You already know walking is good for you, and it’s fun to walk with a significant other – but if you’re doing that for exercise, a new study shows that having a partner may actually reduce the health benefits of walking!

The study found that the slower walked didn’t speed up to keep up with the faster one – it was the opposite. And holding hands quickly transformed a brisk walk into something that is even less of a workout.

When walking solo, people walked fastest. A brisk pace is what doctors recommend to take advantage of all the benefits of walking, including improved heart health, lower blood pressure and weight maintenance. So, couples who consistently walk together for exercise may not get the health boost they’re hoping for.

However, it’s important to walk rather than not walk – so even if it’s slower, a significant other may give you emotional benefits. Mental health will get a boost as you spend time together and connect with nature.

But if you want to continue walking for exercise, and still want the company, consider a fitness tracker that can help you prod your partner to pick up the pace.

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If you want a bit more energy during the day, there’s a few things you can do each morning to help out the rest of the day:

First things first – even before you get out of bed, take ten deep breaths. Closing your eyes and focusing on breathing can help you start the day more relaxed.

Drink more water – while you should be doing it throughout the day already, if you’ve been asleep for a few hours, that means your body has gone all that time without hydrating. Coffee counts towards this, but make sure you get regular water too.

It’s hard to motivate yourself to exercising first thing in the morning, but those who do usually have more energy for the rest of the day.

Have a proper breakfast – high in protein and good fats will help maintain energy; a lot of sugar will bring that inevitable crash later in the day.

And finally, don’t check your phone right when you get up – keep boundaries and don’t check e-mail or social media right away, and your day will start off on a better note.

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Many of us struggle with weight loss, but beyond diet and exercise, there’s another thing you may not have tried – sleeping more!

A new study tracked how many hours people slept with how many calories they consumed. Participants who got a full 8 hours consumed on average 270 fewer calories per day. For some it was as many as 500 calories.

It really didn’t have to do with staying in bed longer, which meant they were awake less – it had to do with key hormones that control our hunger feelings. When we’re sleep deprived, we eat worse, and we simply feel less hungry when we’re well rested.

If you can get the full 8 hours, cutting 270 calories per day is a lot – it’ll be about 9 pounds a year.

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When you hear the word exercise, you think about working out in the gym, running, or other strenuous activities. But what’s the hot new trend in exercise? Doing nothing and not breaking a sweat!

A new report shows that many gyms are offering mellow workout classes.

Gentle workouts are in demand – like meditation and yoga. And now gyms have recovery rooms, where you can lounge, or grab a massage. Stretching classes exist too, where you can just lie down on a pillow if you want.

Part of the reason is that the pandemic led to us being more out of shape than usual, so we’re taking it slower. But our priorities have changed – we care less about looking good and would simply rather feel good.

So, next time you hit the gym…relax!

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