Exercise

Having a doctor who didn’t believe me could have made me question myself, but the truth is, no one knows your body better than you do. That’s a lesson I carry with me every single time I hit the trails, and one I always share in my yoga classes. At the start of each one, I remind the group I’m guiding to honor their bodies and whatever they need that day.Prep for the unexpected, no matter where you are.Anyone who spends time in the wilderness knows how important it is to be ready for any emergency. But when you have UC, you also have to be prepared just in case your symptoms start causing some chaos.Whenever I’m making camping reservations, for example, I pick the campsite that’s closest to the restroom. Like any responsible hiker, I always carry a trowel with me, so I can go off-trail and dig a hole when I have to use the bathroom mid-hike.But with UC, I don’t always have enough time to do that. Enter: a WAG bag, which is basically a portable toilet kit. Now, I bring it on all my hikes and I always have one in my car, just in case. Knowing it’s available in an emergency alleviates my anxiety so much.Alone time is great, but community can also be healing.I used to do most of my hikes solo, which I loved. My husband isn’t super outdoorsy, and I’m very comfortable being alone; in my early 20s, I solo-backpacked around Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Southeast Asia.Lately, though, I’ve had fun hiking with like-minded women I’ve connected with through Instagram. Hiking with friends also makes the logistics a lot more manageable, especially as I’m traveling to reach the farther, more isolated sections of the Bruce Trail. More importantly, we support each other outside of the woods, too. I know they’ll be there when I need an empathetic ear to vent about frustrations or setbacks—or even just some company for coffee or concerts. They’re always ready to remind me when I need to take a step back and reevaluate if something is worth my energy.Instagram contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.Dial into your body to minimize stress.Over the years, I’ve learned that stress is my biggest UC trigger, and I’ve found that yoga is a really good way to ground myself, especially when I’m not feeling well. Yoga has given me the tools to slow down and focus on my breathing. When my symptoms act up, I keep my routines slow and gentle; sometimes all I do is savasana (corpse pose). I currently teach a class one to two times a week, in addition to practicing on my own.Shut off the “shoulds.”It’s tempting to be hard on myself when I’m unable to do the things that used to be easy for me. During my 2021 flare-up, I was so sick I couldn’t hike for more than six months. When I returned to the trails, I did my best to keep my expectations low and to focus on being grateful for the chance to be out in nature again. Sure, I could have beat myself about how much farther or faster I “should” have been going, but how would that help?Before I attempted to hike again, I started with short walks around my neighborhood. I wanted to rebuild my stamina gradually, plus I needed to stay close to home in case I needed an urgent bathroom break, and I had made peace with that.So here’s another reminder for anyone who is living with UC: Meet yourself where you are. There will be days when you have to scale your plans back or cancel them completely—and that’s okay. No one’s keeping score. Your health has to come before your workout. And when you’re feeling well again, your sport or hobby will still be there waiting for you. I’m reminded of this every time I hit the trails after recovering from a flare. No matter what kind of physical shape I’m in, returning to nature feels like coming home.Related:

A back and biceps workout with dumbbells isn’t just a great way to add in some upper-body work to your strength training routine—it can also carry some serious benefits outside the gym too.That’s because a lot of us spend a ton of time sitting, whether we’re hunched over a desk at work or scrolling through our smartphones after. And the resulting poor posture can lead to a host of issues: When your shoulders roll forward, your upper back muscles—particularly your rhomboids, mid and lower trapezius, and deep cervical flexors, plus a few others—lengthen, while your chest or pectoral muscles shorten, certified personal trainer Alicia Jamison, MA, a coach at Bodyspace Fitness and lecturer of exercise physiology at Brooklyn College, tells SELF. This can lead to tightness in the front of your body, and weakness around your upper back, she says. Ultimately, it can set the stage for muscle imbalances, which can up your risk of injury and lead to general discomfort—think low back pain and achy knees and hips, explains Jamison.That’s why adding pulling exercises into your workout routine is so crucial: They help engage and strengthen your backside muscles. This is important, because strong back muscles can combat the forward-slouching position by literally pulling your head and shoulders into the better-aligned positioning.And there are a whole bunch of options out there, regardless of what kind of equipment you have at your disposal. If you don’t have access to dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells, bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, chin-ups, or inverted rows are great pulling options. Doing a home workout and have some free weights? Pullovers or row variations (say, like the bent-over row and renegade row) work that same movement. And if you’re at the gym, specific machines like the lat pull down or cable system can help diversify your routine.The pulling motion really works your back muscles, but your arms—especially your biceps (officially called the biceps brachii)—get in on the action too: “Anything that requires you to flex your elbow requires your biceps to activate,” explains Jamison. In fact, depending on the grip you choose—if you go narrower rather than wider—you may actually hit your arms more than the bigger muscles in your back. So to be able to effectively execute pulling moves, you’ll want your biceps muscles as strong as possible, which is why it doesn’t hurt to show these upper-arm muscles some specialized love.With that in mind, Jamison created a five-move dumbbell workout that can strengthen your upper back and biceps, while also engaging key muscles that can help you stand (or sit) up straight. For instance, the mid and lower traps, deltoids, serratus anterior, and rotator cuff muscles all play a role in helping you maintain optimal positioning.Before diving into this routine, do a warm-up first to loosen tight areas and activate your muscles, focusing on your chest and back. You can try moves like the pec doorway stretch, T-spine extensions, and banded pull-aparts.

