• More time, fewer interruptions. We all could use a few more hours in the day, and waking up early gives you that time, often without distractions. “In the early morning hours, it’s often quiet, which can allow for better focus, intention and planning of the day without the distraction of emails, phone calls or social/personal obligations,” says Courtney Zentz, MBA, corporate sleep coach and founder of Tiny Transitions.
• Mental clarity. “Your cognitive functioning will be better, giving you more ability to focus on tasks and be more mindful in their execution,” says Juli Shulem, a certified productivity coach and owner of Coach Juli.
• Increased motivation. Shulem also notes that motivation increases when you get tasks done early in the day. “This spurs us on to complete more tasks.”
• Natural boosts of cortisol and serotonin. After a good night’s sleep, you’ll have better energy levels with your natural cortisol boost that should happen in the morning, according to Zentz.

If you’re a night owl who wants to become an early bird, these five expert tips can help you to wake up earlier, allowing you to accomplish more or simply enjoy your mornings more fully. Just be prepared for the changes to take some time.

1. Gradually transition to an earlier bedtime

Sleep-deprived people are less productive overall; they have difficulty focusing, making decisions and solving problems, and tend to make more mistakes than those who’ve had adequate sleep. So, it’s important not to miss out on sleep just to wake up earlier. Instead, make a plan to go to bed earlier. Small incremental changes to your bedtime are key to waking up earlier, according to Zentz. 

“My advice for those looking to change is to begin your shift slowly, about 15 to 30 minutes a day, as you work your bedtime earlier to support the full seven to nine hours of sleep that most adults need for optimal restoration,” she says. “This means you can’t just jump from a 1 a.m. bedtime to 9 p.m. That needs to happen gradually as your body clock adjusts.”

As you make your bedtime earlier, also set your alarm for 15 to 30 minutes earlier. Adjust your sleep and wake time every day or every other day until you hit your desired wake time. 

2. Make a morning plan

Lisa Medalie, PsyD, the founder of DrLullaby, recommends committing to three steps after you wake up every morning, such as taking a stroll outside, making coffee and writing in your journal.

“Making your morning steps non-optional and committed ahead of time allows you to take the decision-making out of the morning,” she says. “Often, the reason people struggle to wake at their desired time is because when partially waking to their alarm, they still feel they have a decision to make.

“The sleepy brain does not modulate thought errors or make decisions well, so it’s best to have committed to your morning plans ahead so that you are not deciding from the sleepy brain,” she adds.

To overcome that, prepare your morning steps from the night before. “If your new plan is to rise at 5 a.m. and journal while you have coffee, then schedule your coffee to brew at 4:50 a.m. and set your journal next to the coffee pot as a gentle reminder,” says Zentz. “If you plan to go to the gym, lay out your clothes for the workout before bedtime and pack your post-workout gym bag the night before.”

3. Wind down in the evening

Doing things like drinking caffeinated beverages, looking at your phone or even eating too close to bedtime won’t help you get the sleep you need for an earlier start to your day.

“Our bodies need cues telling us it is time to get ready to sleep,” says Shulem. She suggests avoiding all screen activities and refraining from eating two hours before bedtime.

Drinking alcohol too close to bedtime is another no-no. “[Alcohol] suppresses melatonin and REM sleep, among other impacts. So, while it might allow you to fall asleep faster, it will often disrupt the overall restorative quality of sleep,” says Zentz.

It’s also crucial to create a bedtime routine that works for you.

“Do relaxing activities before bedtime such as reading, meditating, stretching or talking with friends or family members,” says Shulem. “Then get ready for bed—change clothes, wash up, brush teeth, etc. Doing the same activities nightly will create a ritual which will trigger your brain [to know] what to expect next: sleep.”

4. Be prepared to fight ‘sleep inertia’

“While transitioning from sleep to wake, we experience sleep inertia. If we are not prepared to fight this, we will most likely decline the morning alarm we’ve set,” says Medalie. “The mood slump, grogginess and slow thinking when first coming out of sleep can be combatted though.”

Sunlight can really help you wake up. “In the morning hours, get exposure to the morning sunlight as soon as it rises. This is the best way to signal to your body that you are resetting your circadian rhythm,” says Zentz. To fight sleep inertia, Medalie also starts her days by getting out in the sun and listening to a podcast or audiobook. 

Taking that first step out of bed in the morning is often the hardest part of waking up. Shulem suggests placing your alarm clock across the room so you have to physically get out of bed, which will help set you into motion for the day.

5. Stay consistent

Consistency is the key to achieving your early-morning goals. Just one missed day can disrupt your routine and make the following days more challenging.

“To develop a new sleeping routine, as with most things we want to put in place, it will need to be done consistently,” says Shulem. “Once you achieve your desired bedtime and wake-up times, keep this going every day. This new schedule needs to become a habit.”

Shulem notes that if you have to go to bed later than usual because of a special event or other circumstances, try your best to plan it on a night when you don’t have to wake up early the next morning. 

“Disrupting your sleep schedule is a lot like jetlag, as a major change in your sleep schedule can take many days to acclimate to. The only way we maintain a new habit is by consistently repeating the behavior,” says Shulem.

Photo by Reezky Pradata/shutterstock.com

The post Stop Hitting the Snooze Button and Have a More Productive Day, With These Expert Tips appeared first on SUCCESS.

If you’re guilty of this, then a trip to “OHIO” can help. The OHIO acronym stands for only handle it once. This productivity technique is free to use, and the payoff is immediate. 

Like most 21st-century professionals, I feel like I’ve tried every productivity trick in the book. Nothing has had a more immediate impact on my work anxiety than the OHIO principle. Let’s look at what this technique is and how you can enjoy its benefits. 

What is the OHIO principle?

The OHIO (only handle it once) principle was popularized by financial executive Robert Pozen in his book Extreme Productivity. 

Pozen introduces OHIO this way: “This means tackling your low-priority items immediately when you receive them, if possible. If you let a backlog develop, you will waste a lot of time and increase your anxiety level.”

It’s a simple yet profound concept: Avoid handling a task multiple times, like checking your inbox before bed with the intention of responding to emails tomorrow. Pozen touches on two benefits: productivity and mental health. Let’s look more closely at each of them. 

Productivity  

You may have heard of the popular two-minute rule, which states that any task that can be completed in two minutes should be completed immediately. This rule and the OHIO method have overlapping DNA, but OHIO takes a wider aim at the issue at hand: Why allow any task to linger and risk being forgotten? It offers a sense of control over areas of our work that feel overwhelming. 

Mental health

Fragmenting tasks is like keeping too many browser tabs open in your mind, creating mental clutter and adding undue stress. The OHIO principle is a preventive measure against cognitive overload. 

Even small tasks expand when not immediately handled. Think about how many times you’ve read a text message but decided to respond to it later. You might think, “I can’t forget to respond to that message,” 10 times before actually doing it. This means that you mentally picked up and put down that text message repeatedly. 

A small to-do multiplies with every thought of it, filling up your mental space like a bowl overflowing with popping popcorn kernels. These unfinished tasks take up even more mental space than completed tasks, a phenomenon called the “Zeigarnik Effect.” Understanding the power that incomplete tasks have over us can help expose the real impact of procrastination and enforce the OHIO method.

Work-life balance 

Beyond mental health and productivity, the OHIO principle can also help improve work-life balance by minimizing microbursts of work after hours. Microbursts of work at home can be subconscious, like opening your email inbox while watching Netflix with no intention of responding immediately. The OHIO principle reduces distraction and disruption while sharpening the invaluable tool of self-awareness.  

