Christa Sgobba C.P.T.

In SELF’s new franchise, The Meal I Eat When I’m Feeling…, we talk with chefs, celebs, athletes, and people in the culinary space about the specific foods or meals they turn to amid certain emotions—and how eating their favorites plays a vital role in their self-care.As a Peloton instructor, podcast host, motivational speaker, Nike athlete, and best-selling author, Tunde Oyeneyin knows what a packed schedule feels like. But, as she’s learned, it’s not necessarily the specific events, or even the number of activities, that can drain you. What plays a bigger role? Her headspace as she prepares to tackle her to-do list.“You can have 17 things that are high priority on that list, and if you are fresh and in a good state of mind, then those 17 things can feel easy, like just part of the day ahead,” Oyeneyin tells SELF. “On the flip side, you can have just six things that are high priority, and if you’re not coming from a place of rest, then those six things can feel like a hundred.”Oyeneyin’s day-to-day can be physically taxing: Her cycling classes, bike boot camps, and new full-body strength routines are known to be sweatfests to the tens of thousands of Peloton subscribers who tune in to each one. Her days can be mentally taxing too: Her speaking events—whether she’s on stage for Nike or last year’s book tour for Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be—are just as high-energy. But if you prepare your body and mind for these efforts, you can tackle them feeling uplifted rather than depleted, Oyeneyin says. “You don’t have to wait for this ultimate breakdown to happen or for you to be completely empty [before focusing on replenishment],” she says. The key, according to Oyeneyin, is to make time for yourself to relax and recharge before your body battery starts to fizzle.“On my best days, I’m rejuvenating myself when I find myself at 70%,” she says. “Not only do you feel good and fresh and full, but you feel like you have so much to give to everybody you interact with.” An important part of Oyeneyin’s self-care routine—which she describes as “soul care”—is taking the time to nourish her body with food that prepares her for those physical undertakings and gives her joy and satisfaction when eating it. One dish she often finds herself reaching for? A watermelon and feta salad with onions, mint, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a touch of honey balsamic glaze. “It’s such a cool, refreshing salad,” Oyeneyin says. “The watermelon is so hydrating, the mint gives you that mojito-next-to-the-beach kind of feel, and who doesn’t love a little bit of salty cheese?”SELF sat down with Oyeneyin to chat about how the meal replenishes her—and how it just might hit the spot for you too.1. Don’t be afraid to stray outside your comfort zone.Though Oyeneyin has considered the watermelon and feta salad a staple for the last 10 years or so, she admits she didn’t find it quite so appealing at first. “The first time that I heard about this salad, it was kind of off-putting,” she says. The pairing of sweet and savory—the watermelon and cheese—seemed an unlikely combo, Oyeneyin says, and she wasn’t sure how tasty it would be when those two flavors merged.

SOS Stretches are designed to be done in the moment—when you need them most. These super quick routines will relieve tension and tightness, and ease sore muscles from whatever activity you’re taking part in. In today’s break from gaming routine, you’ll be:Stretching your: Wrists, forearms, shoulders, neck, back, legs, and hipsYou can do this: Wearing whatever clothes you have on, in any location, as long as you have room to stand up.When you’re in a gaming marathon, minutes can bleed into hours, and the hours can rack up fast too. Though you may not notice it when you’re engrossed in your screen, sitting for that long can cause your muscles to tighten up, leading to a sore, achy feeling that can suck the joy out of your latest endeavor.According to a 2022 review published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, video gaming can commonly lead to muscle pain or discomfort, particularly in the neck, back, shoulders, and hands. There are likely a couple reasons at play, the scientists believe—a combination of time spent continuously sitting and the repetitive movements of the upper limbs. But there are things you can do to feel better without having to unplug for the day.“Stretching and movement can help counteract this by increasing blood flow, reducing tension in the muscles, and giving the eyes a break from screen time,” Nikki Pebbles, MS, CPT, founder of Rock Your Body Online, tells SELF. That’s why Pebbles created the four-move gaming stretch routine below that video gamers can use to loosen up tightness in their upper body, lower body, and hands. Though you could do the first three stretches sitting or standing, Pebbles recommends taking this time to stand up, move around, and get the blood flowing before you get into the stretch.In fact, taking a few minutes every hour to stretch your body—this routine takes nine minutes, but one round takes just three—can make a day of gaming feel that much more pleasant, Pebbles says. “This can prevent any discomfort from setting in.”One more thing: While you’re doing this routine, make sure to give your eyes a break too. Try to focus on something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to let your eye-focusing muscles relax.DirectionsComplete each move for 30 seconds. After all 4 moves are done, repeat the circuit for 3 rounds total. This will take about 9 minutes.Demoing the moves below is Nikki Pebbles, a special populations personal trainer in New York City.

