It's not often that I'll prescribe stretching over mobility work unless I really need to. If I do, it will be at the end of a session when clients are cooling down. Hamstrings are notoriously tight muscles along the back of your upper legs, and while they respond well to static stretching, the benefits are often experienced in the short term.

Instead, try this three-minute hamstring-focused mobility flow to loosen up your muscles, improve blood and oxygen flow and strengthen joints.

Below, I cover a few of the many benefits you can expect, plus the routine itself. You don't need weights, just one of the best yoga mats.

Watch: 3-minute mobility flow you can try at home

If you experience pain at any time, stop and rest. If you're working with an injury or health condition, I recommend seeking advice before starting this exercise, especially if you find it difficult to bend or kneel.

The routine only takes a few minutes, though you could work longer if you want to. During this time, focus on your breathing and move slowly and mindfully, thinking about creating space in your body rather than rushing through the movements.

I like to play some music, but of course, this is optional. When you breathe, focus on expansive inhales and exhales by directing your breath toward your stomach, back and ribcage, as if inflating and deflating a balloon. Not only will this help with core engagement, but it also means strengthening the diaphragm.

What are the benefits?

For many of us, the hamstrings are a problem area that naturally feels tight a lot of the time. You'll know from your own experiences that reaching for your toes can feel a lot trickier than, say, reaching your arm behind your back.

I like to add this short mobility routine into client warm-ups, as it warms the muscles throughout the body rather than just targeting the hamstrings, giving you a bit more bang for your buck.

The first few rounds will feel uncomfortable if you have tight muscles or limited range of motion in your joints, but as you move through the remaining rounds, things should start to feel easier as you loosen up.

This routine is beginner-friendly, and you don't need any equipment outside of a comfortable yoga or exercise mat. Those with knee pain might want to use a cushion beneath the knees for extra padding, although if this still causes pain, I'd skip kneeling exercises altogether or lift the back leg to ease pressure.

You'll move your entire body during the three minutes, stretching and mobilizing as you go, which means targeting your muscles and joints rather than just temporarily boosting hamstring flexibility.

If you feel you might want to stay in one position for longer, do, and move slowly through each movement. I would recommend watching the video a few times beforehand so you know what to do and can make it feel more like a flow.

The results? Looser hamstrings in just minutes.

Let us know how you get on in the comments!

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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As we get older, strength training is the single most important way to reverse the muscle wastage that comes hand in hand with aging. Preserving muscle mass not only helps you stay stronger and prevent falls, but can also lower your risk of conditions like Type 2 diabetes and strengthen your bones.

But which are the best exercises to prioritize? To find out more, I sat down with Dr. Jamie Bovay, a physical therapist, author and longevity clinician who founded KinetikChain Denver. He has spent years studying the human body through the lens of improving lifespan. Below, he shares five high-yield bodyweight exercises that improve strength and joint mobility.

As a reminder, while these exercises are suitable for complete beginners, if you’re currently dealing with an injury, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.

5 bodyweight exercises to include in your routine

“My personal obsession with longevity started at age 41 when I had my daughter and became an 'old dad.' The math hit me hard: if I followed the standard biological decline, I wouldn't even be around, much less just physically capable of keeping up with my daughter when she reached my age. It forced me to pivot from reactive exercise to stay in shape to proactive physical engineering of my health and future,” Dr Bovay tells me.

His five bodyweight exercises focus on building full-body strength while also keeping the joints mobile. Here are the exercises to try:

1. Box squat

“Lower down to a chair until your glutes barely touch, then drive back up. This builds quad and glute power while directly translating to everyday independence. The lower the chair, the harder the exercise becomes and the more mobility you build into the exercise.”

2. Incline push-up

“Performed against a wall or kitchen counter. This protects the shoulder joints while building chest strength and restoring upper-body pushing mechanics. Lowering yourself from a wall to a counter and closer and closer to the floor increases the difficulty of this exercise and helps you to build more strength as you advance.”