Try removing work apps from your personal devices to eliminate the temptation to work during your off-hours. If this isn’t an option, put your devices in another room or fine-tune your phone’s “do not disturb” settings so that personal messages may come through, but work messages stay out of sight and out of mind. 

Making the OHIO principle work for you  

Pick a specific task that you’ll try applying the OHIO method to. Some ideas include: 

• Writing and sending a meeting summary immediately after a meeting concludes 
• Filing your work expenses on the last workday of the month 
• Naming and sorting files immediately as you work so nothing sits in limbo in your downloads folder 

After you’ve chosen your task, choose a time to work on it. Chantel Cohen, licensed clinical social worker and founder and CEO of CWC Coaching & Therapy, encourages you to start your day with the OHIO principle to double-dip on the benefits. 

“Handle it first thing in the morning so that you can manage your energy and get the mental boost as well as the emotional boost,” Cohen shared. “Only… handling it once [is] really, really powerful because we start talking about it as not just a time management tool but an energy management tool.”

How not to use the OHIO principle

As powerful as this is, the OHIO principle can squander energy and create a whack-a-mole way of working if applied to the wrong tasks. 

For example, you may want to apply this to your phone notifications and respond to everything immediately. However, that’s a time-consuming task. A study by musicMagpie found that people receive enough phone notifications each day to average out to one every 10 minutes. Immediate action on every notification you get would wreak havoc on your time management. It would be more fruitful to save all phone notifications for one designated time (also known as “batching”). 

While this method can’t be applied unilaterally to every task, the beauty is that it can be customized to fit your needs and have an enormous impact. 

The state of Ohio has many claims to fame, like being the birthplace of aviation and home to the world’s largest basket. Now, when you think of the Buckeye State, you’ll also remember the weight of unfinished tasks—and the instant satisfaction of managing them. 

Photo by Just Life/Shutterstock.com

The post How to Reduce Work Anxiety With the ‘OHIO’ Principle appeared first on SUCCESS.

Moreover, there is an ever-growing body of evidence and studies that indicate adding daily exercise can not only help people live longer and healthier lives, but may also help them be happier and more productive. 

In fact, a study says that adults who worked out two to four times more than the recommended amount of vigorous physical activity—about 150 to 299 minutes per week—were found to have 21%-23% lower risk of all-cause mortality. And according to Mayo Clinic, exercising can help ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

But the age-old dilemma is just how to turn those well-meaning and healthy intentions into reality—especially when most people have now returned to the office and need to juggle competing priorities such as running a busy household, raising kids and allocating enough quality family time to ensure that no one feels left out. 

There’s a famous saying, “the devil is in the details,” and the details of exercise and getting fit can confound even the best of us. Fortunately, we can tap the expertise of personal trainers, nutritionists and fitness experts for sage advice on how to make the leap from couch potato to the best shape possible.

What does a realistic fitness plan look like?

Following a plan in life is perhaps a helpful route to success, and that holds true for fitness as much as anything else.   

Fitness plans should begin by taking into account your schedule, fitness level and resources, says Chris Pruitt, personal trainer and founder of Workouthealthy.com. 

Kim Perry, a certified personal trainer at Kim Perry Company, agrees. “A realistic fitness plan means looking at your life and putting one in that can truly fit you. For example, if you’re a new mom, an hour run every day is not realistic. A 20-minute at-home workout is reasonable, so that’s the kind of plan you would need,” she says, adding that it helps to “look at your life and see what you can add in.”

“[You should make] sure your plan matches your goal,” says Adam Levy, a certified personal trainer and boot camp instructor at American Fitness 24/7 in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. 

He also adds that if your goal is to gain muscle, you should prioritize a plan that allows for progressive overload [increasing intensity or weights with each workout] of your muscles in addition to finding a time to work out that fits your schedule and will allow you to stay consistent. 

James Rodgers, a certified running coach and endurance sports expert, suggests that instead of trying to implement an idealized version of a fitness plan into your life, you should aim for a fitness plan that works with your actual schedule and energy levels.

He also advises to be certain any plan has built-in flexibility for life disruptions, like those that can occur within a young family—to start gradually to build sustainable habits and to make the plan specific to you and your current fitness level and ability.

What are some examples of fitness plans?

While fitness plans will vary by individual, there are many basic plans that can be followed easily by most people. 

For example, Josh York, certified personal trainer and founder and CEO of GYMGUYZ, suggests two to five mini cardio sessions a week (up to 30 minutes of walking, biking, jogging, etc.); strength training twice a week (using bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats and push-ups); and yoga for mental clarity, flexibility and recovery, while also allowing adequate rest days for your body to recover from the week and avoid burnout.

Pruitt says, “A plan for someone working two jobs or a new parent might focus on short, high-impact workouts, like 20-minute strength circuits or bodyweight exercises at home, that can be done during nap times or lunch breaks.”

Stephen Sheehan, a certified personal trainer at BarBend, advises that a fitness plan for someone who isn’t active and needs to lose a significant amount of weight might look like this:

“Eating in a calorie deficit based on their body weight and target body weight. Hitting 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Full-body strength training two to three times per week, plus two to three days of cardio with a mix of HIIT [high-intensity interval training] and steady state [elliptical or stationary bike].”

He adds that someone looking to add muscle mass might want to eat in a caloric surplus, aiming to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, followed by a “push/pull/legs or body-part split training four to five days a week, with one full rest day.”

Dr. Chris Mohr, fitness and nutrition adviser at Garage Gym Reviews, advises that for those short on time, a plan might include three 20-minute sessions per week of brisk walking or HIIT, along with 10 minutes of bodyweight strength exercises at home. 

Another option might be to break up movement throughout the day, like doing bodyweight exercises or stretches during breaks at work.

Levy suggests that using upper/lower body split routines can be very helpful for busy people, like those working several jobs or new parents. This plan basically groups upper and lower body exercises into specific days of the week and alternates days to allow for enough rest time. 

Stephanie Finkel, a 67-year-old fitness enthusiast who has thousands of followers on TikTok, created the online coaching app “I’m Senior Strong,” which is designed to help older women learn strength training in an effort to reverse the effects of age-related muscle loss and osteoporosis. She creates programs that target major muscle groups for 40 minutes, three times a week, using dumbbells. She advises to start with workouts that allow you to learn proper form, build confidence and then increase the weight you are lifting. “Make time for exercise, even if it’s just 15-30 minutes,” she says.

How realistic are these workout/fitness plans? Are they achievable?

Many fitness experts agree that realistic fitness plans tend to align with a person’s overall goals and lifestyle. Mohr says that many of his plans are realistic because they don’t require a gym, expensive equipment or lengthy time commitments. 

“They can be done at home, outdoors and in small chunks of time, making them flexible for busy lifestyles. They’re achievable because they’re built around your daily schedule and start small. Setting manageable goals, like walking 5,000 steps a day, only taking the stairs when available or doing three sets of push-ups or squats, makes it easier to stay consistent. Plans that feel doable and ideally are stacked with other daily habits, are more likely to become long-term habits,” he says. 

Sheehan says realistic plans should be based on someone’s goals, but also flexible. “For example, someone may not have enough time to go to the gym five days a week, so you can get around that by increasing the intensity of their workouts if the frequency can’t be met.” In addition, he says achievable results can be attained by focusing on a few basic factors such as nutrition, cardio and strength training.  

Asked about realistic plans, York advises to start with shorter workouts and build momentum over time to help avoid burnout. “You don’t want to overdo it, because you’ll quickly become exhausted and may lose motivation to keep going. Committing to just 20 minutes a day is way easier to keep up than trying to fit in long, intense sessions.” 