This article is part of SELF’s Keep It Hot package, a collection of content that celebrates love and lust. Throughout February, we’ll be dishing out advice and inspiration for feeling hot, getting horny, and nurturing romantic relationships.Sex can be a good workout, sure, but it also works the other way around: A workout can make for some pretty good sex too. All you need to do is keep a few things in mind when planning your routine to really bring on the bedroom benefits.Most important? Mobility, strength, and endurance, all of which can help you go the distance—and enjoy the process that much more, Lizzy Bristow, CSCS, owner of Body by Daddy who specializes in fitness for the LGBTQ+ community, tells SELF. She created the following strength workout for SELF that works on all of those factors and is sure to get you all fired up.You’ll begin with a warm-up, which is focused on getting your body nice and mobile so you feel comfortable moving through your full range of motion in the work that follows. Warming up your hips is particularly key, since your glutes play a clutch role in this routine and in the bedroom. You’ll also spend some time loosening up your back, shoulders, core, and spine for good measure.Your first set of work is a glutes-heavy superset, where you’ll stack a weighted hip thrust with a bodyweight glute bridge march. “In the bedroom, there’s a lot of thrusting motions, so that’s where strength comes in,” Bristow says. You’ll also be playing with tempos and pauses here, which gives your glutes that muscle memory of what more time under tension feels like—for when you need to hold that peak position just a bit longer.Katie ThompsonIt’s not all about thrusting, though: Your fingers, hands, and forearms need to be in just as tip-top shape. That’s why Bristow included four specific moves designed to build the muscular endurance you need for that delicate finger work—which, she says, can strain the small muscles in your digits as they move in and hold different positions.

Confession: While I love testing out new fitness trackers, I do not love the process of acclimating to new fitness trackers—so ones that are intuitive to use right out of the box are huge for me.I used the Google Pixel Watch with the Google Pixel 7 Pro phone, and found the connection to be seamless (The Pixel Watch only works with Google Pixel and Android phones). The watch syncs with your contacts, apps, and Google calendar on your phone, which makes communication between the two a breeze. My watch synced right away with the phone, and the setup was pain-free.Once it was ready to go, I found the Google Pixel Watch straightforward to use: You use swipes and taps on the touchscreen to maneuver the menus, as well as the two physical buttons (the bezel, which also allows you to scroll, and a low-profile button above it). Swipe to the left or right, and you see your main tiles, which include workout selection, daily steps, heart rate, sleep, weather, and calendar events. You can customize these tiles to your liking. Swipe down and you get the watch’s settings, and swipe up to scroll through your text, email, call, or other app notifications.I’m a huge fan of physical buttons on smartwatches, and I think the ones on the Pixel Watch are particularly useful. Press the bezel once, and you get a list of all your apps. Press it twice, and you pull up your Google Wallet, which allows you to make phone-free payments. As for the small button, a single press gives you a list of your most recent apps, while a long press brings up Google Assistant—which is voice-activated, and really helpful for immediately getting you exactly where you want to go. For instance, when I told it to text my partner, it not only brought up their contact screen, but guided me through creating and sending a voice-activated text.The AppsYou need two apps to use the Google Pixel Watch: the Watch app and the Fitbit app. Think of the Watch app like the foundation—I used this during setup, and haven’t really messed around with it since. This is where you choose your watch face, the tiles that’ll display on your watch’s screen, notification options, and apps to download. The Fitbit app is what I use on a daily basis: That’s where you get all your health metrics, such as steps, heart rate, and sleep tracking. It’s also where you get all the intel on your workouts.Exercise OptionsYour Google Pixel Watch will track up to 40 different kinds of workouts, from running to elliptical to CrossFit to weight lifting. At first, you’ll have to swipe through the entire list to find the one you want to track, but if you generally default to the same kinds of workouts, you’re in luck: The home exercise screen keeps tiles of your three most recently used icons front and center for easy access.I’m a runner, so how a fitness tracker measures running is important to me. I feel like the Pixel Watch was adequate on this front, but it could have been better. On the plus side, the running screen shows four metrics on the main screen—which you can customize—so you can see all the majors in one glance. For me, that’s time elapsed, distance, heart rate, and pace.