3. Floor glute bridge

“Lying on your back, knees bent, driving your hips toward the ceiling. This wakes up the posterior chain, targets hip extension, and removes chronic tension from the lower back. Making sure you feel this in your glutes and hamstrings and not in your back is key.”

4. Wall angels

“Standing flat against a wall, sliding your arms up and down in a ‘goalpost’ position. This reverses the forward-slumped posture that develops from decades of sitting, as well as opens up the chest, which can help take pressure off the neck, shoulders and low back.”

5. Tandem stance balance hold

“Standing with one foot directly in front of the other (heel-to-toe) for 30 seconds. This builds the neuromuscular skill required for fall prevention. You can increase the difficulty by balancing on one foot.”

What are the benefits?

All of these exercises build functional strength without the impact. When we talk about functional strength, we mean the strength you need to do everyday activities like sitting down and getting back up from a chair or toilet — this is what you’re working on during the box squats.

Once these feel easy, you can progress to bodyweight squats, remove the glute tap on the chair, and then add weight to the movement using one of the best adjustable dumbbells to increase the resistance.

Exercises like incline push-ups and wall angels work the upper body and core without putting too much strain on the shoulder joints. This can help with everyday activities like carrying a heavy load of groceries or lifting a child or grandchild, but it also builds overall stability in the body. You’ll also be working on your posture — handy if you spend a lot of time sitting.

Finally, glute bridges and balance holds work on the primary muscles responsible for walking and balance. As you squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, you’ll force tight hip flexors to relax and lengthen, relieving pressure in your lower back.

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm a personal trainer who works with clients over 50 — these are the 3 mobility exercises I never skip
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• 'I’m a Pilates instructor, and I recommend these 5 core exercises to help older clients build strength and improve posture'

After spending the last five years testing the best office chairs, I decided to mix things up by going completely chair-free for a week. While I missed the comfort and full-body support of my ergonomic office chair, I found myself moving a whole lot more, which is exactly the kind of thing you need to break up your workday.

Although you can do something similar with one of the best standing desks by switching between sitting and standing, you might not be ready — or even want — to swap out your current desk. Plus, given a good entry-level, dual-motor standing desk costs around $500, that’s a big investment if you just want to be a bit more active while working.

To that end, I decided to try out three active chairs for a week to see how well they supported my body and my workload. Unlike a traditional seat, active chairs encourage small, continuous movements and micro-adjustments throughout the day. Not only does this keep your core engaged and improve circulation, but it can also sharpen your focus and help fight off mid-day drowsiness.

Here’s what it was like ditching my office chair for a wobble stool, a saddle stool, and a kneeling chair. While this experiment was originally supposed to last just a week, it’s now been two — and of these three active chairs, I’ve found one I’m sticking with long term.

Bended knees, better posture?

As the oddball of the bunch, I decided to try out the kneeling chair first. Although this design was invented in the late ’70s and first rose to prominence in the ’80s, it’s seen a massive resurgence recently as more people work from home and look for alternatives to traditional office chairs. Even as someone well versed in home office furniture, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to sit on it properly.

With a kneeling chair, you sit on the top cushion while your shins rest on the two smaller pads below. Doing so drops your thighs from the standard 90° angle of an office chair down to a 60° or 70° angle. This shifts part of your body weight onto your shins rather than dumping all of it onto your tailbone, which helps reduce lower back pressure and prevents slouching in the process.

I learned the hard way what happens when you slouch on a kneeling chair: doing so absolutely kills your shins. After that painful lesson, I made a conscious effort to push my glutes back, straighten up the small of my back, and use the balls of my feet to keep the rest of my posture accountable. This made working in the chair a whole lot more comfortable, though I found myself focusing just as much on my posture as I did on the task at hand.

Many kneeling chairs feature a curved wooden base like the model I tested. This made sitting upright easier while allowing me to rock back and forth to burn off extra energy— a fun mental reset whenever my work got tedious.