She shares that she had her own “aha moment” about this when her now-preteen daughter was two years old: “She repeated something negative that I had said about my body and I was pretty shaken by it.” Sole-Smith decided right then to make a conscious effort not to comment on how other people’s bodies look—that goes for both positive and negative remarks—and noticed how difficult it was. “It took a long time to stop, and I kept realizing, wow, I constantly want to comment on others’ bodies,” she says, adding that this type of judgment and shaming is so normalized in our culture we often don’t think twice about it.Telling someone they look great after they’ve lost weight might seem like a compliment (and even something you’re expected to say), but it just reinforces the false idea that thinner bodies are better than fatter ones. Likewise, gossiping among friends about a celebrity’s apparent weight gain can feel like harmless chit-chat about someone you’ll never meet, but it can make everyone in the conversation feel more self-conscious about their own bodies and critical of others’.Of course, pointing out anti-fat bias requires talking about bodies—but the intent in that case is to highlight that everyone, regardless of their size, deserves the same love, respect, and human rights.4. Celebrate body diversity in your home.As important as it is to model body neutrality yourself and have conversations about self-acceptance with the teens in your life, Sole-Smith says it’s equally crucial to showcase and celebrate diversity in your home.For example: “Choose art that shows bodies of all different sizes. Read books and watch films that center fat protagonists,” Sole-Smith recommends. By choosing Hairspray for family movie night, say, and watching TV shows that showcase (or at least make an effort to showcase) body diversity among main characters, such as Shrill or Derry Girls, you’re showing your teenagers—without having to lecture them—that it’s possible to do the things you want no matter what you look like.5. Help them find role models with different-sized bodies.Although social media is a minefield of terrible diet advice and impossible body standards, there are some ways to use it for good. Sole-Smith recommends helping teenagers find role models with a diverse range of body sizes that they can look up to. “If your kid’s into rock climbing, send them a rock climber in a larger body to follow. If your niece or nephew is into dance, suggest some awesome fat dancers for their feed,” she says, like Dexter Mayfield and Lizzy Howell.Rock climbing and dance are two of many activities that have a culture of thinness and narrow body standards, which can harm teens whether you realize it or not. It’s crucial to actively push against those harmful expectations in order to protect kids and change the harmful but common narrative that fat people can’t be happy and successful in these areas—and others—she says.6. Talk about food in a neutral way, and keep a variety of options in the house.Sole-Smith recommends keeping your language as neutral as possible at meal and snack times. “Don’t call certain foods ‘bad,’ don’t shame processed foods, and don’t tell your kid to limit certain foods,” she says. “Make sure they know that all foods are okay to eat as long as there’s not a medical reason to avoid them [like an allergy].” This might seem like a huge mindset shift depending on your own relationship with food and the messages you’re used to hearing, but even if health and nutrition are two things you care deeply about, talking about these things in a neutral way will help your teenager learn how different foods make them feel, without the side of guilt or shame that they might have if you discourage them from eating things like pizza and ice cream.