Social: @nikkipebblesAge: 34Location: Queens, New YorkOccupation: Special populations personal trainer and mental performance practitioner Favorite workout song on repeat: “Break the Ice” by Britney SpearsFavorite thing to do outside of fitness: Cooking and trying new recipesNikki Pebbles wants people who are just getting started to know that it’s okay to take it short and slow. “I suggest starting out with three, 15-minute workouts a week and building from there,” says Pebbles, who has been part of the fitness industry for 12 years. She considers dance her absolute favorite kind of workout—but that doesn’t mean it needs to be yours, too. Finding your fit and gaining comfort and confidence in a workout modality that speaks to you can help you create your own community. “I believe that fitness is made for all bodies and all humans,” Pebbles says. That’s why she’s hoping for the fitness industry to become more inclusive of the bodies it highlights: “All bodies are powerful and I am excited to see that expansion!”Maggi GaoKatie ThompsonSocial:@maggigaoAge: 27Location: Manhattan, New YorkOccupation: Personal trainerFavorite time of day for workouts: Morning—you have the rest of the day to crush your goals.Least favorite exercise: Burpees Maggi Gao is drawn to workouts that challenge both strength and skill, so it’s no surprise that she counts Olympic weight lifting and kettlebell routines among her favorites. In fact, she’s taking on a hardstyle kettlebell competition in April. After playing sports as a kid, Gao started fitness coaching in 2016—she’s now a NASM-certified personal trainer and level 2 certified kettlebell instructor—and wants to emphasize to her clients that “fitness is not a one-size-fits-all template.” There’s no one “look” to fitness, she says, and as the field continues to evolve, Gao hopes that its portrayal grows to reflect that. “I feel like if I saw more people who looked like me in the media when I was younger, I wouldn’t have felt pressured to work out a certain way, or even look a certain way,” she says. “But now I’m driven to help Asian-American women feel more empowered in their own skin.”Gail Barranda RivasKatie ThompsonSocial: @gailfitnessLocation: New York, New YorkOccupation: Fitness instructor, functional strength coach, personal trainer, Pilates and yoga instructor, and fitness presenter Favorite exercise: Kettlebell Turkish get-ups, followed by push-upsAdvice to those who may not feel represented in fitness: “It may take a few tries, but find a community that you feel comfortable and supported in. If you don’t find one, create one!”  “Start off with small, achievable goals,” Gail Barranda Rivas says to those who are new to exercising. “A lot of folks go too hard, too fast, too soon, and wind up getting discouraged. All those small wins add up!” Now, nearly two decades into her own fitness career, she still heeds her own advice: “I’m definitely someone who likes to celebrate small wins—that can include taking a class outside of my comfort zone, lifting heavier than I thought I could, and every time I surf, when the thrill of catching a wave is unlike anything else.”