While I had hoped the kneeling chair would be my favorite, it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. Still, if you struggle with lower back pressure and want an active way to force better alignment, it could be the right alternative seat for you.

Constant motion, fixed focus?

If you’ve ever seen someone sitting on an exercise ball at work, a wobble stool is the more professional (and much safer) alternative. While the kneeling chair gives you some limited movement, a wobble stool is designed to keep you moving continuously. It features a rounded, weighted base that tilts, swivels, and sways a full 360° — for better or worse.

A word of warning, though: a wobble stool is best paired with a standing desk, as they typically have a higher starting height than a traditional office chair. For instance, with the Secretlab Magnus Evo standing desk I used for testing, I had to raise the desktop up to 33 inches just to use the wobble stool comfortably.

Since you have to engage your core, lower back, and leg muscles to stay balanced, using one is a lot more physically taxing than a kneeling chair. If you’re wondering how wobble stools made the jump into home offices, they actually grew out of physical therapy and sensory education in the early 2000s. They are frequently recommended for people with ADHD or high energy, as the continuous micro-movements help channel extra energy into better mental focus.

Once I got my desk raised to a height where my forearms and monitor were in an ergonomic position, using the wobble stool felt far more natural to me than the kneeling chair. I really liked being able to rock back and forth or sway side to side for quick breaks while typing. I also found the weighted base to be a surprisingly comfortable spot to rest my feet, even if maintaining an upright, backless posture required more core stamina while doing so.

The wobble stool wasn't without its flaws, though. My rear got sore after prolonged stretches, forcing me to take a break every 40 minutes to an hour. Then again, taking routine breaks is something we should all be doing at our desks anyway, and after a quick stretch, I was ready to jump right back on. I also loved its space-saving footprint — it slid right under my desk out of the way and was light enough to move around my office effortlessly.

Saddle posture, perfect perch?

Although it’s a single seat, what makes a saddle stool like this one stand out is that there are actually two ways to sit on it: like you're riding a horse or in a perching position. While this makes it the most versatile option of the bunch, you do lose out on some of the dynamic motion you get with a kneeling chair or a wobble stool.

Just like those other alternative seats, the saddle stool has an interesting history. Back in the 1970s, a doctor noticed that equestrians didn’t suffer from the same back pain that office workers routinely deal with. However, it wasn’t until 20 years later that saddle stools became the gold standard for dentists, surgeons, and others in the medical field who need high mobility without a bulky office chair.

When using one of these chairs in its default saddle position, your spine is instantly aligned, which prevents slouching or rounding your lower back. Sitting astride the cushion automatically tilts your pelvis forward, locking your spine into a natural S-curve without needing a backrest. Like the wobble stool, though, you’ll need an adjustable desk since you have to raise your desktop higher to accommodate its taller height. When used in a perched position, a saddle stool offers more rear cushioning, but you have to engage your core and back muscles to sit upright with good posture.

Although I initially tried using this saddle stool as intended, I quickly switched to a perched position to give my glutes extra support. This turned out to be surprisingly taxing on the rest of my body. Even though I wasn’t in constant motion like I was on the wobble stool, making a conscious effort to keep my core engaged and stay upright wore me out fast.

When I swung the seat back around into the saddle position, everything clicked. Sure, my rear wasn’t quite as cushioned, but with my spine locked into a natural S-curve, the whole experience felt much more comfortable overall — mainly because I didn't have to strain so hard to maintain good posture. As for movement, saddle stools do offer some range of motion, but it is noticeably more limited. While I couldn’t sway side to side, I could rock back and forth ever so slightly. Still, the saddle stool’s instant posture fix more than made up for its subtle motion.

Wobbling won me over

When I first set out to conduct this experiment, I really thought the kneeling chair was going to be my top pick. Of the three, it looked the most comfortable and I had seen it getting the most attention online. On the other hand, I actually built and tried the saddle stool first, so I was already familiar with its design and limitations, though I hadn’t spent much time using it as my daily driver.