He notes that what makes a fitness plan achievable is its adaptability. “Most people are juggling a variety of responsibilities at once, and when you’re doing all that juggling, it’s important to be able to find time… to focus on you, even for short intervals.”

York suggests that new parents could squeeze quick workouts in while a baby naps or go for a walk with the stroller to move their bodies and get some fresh air. For others with tight schedules, he says that shorter 10-minute bursts of exercise throughout the day might make sense. “Small, consistent actions lead to big changes over time.”

Eating to support fitness goals

For nutrition, Sheehan says to focus more on food quality and food choices, such as eliminating ultra-processed foods and sticking with basics like meats, eggs, fruits and veggies. 

“If you want to gain weight, eat more of those whole foods. If you want to lose weight, reduce your calories but still stick to mostly the same foods, as they provide the best nutrient profile and are better digested by your body,” he says.

Trista Best, a registered dietitian at The Candida Diet, says that batch cooking, “the process of preparing large quantities of food at once and storing them for later consumption,” is the way to go. 

She says, “Batch cooking saves time by allowing individuals to prepare multiple meals at once, which can be reheated and eaten throughout the week.”

“When preparing meals in bulk, it can be easier to control portion sizes, which is important for weight management. By having healthy, pre-prepared meals on hand, busy professionals are more likely to make healthy food choices and avoid the temptation of unhealthy fast food or vending machine snacks.”

What kind of results can people expect to see with these plans, and how long might it take to see those results?

Pruitt says, “Results will vary depending on goals and starting points, but for most people, energy, mood and stamina start to noticeably improve within a couple of weeks to a month. Visible changes, such as fat loss or the addition of muscle, begin to occur at about six to 12 weeks with constant effort. And most importantly, even small changes—improved posture, improved sleep—are wins that tend to motivate one further.” Levy concurs, saying that it could take six to eight weeks to see some progress and “three to six months for serious gains.” 

Mohr also says that results will vary by person, and that most people will notice better mood, improved energy levels and less stiffness. He adds that over several months, people can expect improved strength and endurance, as well as possible health improvements such as improved blood markers or healthier body composition. He shares, “Results come with consistency, even if progress feels slow at first.”

Photo courtesy of Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

The post Expert Fitness Tips for Busy People, to Make Exercise Goals Achievable appeared first on SUCCESS.

As is the case with Front Line Medical Technologies, maker of the innovative COBRA-OS (Control Of Bleeding, Resuscitation, Arterial Occlusion System), a device that temporarily blocks the aorta during emergency situations. We turned to Asha Parekh, Ph.D., cofounder of Front Line and the biomedical engineer behind COBRA-OS, to find out more about this device and the future of medtech.

Parekh says she and her co-founder Adam Power, M.D., had the idea for COBRA-OS when she saw there was no surefire way to get patients from point A to point B when they are bleeding out. “The COBRA-OS provides circulatory support in emergency situations. It can be used in a variety of applications,” Parekh says. “The intent is to keep a patient alive until they can get the definitive care they need…. So, it’s a temporary measure to keep a patient in good standing, whether that’s within a hospital, from the ER to the OR, or it’s a motor vehicle accident or on a military battlefield.”

Saving Lives Beyond the Hospital

The device has a wide variety of applications and environments, according to Parekh. It’s used by trauma surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, cardiologists and emergency physicians. So, it’s not just something you’d need in the hospital. You might actually need it on your way there.

“Unfortunately, for 1 out of 10 of those patients who suffer from cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, it’s not likely that their heart will even start again. They won’t get the return of circulation,” she explains. “So, this is one application where we’re trying to bridge that gap and give patients a chance to even get to that definitive care.”

Recognizing the Need

In any industry, the best solution architects are the ones who have their eyes wide open. They see the problem, and then they find the solution. Which is what Parekh and Power did when they observed patient care.

“I was talking to people who were working with paramedics, ambulances, emergency rooms, and they said they were just grabbing for anything trying to make it work. There’s not really been anything they can do in the instance of cardiac arrest other than just keep on doing CPR,” she said of the clinical need she kept seeing. “We saw that there was an opportunity to bridge those gaps in care and ask, ‘How can we make this better?’”

Measuring Medical Success

Patient outcomes are the primary measure of a medical device’s success, but factors like feasibility, patentability and financial benefits also define medtech achievements. Launching a device like the COBRA-OS, a Class II device with mid-level risk, begins with obtaining a license from the FDA or Health Canada.

Parekh says that, because the health care industry is so heavily regulated, there are no shortcuts. “We have to make sure that the outcomes are favorable. But there is a little bit of a gray area because our tool is giving a patient a chance at survival—when they’re already in a situation where they might die and you are giving them a last-ditch effort sometimes.” The extent of injury varies, as do the people. “There are guidelines, however; when and on whom we should be doing this is not completely set or accepted yet.”

Pioneering the Next Generation of MedTech

When Parekh was in her first year of her undergraduate engineering studies, she estimated that there were 10% women. In graduate school, she says that jumped to about 20%. And, now, in the biomedical engineering lectures she’s given, she happily reports that classes have been almost 40% women. “Biomedical engineering, especially, has gained a lot of traction for women,” Parekh says.

The way she sees it, not everyone should be encouraged into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. “We need to create awareness and bring out the passion in people who are truly interested in it. That’s what’s going to drive the field forward. We can get the best out of people when they truly love it,” she says, “and we want people like that to grow into their passions.”

That aligns with recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their projections are that STEM occupations will grow 10.4% between 2023 and 2033 (a much faster rate than the predicted overall workforce growth of 4%).

But what’s driving all of it—the facts, figures, awareness—is a passion for problem-solving.

There are always things in the pipeline, says Parekh. Then it becomes a matter of too many problems and not enough time to solve them all. “We wish we had time to work on every project that we wanted to,” she says. “COBRA-OS is a passion project. We truly, truly love, love, love it.” 

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of SUCCESS magazine.

Photo courtesy Asha Parekh, Ph.D.

The post Revolutionizing Emergency Care with COBRA-OS Technology appeared first on SUCCESS.

3+ hours of social media a day can double kids’ mental health risks

Helping young people make smart choices about social media use is more important than ever. As the most active demographic on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, they are often hit hardest by its negative mental health impacts and can struggle to maintain offline social balance. 

Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience mental health problems, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is increasing efforts to inform families and policymakers about the associated risks. TikTok is now joining other platforms in introducing tools that promote better user habits and reduce potential regulatory pressure in response to rising concerns.

TikTok expands Family Pairing with new safety tools

Among its recent changes, TikTok is improving its Family Pairing feature, a parental control tool first introduced in 2020 to support safer online experiences for young people. The tool allows parents to connect their accounts to their kids’, enabling them to oversee screen time limits, direct messaging controls and content filtering. On Tuesday, TikTok revealed two new additions: a feature that lets parents restrict access to the app at certain times and another that provides greater visibility into their teen’s follower list—who their teen follows as well as who follows them. 

Parents worry not just about the amount of time their children spend on screens but also about the content they are exposed to. In the absence of effective policies and safeguards, young teens and children risk encountering material that is not only upsetting and unsuitable but, in some cases, illegal and potentially damaging to their mental development. 

New TikTok feature encourages teens to log off by 10 p.m.

TikTok is also introducing its new “wind-down” feature, offering parents another useful tool to help manage screen time at home. For users under 16 still active on the app after 10 p.m., TikTok will interrupt their feed with a full-screen “wind-down” reminder, which will play “calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time.” The wind-down feature will soon include guided meditation, designed to help users relax and transition to sleep after putting their devices away. 