When you’re in the zone at the gym, you don’t want to think about anything besides the weight in front of you: You don’t want to worry about your music cutting out, your water bottle tipping over, or your shorts migrating north with every movement.Thankfully, I’ve got that last part covered. Having a rotating arsenal of squat shorts that don’t ride up has allowed me to forget about what I’m wearing and focus instead on the task at hand.It’s been a process, though. Even just a few years ago, it seemed like apparel companies were pretty limited in their lifting shorts options, which tend to be more form-fitting and spandex-y than looser, more flowy running shorts. They’d have a pair with a 3-inch inseam, and that was that. Maybe, just maybe, they’d have a bike short option as well, which are usually quite a bit longer, about a 7- or 8-inch inseam.Neither worked great for me. I really liked the way many of the 3-inch shorts looked when I was standing still, but once I started lunging, squatting, and hinging, all bets were off: A muscular lower half and movement generally don’t pair well with short-shorts, as I learned. I ended up spending way too much time during my workout fussing with them and picking at them to stop riding up. Bike shorts, on the other hand, served a practical purpose, but I didn’t feel good in them. The 7- or 8-inch inseam looked way too long on my short frame.As SELF’s fitness director, I have the opportunity to try a whole bunch of lifting shorts, and I’ve found a few that work so well for me that I find myself reaching for them workout after workout. Take a look below if you’ve been searching for squat shorts that stay put—you just may find a pair that works for you, too.One quick thing I wanted to emphasize, though: These kinds of shorts are going to fit differently on all bodies, and some of the things that bother me about lifting shorts—say, too long a length—may not annoy you in the least. So take these as a jumping-off point; consider them some vetted shorts that just may work for you, too. You’d definitely want to make sure you try on these first, and do a few lunges, squats, and hinges in them first to ensure they stay where you want them to when you’re actually moving!Below are my three current favorite squat shorts that I’ve been wearing on repeat. No mid-set tugging, pulling, or adjusting required. Old NavyOld Navy PowerSoft Side-Pocket Biker Shorts With 6-Inch InseamThese are technically bike shorts, but its inseam—6 inches for regular sizes—is a bit shorter than more traditional pairs. I snagged a petite size, which cut off three-fourths of an inch in length, making it a great fit for me.
While the PowerSoft bike shorts are called “high-waisted,” they hit just a hair under my belly button, making their light compression feel non-constricting across my abdomen. I loved how the fabric moved with me during more dynamic leg exercises like lunges, and the legs stayed put. And while the fabric was lightweight, it didn’t go sheer while squatting—no issues with coverage here. As an added bonus, the side pocket was big and roomy, and Old Navy continues to offer fun colors and pattern choices throughout the year.
LululemonLululemon Wunder Train High-Rise Short 6-Inch InseamFor a sleek and supportive squatting experience, it’s pretty hard to beat the Lululemon Wunder Trains. These shorts have a high waistband that stays put without rolling down and looks great with cropped shirts. They include a hidden drawcord to really individualize fit at the waist—although honestly, these shorts conform to my body so well I don’t need to mess with it. The Wunder Trains are probably the most compressive shorts on my list, and I’ve been finding myself reaching for these on my heaviest lower-body strength sessions, when support is really crucial. The bright, vibrant, and fun pattern doesn’t hurt for giving me an extra dose of motivation, either. (Although if you do want to keep it a little more low-key, Lululemon offers darker solid colors too.) 
AthletaAthleta Salutation Stash Short 5-Inch InseamWith its 5-inch inseam, these are the shortest shorts on my list, but they’re still long and secure enough that they don’t need to be fussed with. Athleta advertises these as yoga or studio shorts, but I can say they hold up completely fine to heavy lifting too—so you get the buttery soft and smooth fabric that you expect with yoga shorts with the function you’d need for lifting. The pair I’ve been wearing is a summery, light-colored pattern, which initially made me a little wary about squatting in them. But the fabric is solid enough that you don’t need to worry about it going see-through. And its stash pocket is big enough to hold a phone!