The wobble stool surprised me the most. Its seat is very traditional — we’ve all sat on similarly shaped stools before — but what really won me over was the total freedom of moving in a full 360-degree circle. When I was deep in focus on my screen, I could lean all the way forward without tweaking levers or knobs like I would on a standard office chair. Then, when I needed to sit back and look at the big picture, I could lean all the way back just as easily. That complete flexibility of movement felt incredibly freeing for someone tethered to a desk all day.

As you might have guessed, the wobble stool takes the top spot. I don’t plan on completely ditching my office chair now that this week-long experiment has stretched into week two, but I’m certainly not done with the wobble stool either. Thanks to its compact footprint, I plan to keep it stored right under my desk so I can pull it out to break up the day between sitting and standing.

These were the three alternative seats I had on hand after Uplift Desk sent them over for testing. If there’s an active chair you swear by or one you’d like to see me try next, let me know in the comments below.

As for me, I think it’s finally time to wheel the next ergonomic chair into my home office and give my core a well-deserved break.

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Apple's annual iPhone event is surely only a matter of weeks away and it could easily be the biggest Apple event in years. We're expecting a slew of new devices to be unveiled as John Ternus takes the reins as Apple's new CEO.

And all of that is before we discuss the launch of the long-rumored, much-hyped foldable iPhone Ultra — Apple's first attempt at the folding phone form factor. It's not clear when the device will actually launch, but at the very least, its reveal is almost certainly right around the corner.

In all, Apple is expected to launch up to eight different devices, from the expected new iPhones and upgraded Apple Watches to several new smart home-focused products.

Here's what we expect to see at Apple's September event, and when it should kick off.

When is the iPhone 18 event?

For the last several years, Apple has held its iPhone launch event in the second week of September, and usually on a Tuesday. This would normally mean that Apple would hold its 2026 event on Tuesday, September 8. However, the preceding Monday is Labor Day, so Apple will likely push the event to Wednesday, September 9.

This has happened in the past, and the reasoning is that Apple doesn't want to ask attendees to travel on a holiday weekend. For example, the iPhone 14 launched on Wednesday, September 7, following Labor Day on Monday 5, and that'll likely be the case this year too.

As for launch, iPhones usually go to pre-order the following Friday, but this year that's September 11. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that the pre-orders will be pushed to Saturday, September 12.

This year's edition will be hosted by Ternus, and it looks like his tenure will start with a bang.

New iPhones

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

This year, Apple is expected to launch only its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. The entry-level iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Plus won't debut until next spring alongside the iPhone 18e model.

Compared to the iPhone Ultra, they should be priced much more affordably, but analysts have predicted that they could still cost between $200 and $350 higher than the iPhone 17 Pro family. Sticking with the 1TB Pro Max, the current iPhone 17 model costs $1,599. This means the iPhone 18 Pro Max could cost between $1,849 and $1949.

Beyond price, we anticipate a few crucial updates to the iPhone this year. The design will likely look the same, but we should benefit from larger batteries, a variable-aperture camera lens and the A20 Pro chipset.

The Dynamic Island is expected to shrink even further, though the fabled under-display Face ID is apparently eluding us for at least another year.

iPhone Ultra

The biggest announcement of the event is sure to be the debut of the foldable iPhone Ultra.

Leaks have suggested that it will have more of a wider shape, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, with a 7.8-inch foldable display and a 5.4-inch cover screen. It could measure between 4.5 and 4.8mm when unfolded, making it one of the thinnest iPhones ever.

It's rumored to sport a 4,883 mAh battery, the A20 chipset, Apple's in-house C2 modem, and a Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the power button. The rear is expected to come with a pair of 48MP cameras, horizontally positioned like the back of the iPhone Air, alongside two separate 24MP selfie cameras — one for each screen.