The app is also rolling out an equally important ‘time away’ feature, allowing parents to plan their child’s online activity ahead of time, ensuring screen time aligns with chores, homework or bedtime routines. With features like these, families can have constructive conversations about social media use, working together to find balanced solutions. Empowering parents with control tools may ease worries that could prompt app bans. Teens won’t be able to exceed their screen time limits unless they obtain a unique passcode from their parents.

“We designed these features to reflect best practices in behavioral change theory by providing positive nudges that can help teens develop balanced long-term habits. In countries where this has already been piloted, the vast majority of teens decide to keep this reminder on,” said Adam Presser, head of operations & trust and safety at TikTok via a recent press release. 

The scrolling trap: How endless content impacts our sleep

Scrolling can easily become an endless cycle, where funny clips and engaging content pile on until you lose track of time and place. This cycle doesn’t just waste time, it can sabotage our sleep and leave us battling exhaustion the next day. According to a 2022 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 93% of Gen Z admitted to sacrificing sleep to scroll or participate in social media during late hours. 

Even adults can struggle with keeping a routine and knowing when to turn off. Late-night screen time can overstimulate the brain, making it harder to wind down and hit the hay. The blue light emitted from devices also interferes with melatonin production, disrupting the body’s natural sleep cycle and leaving adults just as vulnerable to sleep issues as younger users. Anyone can fall into the trap of late-night doomscrolling. Once our brain grows reliant on its reward system, it can become an addictive cycle that favors immediate satisfaction at the cost of lasting health.

Social media isn’t going away and neither are the concerns that come with it. But by investing in tools that promote balance and accountability, TikTok’s latest steps show that thoughtful guidance, not restriction, may be the most effective path forward. The social media app is set to continue enhancing its safety features, like age assurance and ID verification, throughout the year.

Photo by Juliya Shangarey/Shutterstock

The post TikTok Unveils New Parental Controls to Curb Late-Night Scrolling and Screen Addiction appeared first on SUCCESS.

For busy professionals, self-care is essential. Without it, you’re more likely to suffer burnout and less likely to be productive and successful in your career. 

Here’s what you need to know.  

The Importance Of Self-Care For Busy Professionals

Research shows that chronic work stress leads to burnout, which hinders your job performance. When you’re burnt out, your mental clarity and focus suffer. You’re more likely to make mistakes and less likely to find innovative solutions to problems.

Self-care helps prevent burnout and lessens its effects when it occurs. By helping you maintain your emotional and physical health, taking care of yourself ensures you can do your best work. 

Quick And Effective Self-Care Strategies

The good news is that you don’t need to invest a lot of time in self-care to do it right. Investing a few minutes a day at regular intervals can help you manage your physical and emotional health. Here are some self-care practices you can start to incorporate into your daily routine.

• Morning rituals: If you’re used to starting your day by checking your work email or doing some light doomscrolling, it’s time for a ritual refresh. Make time in the morning for self-care activities like meditation, journaling or light exercise.  
• Midday breaks: It’s easy to let your schedule run away with you when you’re a busy professional. Make your to-do list serve you, not just your job, by incorporating regular breaks. Use your calendar to schedule five to 10 minutes of deep breathing or stretching, especially around midday.
• Evening wind-down: Don’t scroll yourself to sleep (it won’t work anyway). Instead, unplug from devices and focus on relaxing activities like reading or mindfulness.

Self-Care Habits For Long-Term Wellness

One of the best self-care practices for busy professionals is building better habits. What you do every day is the foundation of wellness, whether your goal is to run a marathon or achieve a better work-life balance. Here are some longer-term practices that will get easier the more you do them.

• Set boundaries: Ask any psychologist and they’ll tell you: Boundaries are essential for self-care. Without boundaries, it’s impossible to get the space you need to rest, recharge and nurture yourself. Learn to say no and protect your personal time.
• Healthy lifestyle choices: Research has shown that prioritizing physical health supports improved mental health. Make time to prepare and eat nutritious food, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep. 
• Stay active: You don’t need a gym membership or hours a day to stay in shape (or get there if you’re currently sedentary). You just need to commit to moving your body regularly. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. You can do that by incorporating short workouts or walks into your daily routine.

Balancing Work And Wellness

The busier you are, the more important it is to make the time to take care of yourself. But a vague commitment won’t make that happen. Here are several techniques busy professionals can utilize to practice self-care through work-life balance.

• Time blocking for self-care: Schedule wellness activities as nonnegotiable appointments. Use your digital calendar if you need to, and make sure that your blocked-off time is visible to those who might put in meeting requests. At most companies, you can reserve the time without getting into specifics about how you’re using it, so don’t overexplain. 
• Delegate and simplify: Yes, you’re good at your job—but you are not the only person who can do every aspect of your role. Delegate tasks and duties where possible. Focus on key priorities.
• Leverage technology: You don’t need to create your wellness routines all on your own. Technology can help support building healthier habits. Use apps for meditation, habit tracking or wellness reminders.

Mental Health And Relaxation Techniques

Just as physical health can affect mental health, the inverse is true. Investing time in relaxation techniques and other ways to support mental and emotional well-being will boost your physical health. Here are a few practices to boost mental health and clarity and promote physical wellness.

• Mindfulness practices: Guided meditations, body scans and other mindfulness practices can help you manage stress. Stress-reducing activities protect your physical health by lowering levels of cortisol and other stress hormones. This may help you avoid increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Try guided meditations or body scans to reduce stress, or look into mindfulness classes in your area.
• Journaling: Reflecting on your thoughts—and especially counting your blessings—can positively affect your health. Researchers have found that gratitude supports physical and emotional health, builds stronger relationships and helps you develop resilience. 
• Social connections: Recharge emotionally by spending quality time with friends or family. And don’t let social media take the place of in-person relationship building. Commit to setting aside time to hang out with your loved ones face-to-face.

Prioritize Self-Care And Improve Your Life

Busy professionals often dismiss the need for self-care because their schedules are already packed. But setting aside time to take care of yourself is important precisely because you don’t have a lot of time. If you want to optimize your time and energy, you have to prioritize investing in your health and happiness. 

Start small. Integrate manageable self-care habits into your routine by scheduling brief meditations, short bursts of physical activity or time with friends. 

Remember that self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. If you want to do, be and feel your best, you need to give yourself the time and care you need. 

Photo by Josep Suria/Shutterstock.com

The post Self-Care Routines For Busy Professionals appeared first on SUCCESS.

Back home, she synthesized everything she learned and continued her breathwork. She bought an electroencephalogram (EEG) headband and was astounded to find that after just four minutes of circular breathing, her brain registered beta waves, a state associated with greater focus, and after a few more minutes, her brain could be in theta, a state of subconscious insight. Plus, she was already experiencing the results of her breathwork in her own relationships, an improved self-image and professional clarity on a new life’s purpose: to share the gifts of guided breathing with the world.

Now, a few years after developing and fine-tuning a technique that melds breathwork, hypnosis and visualization into a short 20-minute practice called “HypnoBreathwork,” Sipma has launched online courses, trained over 100 teachers in the method and has led in-person workshops of all sizes—from small groups to entire companies with hundreds of employees.

Her Instagram account (@francescasipma) shows her in chic, sunny poolside settings and on French mountaintops leading sessions with participants lying face up on yoga mats, blindfolds covering their eyes. But despite the polished publicity, Sipma isn’t interested in gatekeeping her method. She’s making it available to everyone in her new book, Unblock Your Purpose: Breathwork, Intuition, and Flow State, and in her app, Mastry. She’s passionate about the practice’s advantages for everyone but thinks there is an especially good fit for entrepreneurs, executives and highly driven individuals.