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I love the gym. I love the sense of order: plates lined up here, cardio machines there, dumbbells all in a row. I love the sound of treadmills buzzing, barbells racking, feet pounding. I even love that particular gym smell, a combo of spray cleaner, chalk, rubber and metal, clean towels, and hard-earned sweat.  I didn’t always love it, though. When I first got into exercising at college, the gym was a really intimidating place. It seemed like everyone felt so comfortable there. They knew how to work all the machines, how to do a dizzying array of exercises, how to claim a floor spot of their own. As for me? I would tunnel-vision my way to the ellipticals—there were always empties there, and the motion seemed pretty hard to screw up—do my thing, and get out. I wanted to check out the weights, but I was afraid that it’d be blatantly obvious that I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt like the people who could lift serious weight deserved that space more than I did.In time, I gained a gym buddy who showed me the ropes. That, along with developing greater familiarity with my body and the moves, helped me slowly gain confidence and strength over the years to feel like I really belonged at the gym. I mastered exercises, adjusted machines like a pro, and slipped bigger plates onto barbells. I lost that “I don’t belong” anxiety, and the gym started to become a place of comfort for me. More than 15 years, a handful of gyms, a personal training certification, and a position as SELF’s director of fitness later, I can now say that I can feel at home in pretty much any gym. But I still vividly remember that feeling of intimidation, the pull to stick to my status quo, the desire to back away.I know that I’m not the only one: Tons of people who want to start going to the gym are feeling that uneasiness right now. And they’re blocked not only by those internal barriers that I mentioned above, but external ones, too. All you have to do is scroll through fitness Insta and you’re met with memes lamenting the crowds and deriding the influx of newbies (for example, here and here). Hell, you might even be met with resistance from some gyms themselves who want to play up their exclusivity factor. Equinox reportedly barred new members on January 1, as part of their We Don’t Speak January campaign. Fitness should be for everyone, but there are still tons of systemic barriers holding many back.For people just getting started at the gym now, these early days are likely going to bring worry and anxiety along with it, especially for groups who are often underrepresented in the fitness space in general. So that’s why I’m imploring you, the person who does feel comfortable in the gym, who does feel like they belong, to take inventory of your actions and behaviors there. A few simple tweaks can go a long way in making someone feel more welcome—and wouldn’t you have wanted that courtesy when you were just getting started? I know I would have.

Welcome to the SELF Good Vibes Workout! We’re so excited to take on this plan together. Below, you’ll find the complete calendar for this four-week program. Each week will follow the same schedule: You’ll do five workouts each week, including three strength-based circuits, one restorative yoga flow, and one cardio routine. The cardio routines are extra flexible: We’ll provide guidelines, but you can walk, jog, run, row, cycle, or hop on an elliptical to get it done.All of these workouts combine to achieve the overarching goal of the Good Vibes Workout: Increasing positive energy and leave you feeling strong, accomplished, and confident in every area of your life.The strength-based workouts in this routine are bodyweight-only, so you don’t need any special equipment. A mat for the yoga flows can be helpful, and the cardio workouts are completely up to you—you can take them outside to walk, run, bike, or swim, or move them inside on a stationary bike, rowing machine, treadmill, or elliptical.Below the Good Vibes Workout calendar, you’ll find links to every workout in the program. You can bookmark this page, or just make sure you’ve signed up to receive the daily Good Vibes Workout newsletter, so you always know exactly what to do. We’ve also created a convenient printable version (PDF) of this calendar, too. If you print out the PDF you can check off your workouts as you complete them and jot down a moment that brought you joy each day.Now let’s get ready to let those good vibes flow!Amanda BaileyWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4

When we started thinking about what we wanted to foster with our annual January workout program, we kept coming back to one thing: movement that is joyful, restorative, and makes you feel good. Thus, the Good Vibes Workout was born.The goal of the Good Vibes Workout is to use movement as a tool to help beat the winter blues, the post-holiday doldrums, and the perpetual cycle of stress, exhaustion, and despair that’s become reality for many of us in the COVID-19 era. As a result, you’ll notice something very specific about this workout program: the routines are more focused on fun than specific outcomes. We’re not going to challenge you to run an exact distance in a certain amount of time, lift a precise amount of weight, or strive toward a set number of reps. Instead, we’re encouraging you to move your body in a way that makes you feel energized, accomplished, and ready to take on the rest of your day.Take our circuit-based strength training routines, which make up the majority of the workouts in this plan—there are 12 throughout the four weeks. These circuits are stacked with traditional bodyweight strength moves, as well as new variations of them to keep them fresh and fun. The strength routines are key to the goal of Good Vibes, which may be surprising at first, since people tend to think of cardio as the kind of exercise that’s more linked to feeling energized and just simply mood-boosted. But that’s not the case: According to a review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, research supports the role of strength training for bettering mental health. The review states that regular strength training can help reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and boost self-esteem. What’s more, women reported feeling “happier,” “invigorated,” and “more aware and alert” when they started strength training, as a 2021 review and meta-analysis in Prevention Science concluded. Add that to the physical benefits of resistance training, such as increased bone density, reduced blood pressure, and decreased low back pain, and you can see why we stacked our workout program with these.We understand that the foray into strength training can be kind of intimidating, especially for those who are used to a more cardio-only mentality—and the untrue belief that you have to get super-sweaty to get an effective workout. It can take a bit of a mental shift to recognize that your body is definitely still working when you’re doing moves like squats, planks, and push-ups, even though you’re probably not moving around as much or dripping in sweat like you would be if you were doing cardio. Plus, these exercises provide a solid foundation that will help you prepare to tackle added resistance, whether it’s with dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands, to really maximize strength or muscle-building goals.The importance of strength training doesn’t take away from the fact that cardio is still a vital part of a balanced active lifestyle—and something that can help you feel amazing, too. Getting your heart rate up has tons of benefits, including increased endurance, lower cardiovascular risk, a stronger heart, and—like with resistance training—a boosted mood. That’s why we mixed in some traditional cardio exercises (like jumping jacks and skater hops) in your strength circuits, which, coupled with the more work-less rest programming, will help you reap the benefits of both resistance training and aerobic exercise all at once. 

