when you’re sitting still for long periods of time, so SPUs could be a way to inject an activity that has a meaningful effect into the lives of people who would otherwise be stationary for hours on end. “The interesting thing here, which I haven...

M y first three New York City apartments were sixth-floor walk-ups. My roommate and I used to joke that we were training to summit Mt. Everest, but no matter how many hundreds of times we worked our way up those endless steps, we were winded by the time we hit level two. It didn't make sense: We were making the climb at least once a day, every day, but it never got easier. According to a cardiologist, if you too, are out of breath by the time you reach the top of your steps, it has absolutely nothing to do with how "in shape" you actually are. "The medical terminology for ‘getting winded’ is dyspnea," says Satjit Bhusri, MD , cardiologist and founder of Upper East Side Cardiology . This phenomenon, he adds, occurs when your heart is "working in overdrive" when you're exerting your muscles in strenuous activities, like walking up a steep flight of stairs. "Your muscles are deman...

T he Ergatta rower is the most handsome piece of workout equipment you’ll ever own. That’s not, however, the only thing that makes it great. Any rower is capable of engaging 86 percent of your muscles (unlike stationary bikes and treadmills), but Ergatta stands out for an engaging, gamified experience unlike any other. For the purposes of an in-depth and unbiased review of the Ergatta rower, I strapped in with the goal of rowing at least 100,000 meters. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. But getting there was easy because the Ergatta rower is cleverly designed to banish the monotony of rowing. For me, the best fitness equipment strikes a balance among price, design, technology, and functionality—something Ergatta manages to pull off with ease. In terms of connected fitness technology, Ergatta’s content philosophy is different. You're not following along with a human instructor who is motivating you ver...

T here’s a time at the end of most days where a transition occurs. You shut your laptop, or close your rings, or finally get the kids in bed, and it’s time for a shift from productivity mode to rest. Making that transition can be personal. Maybe you change into your favorite sweats, make a cup of tea, slowly cook a favorite meal, meditate, or do something else to change the channel on your state of being. But it also can feel difficult when so much of our labor—whether for work or for our families and personal lives—occurs at home. Which is why, if you’re looking for a way to shake off the day and move into a state of self-care, we humbly suggest a good stretch. Stretching at night has benefits for both your body and mind. It can create space in joints that have been condensed from staying in one position all day, and release endorphins that promote relaxation and calmness. “Stretching should be an important part of yo...

T his Thanksgiving morning, millions of runners will gather to jog through their hometowns, connect with family, friends and neighbors, and procrastinate on their cooking. Local Turkey Trots have made the holiday the most popular racing day of the year . And no, it’s not just because trotters want to feel better about their forthcoming afternoon feast. (PSA: You don’t have to “earn” your pie, holiday or not.) For many—whether they’re serious runners or only log these 3.1 miles a year—the Turkey Trot has come to be a ritual as integral to the holiday as watching the parade, eating mashed potatoes, or snoozing to the lullaby of a football game. We spoke to some devoted Turkey Trotters about their Thanksgiving running memories and what the tradition means to them. Kimberly Cherington Nags Head, North Carolina “I don’t remember the first official Turkey Trot I did, but Thanksgiving is a very important day for me to run. Tw...

Once you know your way around a gym, it’s relatively simple to start a new strength-training routine. What’s harder? Sticking with it.  “Something I love to speak to my clients about is that this is a lifestyle, and it takes a long time to see those gains,” says Kayla Jeter , a certified functional strength coach who’s a brand ambassador for both Lululemon and Garmin .  “Consistency over intensity is the name of the game for sure.” Jeter started strength training when she was 12 years old, when she first grew serious about volleyball (she later went on to play for the University of Tennessee and then professionally), and the time she’s put in at the gym over the years has taught her a lot about what truly helps you see results—and what doesn’t. Her 7 strength-training strategies that work Jeter gave us the rundown on the top strength-training strategies that work for her, including her favorite exercises, her go-to ge...

Each month, a new trainer takes us through four of the best workouts they have in their back pocket. Follow along weekly for new ways to sweat it out with us. See All As soon as they wake up, dogs take a luxurious stretch and invigorating shake to prepare their bodies for the day ahead , whether that includes hunting and running (like they evolved to do), or playing with toys and lazing about in the sun (like my dog does every day). We can learn a lot from their canine instincts: Getting the lead out first thing has benefits for humans, too. Both stretching and working out in the morning get our blood flowing, which helps our organs (including our brains) function properly, and sends oxygen to parts of our body that might be stiff after a night of sleep. More intense movement can reduce that a.m. brain fog, while gentle exercises may awaken our “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system, setting us up for some...

Y ou’ve probably heard at some point that you shouldn’t wear the same shoes for walking and running. And according to podiatrists, this is true! But what should you actually look for in each kind of sneaker to make sure you’re buying a smart, healthy pair? “There is no universal answer,” says Trent Brookshier, DPM , a podiatric surgeon in San Diego, California. “Just like all aspects of medicine, the treatment plan should be catered to each patient based on their unique needs.” Your body and foot type, for instance, can make a big difference in what kind of kicks will work best for you, says Dr. Brookshier. One example is flat feet versus high arches. “People who are more flat footed, or those who over-pronate ([when the] foot collapses or rolls in) will likely require more support,” he says. Podiatrists also consider body mass. “An individual who weighs 200 pounds will require a more stable, firm shoe compared to the pers...

E ven though there’s tons of research to attest to the fact that physical activity does a body good, the science itself isn't always enough to convince us to get up and moving. Some common mental blocks include self-doubt, comparison (the thief of joy in exercising), cognitive distortions—like all-or-nothing thinking—that can lead to overwhelm, and only believing you can exercise when you “feel like it.” Sound familiar? Well, sometimes the best way to get motivated to get moving is by harnessing the power of, well, a little movement. That’s where Erica Hornthal , LCPC, BC-DMT, a board-certified dance/movement therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor, can help. She recently shared a handful of her go-to movements that help her when she finds herself stuck in a fitness rut on her Instagram account . “These strategies come in handy when we are emotionally and cognitively feeling stuck, unmotivated, or out...