About HypnoBreathwork

So, what exactly is the “hypno” part of HypnoBreathwork? Sipma says it’s simply the combination of vocal cues and music that guides participants to a state of mind that’s open and relaxed enough to access your subconscious. Breathing helps you achieve that state more rapidly.

From there, visualization cues help you “see” past experiences or envision the future and then gain insights from the intuitive messages that come into your mind simultaneously. Sipma believes these takeaways are often the deep knowledge of our subconscious and encourage people to listen carefully and take note of any revelations. Unlike many traditional meditation or breathwork facilitators, she is a proponent of documenting your experience, determining what action you might take from your observations and setting “intuitive next steps” you might take after your breathwork session.

Moving through discomfort

Tapping into your subconscious can bring up some unexpected realizations. Sipma recalls her shock at discovering she had long glossed over her family’s troubled undercurrents. “I had a great childhood!” she recalls thinking. But in her book, she details some difficult dynamics with her father and mother that came to light through breathwork—dynamics that she realized she’d been recreating in her own adult relationships.

Driven individuals are well positioned to take advantage of this discomfort. “High achievers or successful people or entrepreneurs—they’re willing to do the deep work,” Sipma says. “And that’s not always a pretty process… but on the other side of that discomfort is massive growth and tremendous success.”

Finding the flow state

Connecting with your breath has another major benefit, Sipma noticed, and that’s accessing a state in which your ideas and productivity simply flow easily, allowing people to rapidly access the wealth of information our brains store, make connections, see solutions and come up with entirely novel ideas and concepts. For her, the creativity that comes along with experiencing a flow state is one of the biggest perks of HypnoBreathwork.

“When I worked in advertising… I would sit in creative meetings with some of the most brilliant creatives in the world,” she says. She remembers thinking, “‘God, I wish I could come up with a concept.’ I just didn’t think I was a creative person. And then, once I cleared all the emotions that had been stacked [against me], and I healed a lot of the past parts of myself, I became a creative machine. I have a million creative ideas every single morning. And that was something that was brand new for me.”

Revealing your intuition and purpose

In what she sees as a melding of Eastern and Western cultures, Sipma believes the breakthroughs that come during HypnoBreathwork can lead to powerful change if you take immediate note of them and pledge to follow up with action.

“That’s the secret sauce,” says Sipma with excitement. “The point of the HypnoBreathwork is to get to the intuitive action [where] you’re utilizing your intuition, which is this deep inner knowing, this inner guidance and wisdom. And when you can combine those two things—the spirituality with the strategy—then you are on a completely different path. It’s a different playing field. Now, we’re talking about true peak performance.”

Sipma has noticed that those who try HypnoBreathwork find their revelations going well beyond the solving of day-to-day work or relationship challenges. They begin to zero in on how their abilities can benefit others, beyond their salary or job role, to fulfill what she calls their “purpose.” It’s perhaps the greatest gift of a HypnoBreathwork practice, she argues, and one that is worthy of the 20 or so minutes a day she recommends for breathwork.

“The most common thing I hear is, ‘I don’t have time,’” she says. “But the truth is, you become smarter, you become sharper, you become clearer and you become more creative. Everything else in your day takes less time. Your decisions take less time, your emails, your proposals, your decks, your papers—everything takes less time when you breathe for 20 minutes and you’re clearer all day.” 

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of SUCCESS magazine.

The post The Benefits of 20-Minute HypnoBreathwork appeared first on SUCCESS.

On average, we spend a third of our lives at work; the line between personal and professional life is more blurred than ever, especially with so many people working from home or having hybrid work schedules, says Kelly Mackin, workplace well-being innovator, human behavior researcher, speaker, CEO of Motives Met, and bestselling author of the book Work Life Well-Lived. Hence, it’s more important than ever to figure out how to set boundaries so that both your work and personal space remain sacred in their own right.   

The good news is that you are not alone. Randstad’s latest Workmonitor report, which assessed input from more than 26,000 workers, found that for the first time, work-life balance is more important than pay (83 percent versus 82 percent). Workers are taking action if their expectations are not met, with 45 percent advocating for better conditions at work and 44 percent quitting if their workplace becomes toxic.

Fortunately, you can employ several actionable strategies to help you manage your professional and personal life.  

What Is Work-Life Balance And Why Is It Important?

Whether you call it work-life balance, work-life harmony or work-life flow, the idea is that you get to “harmonize work and life in a way that works for you,” according to Mackin’s “Motives Met Work-Life Harmony Playbook” report. It’s about creating a relationship between work and personal life to ensure they complement, rather than compete, with each other. Without this balance, you may start to see your relationships, health, and mood deteriorate. 

According to the report, almost 30 percent of workers feel their workday is a race from start to finish, and half say they need to work outside of their set work hours to get their work done. This constant stress can eventually impact you mentally, emotionally, and physically, says Mackin. 

“The overwhelm, the stress, the burnout, and from my…own personal background, it started to physically take over my body,” recalls Mackin. “I developed a sleep disorder…It got so bad my left eye would twitch, my hands would shake, I’d have panic attacks at work.” 

Why Work Shouldn’t Come At The Cost Of Your Life

The constant grind and number of hours many people work without taking a break to focus on loved ones, health, hobbies or rest leads to a lack of well-being. “…[N]ot having any of the important needs [met]…infiltrated every part of my life. …it bleeds into our lives outside of work because everything is so interconnected,” Mackin shares.

How to Keep Your Work And Personal Life Separate

Balancing work and life doesn’t come naturally; it takes some effort to make it happen. “…[W]e have to show up and be intentional [to] create the life that we want,” advises Mackin. “…[W]ork-life harmony is crafted by you. It’s not given to you. You have to be proactive in strategies, not only with other people, but also with yourself.”

Here are some of these strategies to help keep work and home life separate.  

Create Physical Boundaries

Setting physical boundaries is critical for those working in an office environment. Close your door when you need to focus on a project. Leave the office for lunch or take a mid-afternoon walk to create space for yourself. When it comes to your in-office work hours, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself by asking your supervisor for some flexibility, advises Mackin.

Establish Clear Communication Guidelines

Email communication can be a top stressor if expectations are misaligned. You may not enjoy receiving emails late at night or during the weekend because you think you need to respond immediately. However, your colleagues may just send emails when it’s convenient for them, knowing that you won’t respond until you return to your desk on Monday morning. 

The best way to turn down the stress dial is to communicate with your colleagues and clients. “Telling people your work style and then asking them about theirs goes a really long way because then they…understand where you’re coming from,” says Mackin. Getting clarity on what’s urgent and important versus what’s not is also so helpful, she says. 

Set And Stick To A Work Schedule

The more consistent you are with your work schedule, the easier it will be for you to keep your work and personal life separate. Mackin recommends adding your work hours to your email signature to clearly communicate when you will be at your desk. It’s also a good idea to add an out-of-office message to your email and voicemail when taking vacation days. 

Disconnect After Work

Knowing when to walk away from your computer to enjoy your family and other aspects of your personal life is imperative. It’s helpful to create a ritual at the end of the day to delineate your work time from the rest of your day. Put it on your calendar so you know when to shut down your computer. “…I have every day on my calendar…a sign off and organize files [note]…what I’m doing is saying I am shutting down for the day,” says Mackin.