The workout below is for Day 13 of the Good Vibes Workout, a four-week workout plan. It’s pretty great on its own, but you can also check out the full program right here or browse the calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails of these workouts, you can do that here. You’ve reached the second cardio-focused workout of the Good Vibes Workout plan, and for this one you’ll focus on building a more sustained endurance base, and adding in some shorter, heart-pumping efforts.Like with your first cardio routine in Week 1, you can choose whichever modality you want for this workout: If you want to take it outside, you can walk, jog, or run. If you prefer to stay inside, you can hop on an indoor bike, elliptical, rower, or treadmill. It’s completely up to you, and you don’t need to stick with the same type of cardio you did last week either.Again, you’ll be basing your effort on RPE, or ratings of perceived exertion. Here’s a reminder of what that looks like: RPE 0:  At rest.RPE 1: Very light effort. You can easily hold a conversation.RPE 2–3: Your warm-ups, cooldowns, and recovery intervals. You can speak comfortably in full sentences. RPE 4–5: Moderate effort. Talking in more than a sentence or two at a time is difficult. RPE 6–7: High, vigorous effort. You can only speak a few words or phrases at a time—not full sentences.RPE 8–9: Very hard effort. Talking is almost impossible. Maybe you can muster a breathless “yes” or “no.”RPE 10: All out, maximum effort. Talking is out of the question.Today you’ll be working in sustained, moderate efforts and shorter, more intense bouts. For the moderate efforts, you should be working at an intensity where you can still talk in a complete sentence, but more than one or two sentences at a time would be challenging. For the shorter, more intense bouts, aim for an output where you can only speak a few words at a time. Those more intense pushes may feel tough (you’ll be encouraged to hit an RPE 7), so make sure you really let your body recover at an easy level during your rest periods.Above all, make sure to listen to your body during this workout: If you ever feel like the effort is too intense for you, back off. Remember, this workout program is designed to lift you up, boost your energy, and bring on the feel-good vibes—it’s not here to overstress, overwhelm, or push you past your body’s limits. You should finish your cardio workouts feeling sweaty and accomplished, but not overly exhausted. If you do, consider pulling back on the intensity next time.Lace up your sneakers, fire up some tunes, and get ready to make this cardio workout yours!Cardio: Build a Base, and Add Spice5-minute warm-up (RPE 2–3)Sustained Effort 2 minutes moderate intensity (RPE 4–5)Interval Circuit 120-second moderately hard intensity (RPE 5–6)40-second recovery (RPE 2–3)Repeat the above 5 times totalSustained Effort  3 minutes moderate intensity (RPE 4–5)Interval Circuit 215-second hard intensity (RPE 6–7)45-second recovery (RPE 2–3)Repeat the above 5 times total10-minute easy cool-down (RPE 2–3)Total time: 30 minutesPhotographer: Katie Thompson. Hair: Jerome Cultrera for L’Atelier. Makeup: Steven Canavan for L’Atelier. Styling: Rika Watanabe. Creative Direction: Amber Venerable.Athlete Keri Harvey wears: Top: Reebok Lux Racer Padded Colorblocked Bra, $40. Bottoms: Reebok Lux High-Waisted Colorblock Tights, $65. Shoes: Puma, similar styles.