This week on Instagram, the shift in seasons brought on a whole new spread of simple pleasures. Jamie Lee Curtis and Ina Garten both welcomed soup season with comfort classics: Jamie Lee tried her hand at a new chicken noodle recipe, while Ina broke out a beloved Barefoot Contessa grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. Katherine Heigl also indulged in some autumnal self-care—her annual fall road trip to Fort Collins, Colorado made for a particularly dreamy and on-theme scrap book entry.While some of our favorite follows took care by keeping it cozy, others got moving. Athletes Sloane Stephens and Gabby Thomas found new sources of joy within their sports, and other celebs practiced their lesser known talents: Ayo Edebiri delivered the first pitch at the second game of the Red Sox vs. Yankees double header with a smile that lit up Fenway Park, and Tom Holland spent the weekend on the PGA Championship course with his brothers.Keep scrolling for these and more of the best celebrity wellness posts of the week.Reese Witherspoon delivered the perfect dose of Monday motivation.Instagram contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.It’s hard to decide what looks dreamier: Katherine Heigl’s nature-packed Colorado getaway or the cozy afternoon she spent scrapbooking about it.Instagram contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

To be clear, those dimples are totally normal, extremely common, and don’t deserve the hate they get. But more to the point of this article, these promises and anecdotal endorsements are misleading, Dr. Gohara says. The increased blood flow from dry brushing may make skin appear plumper and less dimpled temporarily, but no products—including creams, supplements, or, yes, brushes—can permanently eliminate cellulite.How to dry brush, step by stepIf you’re looking to upgrade your shower routine with dry brushing for the aforementioned beauty and health benefits (or perhaps it’s your skepticism that’s motivating you?), our experts offered some advice on how to do it correctly.One quick thing before we get into the nitty-gritty, though: “As a general rule of thumb, you should only be doing this once a week or every other week, or else it may increase your risk of irritation,” Dr. Pomerantz warns, cautioning against rubbing too harshly, quickly, or often, which can lead to bleeding, cuts, or inflammation.Okay, here’s what to do:1. Choose a body brush for your specific skin needs.If you’re not sure where to start, Ellen Marmur, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist and founder of Marmur Medical, recommends a brush with medium-firm, natural bristles. “It should never break the skin and it also shouldn’t hurt,” she says, adding that one with a long handle can help you exfoliate harder-to-reach areas like the back.Also important to note: In general, dry brushing isn’t recommended for people with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and excessive dryness, as, again, it can be irritating. For that reason, Dr. Gohara and Dr. Pomerantz suggest folks with sensitive skin either skip the practice altogether or at least opt for gentler alternatives, like a brush with softer fibers or even a washcloth.Luckily, there are tons of options for all different skin needs. Some of our faves:Beauty by Earth Store Dry Brushing Body BrushEcoTools Bristle Bath BrushMetene Shower Brush with Soft and Stiff BristlesELEMIS Exfoliating Body BrushEarth Therapeutics Super Loofah Exfoliating Wash ClothKitsch Exfoliating Dry Brush for Sensitive Skin2. Brush upwards in sweeping circular motions.Starting at your feet, brush in a clockwise circular motion, Dr. Gohara recommends, working your way up your legs, butt, stomach, back, then décolletage. These movements, she says, will allow you to apply pressure more evenly (and gently) compared to rubbing up and down or side-to-side.Depending on the area, you can also adjust the pressure and speed accordingly. For example, the soles of your feet may require a firmer touch compared to your more delicate neck area. If you experience any swelling, pain, bleeding, or (in some skin tones) redness during the process, stop immediately, Dr. Pomerantz says, because that means you’re going way too hard or your skin is getting irritated.3. Clean everything off in the shower.After all that exfoliating, Dr. Pomerantz suggests taking a shower (preferably a cool or lukewarm one, to avoid aggravating your freshly brushed bod) to rinse away the dead skin cells.“While you’re in there, make sure to wash off lingering flakes or dirt on the brush with soap and water, too,” she adds. That way, you’re not continually scrubbing yourself with the same gunk you were trying to get rid of in the first place. As you might imagine, a dirty brush isn’t very hygienic, and it can also clog your pores (which, again, can cause breakouts or ingrown hairs) and infect any open wounds, Dr. Pomerantz notes.4. Finish off with a hydrating moisturizer or body oil.Your newly polished skin deserves some much-needed hydration, especially after so much sloughing and scrubbing. Ideally, you should look for a fragrance-free lotion or oil (since added scents can be irritating) with soothing ingredients like aloe vera, ceramides, or shea butter—all of which help to lock in moisture and prevent further water loss and dehydration, Dr. Gohara says. Some options to try:Beekman 1802 Coconut Cream Whipped Body CreamNIVEA Soft Cream Refreshingly Soft Moisturizing CreamVaseline Intensive Care 48-Hour Sensitive Skin Relief Body LotionLa Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Body Moisturizing Cream for Dry SkinNeutrogena Fragrance-Free BodyALO Head-To-Toe Ultra Rich Hydrating Glow OilThe bottom line: Brush with care—and manage your expectations. No, this beauty tool isn’t a magic wand that will solve all your skin struggles. Still, it’s a relatively affordable (and might we mention, super simple) way to exfoliate and luxe up your body care routine from the comfort of your own bathroom—no spa day necessary.Related:

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days isn’t even here yet, but we’re already finding excellent Prime Day kitchen deals. The October 10 and 11 sale event promises markdowns on a variety of cooking items, including air fryers, blenders, and dutch ovens. Whether you need a whole new set of pots and pans for a new place, or you’ve been eyeing that *one* air fryer for months, you just may be able to get what you’re looking for.If it’s your first time shopping an Amazon Prime Day sale, keep in mind that you’ll need to become a Prime member first ($139/year). The membership will give you access to early Prime Day deals and grant you free, quick delivery on most orders. If you’re not interested in committing to a full year of membership just yet, don’t sweat it: Amazon offers a free 30-day trial.The best Prime Day kitchen deals we’ve foundHere’s a quick summary of some standout kitchen appliances with impressive discounts on top brands like Ninja, Nutribullet, and more:Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer (8-qt.)—originally $250; now $170Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine by Breville—originally $180; now $137Whall 4-Slice Toaster Stainless Steel—originally $200; now $56Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven—originally $133; now $80Nutribullet Personal Blender—originally $70; now $58Best cooking appliance dealsThe right cooking appliances can make meal prep a cinch. Amazon currently has tons of deals on popular air fryers and toasters, including ones by Instant Pot and Ninja.Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer (8-qt.)Chefman 4-in-1 Digital Air Fryer+ (6.3-qt.)Instant Omni Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo (19-qt.)Whall Air Fryer OvenCalphalon Air Fryer OvenWhall 4-Slice Toaster Stainless SteelBuydeem 4-Slice ToasterRead more: Best Air Fryers; Best Ninja Air FryersBest blender dealsBlenders aren’t just for smoothies—they can also make whipping up hummus, pesto, cocktails, and soups a breeze. If you’re in the market for one, Amazon has plenty of great options from highly-rated brands, like NutriBullet and and Ninja.Nutribullet Personal BlenderNinja BL660 Professional Compact Smoothie & Food Processing BlenderNinja BN401 Nutri Pro Compact Personal BlenderHamilton Beach Professional Quiet Shield BlenderRead more: Best BlendersBest coffee and espresso maker dealsWhether you prefer a morning cup with oat milk or love a late-night espresso, Amazon has deals on coffee makers, espresso machines, French presses, and single-serve brew machines. We have our eyes on top brands like Keurig and Breville.Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Dishwashable Coffee MakerKeurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee MakerNespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine by BrevilleDe’Longhi Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino MachinePhilips 2200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso MachineMueller Double Insulated French PressRead more: Best Espresso Machines; Best Drip Coffee MakersBest cookware dealsIf it’s time to upgrade that worn-out frying pan you prepare absolutely everything in (we’ve all been there), then you might want to hop onto these cookware deals ASAP. Popular brands like Carote, Lodge, and Le Creuset are selling pots and pans at just a fraction of their original cost.Carote Nonstick Frying Pan SkilletLodge Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet (10.25-in.)Utopia Kitchen Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet SetCarote Nonstick Cookware Set (11-Piece)Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid (6-qt.)Related:

No one is immune to a bad mental health day. Not even Only Murders in the Building star Selena Gomez, who recently shared one of the self-care strategies she relies on to care for her health when overwhelming bipolar disorder symptoms strike.During a candid conversation at the Music and Health Summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Gomez talked about what it’s like to struggle with her mental health in the public eye. One notable revelation: The bedroom—which many people consider a safe space to get some R&R—brings the “Single Soon” singer back to some of her toughest days.“The bedroom is a real trigger for me [from] when I was going through psychosis,” Gomez said. “Going through that whole period of my life, it was my bed that I was stuck to.” Being able to recognize the circumstances that lead to a manic or depressive episode can be a lifeline for people with bipolar disorder, since those triggers are often harder to identify than the symptoms themselves, psychiatrist Ludmilla De Faria, MD, recently told SELF.This isn’t the Rare Beauty founder’s first time opening up about this dark time in her life. Her highs and lows would last “weeks or months at a time,” Gomez told Rolling Stone in 2022. “It would start with depression, then it would go into isolation. Then, it was me not being able to move from my bed,” she recalled. “Sometimes, it was weeks I’d be in bed, to where even walking downstairs would get me out of breath.”Though Gomez has said that going to therapy—as well as treatment centers at her lowest points—has certainly improved her mental health, being aware of the things that set off her mood swings also helps her cope on her own. Leaving her bedroom and surrounding herself with others, for example, is one way in which she now takes care of herself. “Even just with one person, and they could be washing the dishes or doing nothing and just being in their presence would really help me,” she told the Music and Health Summit crowd.Although Gomez was officially diagnosed five years ago, the actor admitted at the event that coping with her condition is still an ebb and flow process. “You can be in a room full of people and still feel terribly alone, and I know that feeling isn’t the best, but working through that…has been helping me,” she said.However, understanding her triggers and symptoms and learning how to respond to them has been an important step toward embracing bipolar disorder. In Gomez’s own words: “I just have to understand and make it my friend. I’m always going to have what I’m diagnosed with, so it’s just about living with it freely.”Related:

Gomez has long been open about her experience with lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing inflammation in the joints, skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, and elsewhere. The condition results in a slew of symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue, fevers, mouth sores, and kidney problems.Gomez first publicly discussed her lupus diagnosis in 2015, after she took a break from her global tour to undergo chemotherapy and mentally process it all. “I could’ve had a stroke,” she told Billboard. “I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”In 2017, Gomez revealed that she was additionally diagnosed with lupus nephritis—a lupus complication that affects the kidneys—and had to receive a kidney transplant that year. “It actually got to a point where it was life or death,” Gomez said at the 2017 Lupus Research Alliance’s Breaking Through Gala, per E! News. “Thankfully, one of my best friends [Francia Raisa] gave me her kidney and it was the ultimate gift of life. And I am doing quite well now.”The 31-year-old has continued to candidly speak about living with lupus—including how it affects her mental health and medication side effects—in the hope of raising awareness about chronic illness. “Yeah, we have days where maybe we feel like sh*t, but I would much rather be healthy and take care of myself,” she said in a TikTok live stream shared to Twitter in February. “My medications are important, and I believe they’re what helps me.” She continued: “I just wanted to…encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they’re going through, and no one knows the real story.”3. Venus WilliamsPascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesIn 2011, after withdrawing from the US Open due to illness, Venus Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune condition characterized by joint pain, fatigue, and its hallmark symptoms: dry eyes and dry mouth. It took the tennis player seven years of feeling “off” to finally get answers about her condition, she said in a 2022 YouTube video.

Good sleep can be tough to come by when you have a heart condition—nearly three quarters of people with heart failure in particular say they have trouble getting quality rest.1 And, as you might’ve guessed, crappy sleep itself can contribute to heart problems. One 2020 study of nearly 409,000 people found that those who slept fewer than seven hours per night, or who struggled with insomnia or serious daytime fatigue, had a higher risk of developing heart failure than participants who didn’t have those issues.2 There’s also a link between high blood pressure (which raises the risk of heart failure and stroke) and lack of quality sleep.3Okay, so we get that there’s a strong heart-sleep connection, but why? Richard Wright, MD, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, tells SELF that scientists are still trying to sort out what’s behind the link between bad sleep and heart failure—but hormones seem like one likely culprit. “We know that hormones that regulate sleep, like melatonin, are disrupted when you have heart failure,” he says.4At the same time: “Heart disease shares similar risk factors with common sleep disorders, creating a lot of overlap,” Yonatan Greenstein, MD, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, tells SELF. Those shared risk factors include having type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. “That could be driving heart disease or making it worse,” he says.If you’ve got a heart condition, taking steps to save your sleep isn’t just important for your comfort (though that’s really important!)—it can improve your overall health, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here’s what could be causing crummy rest with a heart problem and what to do next.Watch out for signs of sleep apnea.If you struggle to stay awake during the day, someone has complained about your snoring, or you wake up in the middle of the night gasping to catch your breath, there’s a possibility you have sleep apnea, a condition that causes you to stop and start breathing throughout the night. It can affect up to 80% of people with heart-related problems like high blood pressure, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation (an irregular, fast heartbeat).5 One possible reason: Sleep apnea can contribute to worsened left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, meaning the heart’s left ventricle stiffens. This puts extra strain on the organ, boosting someone’s heart rate and blood pressure—and increasing their risk of heart failure.You should undergo a sleep evaluation to get diagnosed with sleep apnea—so stay alert for signs to flag to your doctor. (A few other symptoms can include a parched throat in the morning, headaches, or even mood changes throughout the day, per the Mayo Clinic.)“Sleep apnea is usually one of the first things we think of if someone is having trouble sleeping,” W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, tells SELF. “Luckily, there are a lot of ways we can combat it.” Treatment can include a special mouthguard to keep your throat open or a CPAP machine, which delivers air pressure down your throat through a mask you wear as you drift off. In more severe cases, a doctor might recommend surgery to remove throat tissue. (Depending on your unique symptoms, they can guide you on what approach is ideal.)Tweak your sleeping position.When you have heart failure, it’s common for fluid to build up in your lungs as you lie down—which you might not even realize when you’re back upright and going about your day, Sanjay D. Naik, MD, a cardiovascular disease specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester and ColumbiaDoctors, tells SELF. When you lie down at night, that fluid can inch toward your trachea (the tube that connects your voice box to your lungs) and upper lungs, which can make breathing a little difficult, Dr. Naik explains.