Prioritize Time With Loved Ones

Work shouldn’t come at the cost of your life. If you continue to miss appointments with family and friends and disappoint them, you are bound to end up with relationship conflicts. By making the effort to prioritize time away from work with those who you care about, you will not only alleviate stress but also have fun and feel better. Stick to your personal plans by adding them to your calendar because if you don’t, it becomes too easy to stay at your desk, says Mackin.

How to Achieve Long-Term Work-Life Harmony

Work can easily start to creep back in and take over our lives if we’re not careful. That’s why it’s beneficial to adopt some habits and mindset shifts to sustain a healthy balance in the long run.

• Reflect on what works for you. Take a step back to really get to know yourself and identify what you need for a successful work-life balance. 
• Monitor and adjust your work-life needs regularly. Some of what you do may be trial-and-error until you find what works best.
• Do some thought work. Identify what thoughts you don’t want to be thinking anymore that are holding you back from achieving work-life balance, says Mackin. Write these thoughts down on note cards and refer to them daily to reset your thinking patterns. 
• Practice mindfulness. Set a timer for energy check-ins throughout your day so you can stop and ask yourself where your energy level is at that moment and what adjustments you need to make to feel better.  
• Exercise regularly. Not only will movement lower your stress level and boost your mood, but it will also create a buffer from work.  
• Take a periodic digital detox. Step away from screens, whether it’s for an hour or a week-long vacation, to reset and recharge your nervous system. 
• Drop the guilt. Let go of the guilt and judgment around work-life balance because you will never satisfy others or meet the conflicting pressures that you either aren’t working hard enough or are working way too much. 

Redefine Your Work-Life Balance

If you are fed up with the lack of balance in your life, try implementing these strategies to keep your work and personal life separate; doing so can help you attain happiness, career growth and long-term well-being. 

Photo from Vera Prokhorova/Shutterstock.com

The post Keeping Your Work And Personal Life Separate: A Guide To Work-Life Balance appeared first on SUCCESS.

According to an internal survey of National Academy of Sports Medicine’s (NASM) top trainers, the moment is right for some good “old” fitness trends to become new again. 

“Anything retro is very in right now—especially for millennials and Gen X who are longing for a time that felt more simple, easy and fun,” says Darlene Marshall, NASM-certified wellness coach, personal trainer and host of the Better Than Fine podcast.

But what exactly does the retro fitness movement entail? 

The favored exercise formats fitness professionals would like to see regain momentum range from step aerobics to power walking to parkour. But the common thread linking all these nostalgic workouts is that, in addition to being functionally effective, they’re also fun.  

“Finding joy in your workout is the most important thing to make it sustainable for your life,” says Shanna Missett Nelson, CEO and chief choreographer for Jazzercise, Inc.

With that in mind, here are the top throwback workouts (ranked in order) that NASM trainers would like to see brought back to the fitness future.

1. Old-school calisthenics and bodyweight exercises

This took the top spot for retro fitness formats trainers would like to see return for a few good reasons. Primarily, it’s that calisthenics are extremely effective and also inexpensive. 

Calisthenics focus on exercises that use your own bodyweight against the challenges of gravity to promote muscle strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination. In other words, you don’t need any fancy equipment, you just need you.

“Simple ‘calisthenics’ that can have a big impact on strength, balance and mobility include pushups, planks, bodyweight lunges and squats, situps, mountain climbers, and the grimace-worthy burpee,” says orthopedic surgeon Vonda Wright, M.D., author of the forthcoming book, Unbreakable: Go Strong. Live Long. Age With Power.  

These straightforward, old-school bodyweight movements can also be modified to accelerate effect and difficulty by increasing duration, frequency and speed of movement. “By increasing speed, calisthenics can serve as both strength and aerobic exercise all at one time,” Wright says.

And because they can be done anytime, anywhere, you have no excuse for not fitting in a quick workout. 

2. Classic step aerobics

“Step always has been and always will be effective—it improves your cardiovascular fitness, it’s a great calorie burner and it’s fun,” says fitness celebrity Keli Roberts, a multi-certified personal trainer, exercise specialist and step instructor on Cher’s 1991 fitness VHS, Cher Fitness: A New Attitude. “I even heard that Cher still does that workout—Cher’s best friend told me that her friends come over and they get together and do the workout!” Roberts says.

If sweating like Cher (who looks amazing at 78) isn’t enough incentive, also take note that step will work your leg muscles like nobody’s business. Other benefits of this weight-bearing workout include increased cardiorespiratory fitness, high calorie-burning potential and enhanced bone density.

In fact, one 2016 study found that when postmenopausal women with low bone mass did step aerobics for 10 weeks, they increased their bone metabolism and functional fitness, making this a great workout for people looking to prevent osteoporosis. 

Roberts said that the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly re-upped interest in step since it was something that could be done at home. “On my YouTube channel I saw a real increase in the people using my step videos,” Roberts says. “Step has made a major comeback.”

3. Power walking

Sometimes the key to fitness is simply putting one foot in front of the other—which is one reason power walking was and still is a favorite fitness prescription from top trainers. 

“Adequate fitness exercise doesn’t require reinventing the wheel,” says Everett Miner, NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Miner Fitness. “Some of the most effective approaches are also the simplest. Power walking is basic, but because it’s effective, scalable and accessible, it’s one of the best ways to help people stay consistent. And consistency is one of the most important factors in any fitness journey.”

Miner suggests people interested in taking up power walking start small. “Before jumping into power walking, aim to establish a habit of getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day through regular walking,” Miner says. “This builds a baseline of daily movement, which will make the transition to power walking smoother and more sustainable.

“Once you’ve consistently hit your step goal, add in power walking by increasing your pace to where your heart rate reaches zone two (60%-70% of your maximum heart rate). This is a comfortable but slightly challenging pace where you can still hold a conversation but feel slightly winded.” Working out in that heart rate zone is optimal for improving heart health and burning fat.  

Power walking also has the bonus of being either individual or social. “I have a group of female friends who get together and walk the hills in Ventura every Saturday,” Roberts says. “I personally have always loved how gentle walking is on the joints—add to that fact that it’s a good way to improve your mood, and for me, it’s a winner.” 

4. Tae Bo or other martial arts-inspired workouts

There’s something about “kicking butt” that never goes out of style. 

“The ’90s were a period of massive cultural change and people wanted to feel empowered, so we got Tae Bo,” Marshall says. With everything going on in the world right now, if ever there were a time for a boxing and martial arts comeback, it would be the present. 

Interestingly, this type of workout is already gaining traction in the gerontology field. Boxing and kickboxing workouts have seen a boost among older populations with Rock Steady Boxing programs for people with Parkinson’s disease. Studies have shown that participants saw improved social life and decreased fatigue, fear of falling, depression and anxiety. 

“I personally use boxing and kickboxing in my Silver & Fit online live classes to help improve cardiovascular fitness, balance, coordination and movement speed,” Roberts says. 

5. Low-impact water aerobics

If you want a workout that also “takes a load off,” then you might want to revisit water aerobics. 

Though the perception of this workout may be that it’s just splashing around in a pool, it’s a lot harder than it looks. At the same time, it’s gentle on the joints, making it a perfect choice for those with orthopedic constraints.

“Water workouts are underrated and an amazing way to boost your metabolism while making exercise easier and more efficient,” says Laura Chevalier, director of fitness and outdoor sports at Canyon Ranch Lenox in Massachusetts.

Water is a forgiving environment that allows you to exercise hard regularly with only a fraction of the impact of land-based exercise. “In chest-deep water, you weigh only 25% of your weight on land. In water up to your neck, your body weighs only 10% of its land weight,” Chevalier says. However, when you push against the water, your muscles experience 12%-14% more resistance than with air.

