Fitness

“‘Fill your mind with courage and your heart with faith. Everything is going to work out even better than you had hoped!’ I use this quote when there’s any fear involved with a risk I’m about to take or a hard task I’m about to attempt. It allows me to continue to put myself out

Katie Ledecky doesn’t mean to be so iconic. When asked how she built her confidence as a young athlete, the Stanford grad and Olympic athlete thinks carefully before admitting, “I guess I’ve kind of had it for as long as I can remember.” She credits her mom for getting her in the pool, and various

I never ran before getting sick. Most days, my health was a constant I didn’t even think to acknowledge — a kind of ignorance I almost envy now. After contracting COVID and surviving two strokes, I spent months in and out of hospitals, focusing only on recovery. My resting heart rate remained in the triple

Ashlee Green was an active child growing up. “But active in the sense that I used to play outside with my friends and was drinking water from the water hose,” she tells POPSUGAR. “I didn’t play sports. I was too scared.” Founding a media company for Black women runners, RunGrl, was definitely absent from her

After spending a month in a blue zone, dietitian and content creator Maggie Hennigan felt so good, she decided to start re-creating some of her favorite blue zone meals at home. “As a registered dietitian, I’m challenging myself in 2024 to make my life as much like a blue zone as possible, and obviously that

There are so many aspects of health that disproportionately affect the Black community, and yet less than six percent of US doctors are Black — a deficit that only further harms public health. Many of the Black folks who work in healthcare have dedicated their careers to combatting inequities. That’s why, this Black History Month,

Pope Francis might not have meant to target the LGBTQ+ community when he called for a global surrogacy ban, but that didn’t soften the blow. On Jan. 8, the pope gave a speech in Vatican City in which he described the process so many people rely on for family building as “deplorable,” as the Associated

After seeing a few posts about posture correctors on social media, I quickly turned my attention to my own posture. In that moment, slouched over my phone and mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, my posture was anything but correct. I kept my shoulders rounded and my head tipped forward, letting my lower back deal with the

For days filled with hikes, treks, sightseeing, and other adventures, you’ll want gear that’s flexible and agile, without sacrificing comfort or style. That’s why I opted for two of Lululemon’s bestsellers, the Align High-Rise Pant ($98) and the Scuba Oversized Half-Zip Hoodie ($118). The Align pants are lightweight, breathable, and move with my body, with

Periods can be unpredictable, and period blood is no different. Although it’s normal for period blood colors to range from light pink to dark black, it may feel unsettling to see a different shade — especially when you don’t know what’s causing the change. While some period blood colors may be indicative of a bigger

All runners know that cross-training is essential — but forcing themselves to actually do it can be a struggle. That’s why we love this circuit, led by fitness instructor Ashley Joi. It’s actually the first of a three-episode runner’s series presented by 26.2 Team Milk, and it’s designed to boost your running endurance and help

No matter how fast she’s going, Kathrine Switzer always gets the job done. As the first American woman to officially finish the Boston Marathon in 1967, Switzer has dedicated her life to carving out space for female athletes, encouraging women to defy limitations and live more fearlessly. She originally caught international attention after a race

Aphasia affects two million Americans, according to the National Aphasia Association (NAA), but a 2016 survey from the organization found that less than nine percent of respondents knew what the condition was. Visibility is increasing as celebrities like Bruce Willis, who went public in March 2022 about his diagnosis, and Wendy Williams (who was recently

If you’ve ever been to a college volleyball match, you know things can get intense. Whether it’s a killer block, elite dig, or perfectly executed bump, the game is full of skill. But there’s been a major change to NCAA women’s volleyball rules as you may know it: double contacts are now allowed. A double

Having clogged, stuffy sinuses is hardly a picnic, which is why plenty of people turn to Neti pots to help clear things out. But nasal irrigation at home is a little tricky if you’ve never done it before — and that can leave you wondering how to use a neti pot. A neti pot, in

Learning how to run longer can feel like gaining a superpower. Distances you used to only drive across suddenly become something you can cover on your own two feet. Still, heading out the door for multiple miles can be incredibly intimidating. And in the process of building up your endurance, it’s easy to make mistakes

Here’s a split stretch to work one hamstring at a time. You’ll feel this in your lower back, too, and it’ll also begin to open your hips. Sit on the floor with both legs extended in front of you. Bend your left knee and pull the sole of your foot against your right inner thigh.

So you want to run your first half marathon? You’re going to need one thing: a desire to run … a lot. With the right approach, almost anyone can tackle 13.1 miles, but following a half-marathon training schedule for beginners is a major time commitment. “To take on a half marathon, you have to really

I wish I could say I was surprised. Shocked, hurt, appalled, disgusted. I wish I could feel furious, seething, incandescent with rage, irate. All of those would be appropriate responses — or maybe not. Maybe there is no appropriate response to the death of a child. Maybe I just want to be able to communicate

I was a competitive distance runner for years, and my teammates had a saying to help motivate us on days when we weren’t feeling it: You never regret going for a run. It was true — we all felt happier, peppier…and just better after going on runs. In college, I regularly logged 90 miles a

Ever wonder why your runs seem so inconsistent? If you feel like you have endless energy some days, while others leave you gasping for air, your breath might be the culprit. Although performance can also be affected by your diet, amount of sleep, and stress levels, learning how to breathe when running can make a

In December 2020, the Cancer Support Community AZ approached gallery director Michael Denson about a new exhibit. “It was an exciting concept where artists were given radiation masks of cancer patients and commissioned to create works of art based on the patient’s story,” Denson tells POPSUGAR. “At the time of our initial planning, my father

On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization are people under state law, and that anyone can be held liable for destroying them. In effect, the ruling could heavily impact access to IVF clinics in the state, which may opt to shut down or move to other states

Editor’s Note: We at POPSUGAR recognize that people of many genders and identities have vaginas and uteruses, not just those who are women. For this particular story, we interviewed experts who generally referred to people with vaginas and uteruses as women. If you’ve ever been asked yourself “why does my vagina smell?” after a tough

“Hot girls have stomach issues” is emblazoned across a crop top in bubbly pink letters. If the shirt doesn’t spark joy for you, you can always try a mug, tastefully spackled with pastel gut flora, or maybe an understated tote bag stamped with the same phrase in a similarly plump typeface. In recent months, the

Image Source: Christa Janine When many people think about having a strong core they automatically envision a six-pack. I’ve lost count of how often I’ve been asked as a fitness instructor, “What are the best ab exercises to get a flat stomach?” Though I’m all for having the aesthetic you desire, by only focusing on

Two pieces of personal information. That’s all you need to give Charley, the chatbot, for extensive guidance on how to get an abortion near you. In a post-Roe era, where large parts of the US have criminalized the act of providing abortion care, the resource seems particularly useful. But for some living in states with

Sodas have been getting a bad rap since at least the 1940s, when the American Medical Association called them out specifically in a recommendation to limit sugar intake. But now, soda is at the center of a major wellness trend. We’re talking about prebiotic and probiotic sodas, which are hitting shelves as “better for you”