Figuring out what, exactly, the men in your life (your father, brother, boyfriend, husband, bestie…the list goes on) want for presents can be challenging, but shopping on Amazon at least makes it easierto place your orders and ensure a quick delivery. That’s why we’ve curated the best gifts for all the men on your list, from the outdoorsy guy to the aspiring grill master. And remember, it’s never too early to get your holiday shopping done, especially with a second Prime Day coming up in October.For more present picks, check out all of the best gift ideas of 2023.Jump to:Best Gifts for Dads on AmazonFor the proud dad (or granddad or pet-dad), a custom pair of socks adorned with pictures of his favorite person or furry friend should make him chuckle. If your father figure is in the market for new hobbies, a SELF Outdoor Award–winning pair of binoculars could awaken his inner birder, while an at-home weather station might spark a new love of meteorology. And the competitive dad will love a set of retro board games.Carson VP Series Full Sized 10×4 Waterproof and Fog Proof BinocularsWS Game Scrabble, Monopoly, and Clue Vintage Board Game Bookshelf CollectionMyPupSocks Custom Personalized Photo SocksAmbient Weather WS-2000 Smart Weather Station with WiFi Remote Monitoring and AlertsRead more: Best Gifts for Dads on Amazon; Best Father’s Day GiftsBest Gifts for Boyfriends and Husbands on AmazonThese gifts show just how much you value your partner’s comfort: a fluffy pair of slippers, SELF Fave workout headphones, editor-approved linen sheets, and a SELF Outdoor Award–winning camp chair. Whether he’s at the gym, hanging out at home, or relaxing in the great outdoors, he’ll think of you.Coleman Portable Camping Chair with 4-Can CoolerKoolaburra by Ugg Graisen SlipperJaybird Vista 2 Sport HeadphonesMellanni 100% Linen Queen Sheets SetRead more: Best Gifts for Boyfriends; Best Gifts for HusbandsBest Gifts for Brothers on AmazonWin major style points with your bro by getting him some sweet accessories—say, a trendy belt bag or a SELF Sneaker Award–winning pair of crunchy-yet-cool Merrells. For the brother who never misses an episode of Hot Ones, Heartbeat’s SELF Pantry Award–winning set of hot sauces make a delightful (and edible!) gift. If he’s more of a bookworm, a water-resistant, SELF editor–approved Kindle will let him take his favorite reads wherever he goes.The North Face Berkeley Lumbar BagHeartbeat Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce (6-oz.)Merrell Hydro Moc Water ShoeAmazon Kindle Paperwhite (8 GB)Read more: Best Gifts for BrothersBest Gifts Under $50 for Men on AmazonAmazon is known for its selection of budget-friendly buys, many of which have earned the approval of SELF’s editors and testers. A few favorites include: PMD’s SELF Healthy Beauty Award–winning gua sha tool, a SELF editor-recommended crochet kit, and a SELF Fave manual massager.PMD Beauty Gua Sha RQThe Woobles Penguin Crochet KitCarhartt Knit Cuffed BeanieThe Wave ToolRead more: Best Gifts Under $50Best Fitness and Outdoor Gifts for Men on AmazonFor the guy who’s always on the move, you can upgrade his favorite gear with high-quality essentials. Go for a stainless steel Yeti water bottle, comfy hoodie from The North Face, or SELF Outdoor Award–winning lightweight day pack. Does he prefer to stay active indoors? Then consider TRX’s space-saving suspension system, which is great for at-home workouts.Gregory Arrio 22 Day Pack