The result, Chevalier says, is a workout that will increase range of motion, cardiovascular and muscular strength, and endurance with minimal stress on your joints. 

6. Jazzercise or other dance-based fitness classes

Perhaps nothing makes people think retro fitness more than leotard-and-legwarmer-clad images of Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis and ladies doing Jazzercise. But when it comes to girl power at the gym, there’s nothing better than a dance-based exercise class.

“I don’t believe dance fitness/Jazzercise or other OG fitness classes are making a comeback, but rather, they have been here all along,” says Nelson, the daughter of Jazzercise founder Judi Sheppard Missett. “Dance fitness was successful at the inception of the industry for all the reasons it is still successful today—dance is fun, brings joy, makes you feel better and can deliver amazing results.”

The benefits of dance workouts are plenty and include challenging the heart and skeletal muscles, but also the mind. “Dance is good for your brain because it releases serotonin, dopamine and all the feel-good chemicals, improves cognitive function, balance, and so much more,” Nelson says. “Plus, music makes it fun and the group fitness environment will keep you coming back for more.”

That sense of belonging is what may power its resurgence today.

“Because dance transcends all the ages and stages of life Jazzercise can bring multigenerational women and men together in the same room where all are able to enjoy the movement,” says Nelson, whose daughter is even teaching Jazzercise now, introducing it to a new generation. “This community inclusiveness and workout variability keeps people coming back to Jazzercise for long stretches—even decades—and is a huge part of why we are still successful after 55 years.”  

7. Rollerblading

The technical term is inline skating, but “rollerblading” burst on the scene in the 1980s, and over 40 years later, it’s still a great way to tone the lower body while getting a solid dose of cardio.

According to the International Inline Skating Association (IISA), participation has grown 630% since 1989. It’s recently been on the upswing again for several reasons. 

To start, it’s an activity that can be done outdoors—which was big during the pandemic. However, it’s more low-impact than running while still being considered a weight-bearing activity, which leads to bone mass building. 

Also, skating trains the body in the “lateral” plane of motion—meaning side-to-side action. Accordingly, skating helps strengthen the hips and glutes in a way that you don’t get from your everyday forward-moving activities like walking. Better balance is another bonus. 

Plus, rollerblading allows you to burn calories in a shorter amount of time—you can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories in one hour—making it a fantastic activity for weight loss and maintenance. All that to say, it might be time to strap on a pair of skates again. Don’t let anyone slow your roll. 

8. Parkour

Working out is not child’s play, except when it is. For those who don’t know about parkour, it’s best explained as a man-made or natural obstacle course that participants traverse by running, jumping, rolling, vaulting or moving in whatever way it takes to get from one point to another as quickly as possible. 

Established in the late 1980s in France, the movements in parkour originated from a training program for the French Special Forces. At first it was just a street activity, but then it started to gain global popularity thanks to performances by skilled parkour daredevils who flipped their way through commercials and films like the James Bond movie Casino Royale. At its core, however, parkour is simply about rediscovering the joy of movement.

“Parkour is all about getting back to those childhood roots—running around, jumping over stuff, climbing trees—you name it,” says Tyler McDonald, NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. “It’s a workout that hits all the marks: cardio, strength, flexibility and balance.”

Getting started with parkour is not only safer but also more fun when done with a “posse.” McDonald suggests hitting up community groups or checking out sites like Meetup.com to find local parkour classes. Some gyms are parkour-friendly, too, so keep an eye out for those. But ultimately, parkour is about using the world as your gym.

“Parkour is like the ultimate playground for adults…. It’s not just about getting fit; it’s about learning to move through life with a bit more fun and freedom,” McDonald says. “Plus, it’s a killer workout that doesn’t feel like work.”

9. Hula hooping

While most people think of the hula hoop only as a toy that was popular in the 1950s, it turns out it also makes a great piece of workout equipment. But that idea is not new.

Throwing it way back—like, thousands of years back—people living in ancient Greece and Egypt actually used to exercise with hoops made from grapevines. While today’s hula hooping workouts are much less rustic, they’re still creative and usually include weighted hoops, choreographed moves and music.

Hula hooping as exercise is also surprisingly hard. If you’ve ever hula hooped for play, you know that keeping a hoop circling can be a challenge. Now, try that for 45 minutes to an hour. 

According to a study on the efficacy of hula hooping conducted by the American Council on Exercise, “hoopers” can burn an average of seven calories per minute. Plus, hula hooping will not only boost your heart rate and torch calories, but it also tones the back, abdomen, arms and legs, making it a total body workout. As an added bonus, researchers said the rhythmic nature of hooping can be relaxing and meditative for some people. 

The bottom line? Hooping is a perfect example of retro fitness: What goes around actually does come back around. 

Photo from Shakirov Albert/Shutterstock.com.

The post Retro Fitness Fads Ready to Make a Comeback in 2025 appeared first on SUCCESS.

A yoga practice can help you focus on the present and let go of the things you cannot control. It’s been shown to have a variety of physical and mental health benefits, including improved flexibility and strength, pain relief, relaxation, better sleep, more energy, improved stress management and more.

The benefits to both your body and your mind are clear. Whether you’ve been doing yoga for years or are just getting started, a little inspiration can always help. Explore over 50 yoga quotes to help you find motivation, balance and clarity.

11 Of The Best Inspirational & Motivational Yoga Quotes

The hardest part of any habit is usually sticking with it, but the powerful benefits of yoga can be well worth the effort. Yoga can also help you push through things you thought you couldn’t do. For example, successfully going through a pose like the Chaturanga Dandasana for the first time is an extraordinary feeling. You’re proving to yourself that you can do hard things. Some of the best yoga phrases highlight the power of this ancient discipline. Browse some of these inspirational yoga quotes to motivate you to get up and start a daily practice.

• “I had discovered something; there was a pleasure in becoming something new. You could will yourself into a fresh shape. Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it out there, in my life.” —Claire Dederer
• “Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.” —Amit Ray
• “I have never been pretzel-ish or particularly flexible. And my practice is riddled with mistakes and imperfections. Which is precisely what makes it so powerful. Striving to do better while simultaneously remaining satisfied with where I am. It’s much larger than I am. I just tag along for the ride. Pretty cool. So…thanks Yoga. You’re awesome.” —Adam Levine
• “Yoga is the effort to experience one’s divinity personally and then to hold on to that experience forever.” —Elizabeth Gilbert
• “That’s why it’s called a practice. We have to practice a practice if it is to be of value.” —Allan Lokos
• “Left to itself, the mind goes on repeating the same old habitual patterns of personality. By training the mind, however, anyone can learn to step in and change old ways of thinking; that is the central principle of yoga.” —Veda Vyasa
• “Although yoga has its origins in ancient India, its methods and purposes are universal, relying not on cultural background, faith or deity, but simply on the individual.” —Tara Fraser
• “Sometimes, even with the most precise intuition, you don’t know what life is going to throw at you. Or you could see it coming and still not be able to stave it off. That is life and part of the cycles of experience. It’s not always going to be easy or fun. But with a sacred outlook, you are training yourself to be a true practitioner of human wisdom and dignity in every moment of your life.” —Guru Jagat
• “But remember—yoga isn’t a quick fix; it seeps into your bones, your heart, and your soul over time.”—Kathryn E. Livingston
• “When you step onto your Yoga mat, you are reminded of that wholeness, and the practice clears a pathway through your symptoms to the ground of your being, that which is your natural state.” —Amy Weintraub

Related: Must-Try Two-Person Yoga Poses

Yoga Quotes to Inspire Balance & Harmony

Moving into a yoga pose means finding balance within yourself. It’s not just a physical activity: the body and mind work together to find harmony. Yoga includes breath work, mindfulness and meditation, and is believed to have mental benefits and strengthen parts of the brain. It promotes overall well-being and may help with reducing stress, processing emotions, and increasing resilience. In short, yoga can help us re-center our minds and bodies in healthy ways.  These compelling yoga quotes about balance can help inspire and motivate us to tap into our inner strength and find harmony within our body, mind and spirit.

• “Yoga’s a metaphor for life. You have to take it really slowly. You can’t rush through. You can’t skip to the next position. You find yourself in really humiliating situations. You can’t judge yourself. You just have to breathe.  You have to let go. And it’s a very slow process. But it is a workout for your mind, your body and your soul.”—Madonna
• “Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees” —B.K.S. Iyengar
• “As spiritual searchers we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness in which we get occupied with me-me-me. Pondering on large ideas or standing in front of things which remind us of a vast scale can free us from acquisitiveness and competitiveness and from our likes and dislikes.” —Ravi Ravindra
• “If you are patient, your mind will be more settled, and what you do will be more perfect.” —Suzanne Morrison
• “What is discipline? Discipline means creating an order within you. As you are, you are a chaos.” —Osho
• “The word ‘yoga’ literally means ‘uniting’, because when you’re doing it you are uniting your mind and your body. You can tell this almost immediately because your mind will be thinking, ‘Ouch, that hurts,’ and your body will say, ‘I know.’ And your mind will think, ‘You have to get out of this position.’ And your body will say, ‘I agree with you, but I can’t right now. I think I’m stuck.’” —Ellen DeGeneres
• “Yoga is, as I can readily believe, the perfect and appropriate method of fusing body and mind together so that they form a unity which is scarcely to be questioned. This unity creates a psychological disposition which makes possible intuitions that transcend consciousness.” —Paramahansa Yogananda
• “The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” —Pema Chödrön
• “Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are.” —Erich Schiffmann
• “To the yogi, all experience is seen as one, as a means to help him cultivate devotion. All experiences have equal meaning and value.” —Prem Prakash

Yoga Sayings For Happiness & Gratitude

Through a yoga practice, we can better understand the flow of prana, which is the energy and flow of life. Yoga helps increase self-awareness, calm the body and mind, and be more present in the moment. Being more present in life has been associated with increased happiness and more gratitude. The takeaway? Yoga could potentially make us more content and thankful. Turn to these yoga quotes about happiness and gratitude to stay inspired.

• “Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” —Patanjali
• “It is so spiritually incredible as well as physically—I look for workouts that have to be also good for my spirit as much as they are for my body.” —Lea Michele
• “Wherever you go, there you are. Your emptiness goes with you. Maddening. Things that help: writing, reading, water, walks, forgiving myself every other minute, practicing easy yoga, taking deep breaths, and petting my dogs. These things don’t fill me completely, but they remind me that it is not my job to fill myself. It’s just my job to notice my emptiness and find graceful ways to live as a broken, unfilled human…” —Glennon Doyle Melton
• “Compassion is the religion of the heart.” —Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
• “Even if you can be aware of your awareness for only a moment, in that moment you will touch the primal awareness/bliss at the core of yourself.” —Sally Kempton
• “For there is never anything but the present, and if one cannot live there, one cannot live anywhere.” —Alan W. Watts
• “The logic is simple: if you do the right things, the right things will happen to you even without your intent.” —Sadhguru
• “We are all in charge of our own happiness. Life does not happen to us, it happens for us!” —Rachel Brathen
• “An eye is meant to see things. The soul is here for its own joy.” —Rumi
• “The first thing I do is do yoga stretches. It’s important for someone over the age of 35 to do that, so I started when I was 34. I’m 6’4”, so if I don’t stretch, my alignment goes bonkers.” —RuPaul 

Embrace Wellness With These Quotes For Yoga Class

No matter what your health goals are, yoga allows you to connect to your mind and body in a deeper way. When you get into a comfortable Asana position after a long yoga class, you’ll feel the benefits of the practice for your wellness journey. Use these yoga sayings to remind yourself to get to your next class, or share them with your classmates for inspiration. If you’re an instructor, these quotes for yoga class could be the perfect motivation.

• “As I often tell my students, the two most important phrases in therapy, as in yoga, are ‘Notice that’ and ‘What happens next?’ Once you start approaching your body with curiosity rather than with fear, everything shifts.” —Bessel A. van der Kolk
• “Exercises are like prose, whereas yoga is the poetry of movements. Once you understand the grammar of yoga; you can write your poetry of movements.” —Amit Ray
• “Learning to be present with yourself and to abide in that which is steady and comfortable does not allow space for self-judgment. When you live this way, you are practicing yoga: you are living fully.” —Judith Hanson Lasater
• “True discipline is really just self-remembering; no forcing or fighting is necessary.” —Charles Eisenstein
• “I was searching for my identity as a person, and what defines me. And yoga became a space where I can really touch back into myself and my spirituality.” —Jessica Biel
• “Yoga will always be transformational, even when it stops being cool.” —Victoria Moran
• “Yoga is my thing. My mom is a yoga instructor, and I started doing mommy-and-me yoga with her when I was seven. I was very resistant as a kid, but she said, ‘Flower, you will find your practice – just give it time.’” —Meghan Markle
• “Another meaning of the word yoga is ‘to tie the strands of the mind together.’” —T.K.V. Desikachar
• “Once you make that kind of deep connection with yourself, your relationship with everything and everyone around you changes.” ―Alicia Keys
• “It is only when the mind is free from the old that it meets everything anew, and in that there is joy.” —J. Krishnamurti

Short Yoga Quotes to Meditate On

Yoga continues long after the teacher says, “Namaste,” at the end of the class. The mindfulness inspired by yoga gives you the space and patience to meditate and think about the wider world around you. These quotes from famous names in the yoga world can give us a few things to reflect on.

• “When you catch yourself slipping into a pool of negativity, notice how it derives from nothing other than resistance to the current situation.” —Donna Quesada
• “The very reason for nature’s existence is for the education of the soul.” —Swami Vivekananda
• “Genuine goodness isn’t discovered through postponement but must exist now or not at all. It cannot be based on what is not. We must find it in what is and what we truly see.” —H.E. Davey
• “A heart that is open to the world must be willing to be broken at any time. This brokenness produces the kind of grief that expands the heart so that it can love more and more.” —Stephen Cope
• “Like too many of us, I mistook a busy life for a rich one.” —Anne D. LeClaire
• “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.” —Swami Vivekananda
• “Don’t wait for a better world. Start now to create a world of harmony and peace. It is up to you, and it always has been. You may even find the solution at the end of your fork.” ―Sharon Gannon
• “Who we are is the result of how we live and act on a daily basis. Our daily actions reflect our prime values and motivations.” —David Frawley
• “You need not worry or make yourself sleepless about the world; it will go on without you.” —Swami Vivekananda

Yoga Quotes Can Inspire Us to Stay Healthy & Balanced  

Yoga’s powerful benefits can help you improve your health, stay grounded and be more resilient. When you start a yoga practice, you can learn to create that harmony of the body, mind and spirit and reap the rewards.

Wherever you start your yoga journey, from flexibility to embracing stillness, you can choose to unroll your yoga mat every day and show up for yourself. The poses, breathing and flows of yoga can gently bring you peace and strength. When you need a little inspiration, turn to these yoga motivation quotes.

Photo courtesy of maxbelchenko/Shutterstock

The post 50 Yoga Quotes to Inspire Your Practice & Embrace Balance appeared first on SUCCESS.