Apple reportedly delayed releasing a folding iPhone until it could eliminate the crease in the display, but whether it's accomplished this remains to be seen. Even Samsung and Oppo, despite their long lead time, have only had moderate success.

One downside is that the iPhone Ultra could be very expensive, costing as much as $2,500 for the base variant. And a brand-new leak this week suggested the iPhone Ultra may not be immediately available, with only "extremely limited" availability.

Just keep in mind that the iPhone Ultra could have a number of trade-offs versus the iPhone 18 Pro.

AirPods Ultra

These ones are a little surprising as based on a previous Gurman report, we weren't expecting the AirPods Ultra until 2027 at the earliest. However, rumor aggregator AppleTrack just reported this week that the Ultra version of AirPods will launch at the iPhone event.

The big change with these headphones is they will allegedly feature a camera that will feed into Siri to allow it to "see" the world.

It would utilize a version of Visual Intelligence to let you ask Siri questions about your surroundings or get turn-by-turn directions from the more powerful AI Siri releasing this fall.

The AirPods Ultra has also just appeared in a leaked video buried within the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, and it shows how they'll help you identify objects in the real world.

Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4

Unlike the iPhones, we know a bit less about the next Apple Watches. We are expecting two new models in the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

The leaks have been sparse, but Apple is reportedly not bringing many upgrades this year. The biggest change might be a new kind of band attachment. This does mean that your old bands might not be compatible with the new watches.

Reportedly, Apple could offer a ceramic case option for the first time in years. It should also sport new health and fitness-related upgrades. We already know that watchOS 27 will bring new AI features, an updated Workout Buddy and more useful data tracking. Plus, it should feature better integration with the upgraded Siri AI which we've already seen in the iOS 27 beta.

Smart Home

Apple's smart home ambitions and the rumors surrounding them need to be taken with a massive grain of salt. Leaks have suggested Apple is planning on introducing a suite of smart home devices starting with a revamped HomePod and an AI-powered Apple TV 4K streaming device.

Those rumors have existed for more than two years and largely feed into the company's promises around the AI-powered Siri.

However, this year with iOS 27, Apple may finally have the chatbot that was promised. If it actually releases and works as pitched, this year could actually be the start of Apple Home.

HomePod Home hub

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, long a reporter of the rumored HomePod updates, believes that a new HomePod mini could launch this September alongside the rumored HomePod Home hub.

Several different iterations of this device have been rumored, including one with a $1,000 robot arm. The most common version involves a wall-mounted touchpad or a HomePod speaker with a touch display about the size of an iPad mini.

This device would have a FaceTime camera for video calls and presence sensors to initiate smart home routines.

HomePod mini 2

A new HomePod mini might also debut, but it might not be as big of an upgrade as the Hub. Most rumors suggest that it will feature a new chip and audio improvements.

To be clear, this one feels even more far-fetched than the Hub; the HomePod mini 2 has been on our rumor radar since at least 2023. The current version debuted in 2020, and like the next device, is long overdue for an update.

Apple TV 4K 2026

Like the HomePod series, Apple hasn't released a new version of the Apple TV 4K since 2022. We're long overdue for an upgrade — even if it's only a more powerful chip for stronger performance.

Previously, it was suggested that a new Apple TV could feature the A17 Pro chip, but it's more likely it'll get the new A20 or, to save some money, last year's A19. The device should also get the rumored N2 chip for better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Outside of chips, the big upgrade would be Siri AI, which could let you connect the Apple TV as a hub for smart devices. One rumor suggested that Apple might release a set-top box with a camera, which would allow for FaceTime calls and gesture-based controls.

Will you be tuning in to Apple's event next month? Let me know which device you're most hyped for in the comments.

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I’m testing the latest Google Pixel Watch 5, and one new feature (no one really asked for) is the ability to generate customized watch faces via generative AI using your voice or a text prompt. What could possibly go wrong?

This feature is, of course, underpinned by Gemini, but is it actually any good? Well, uh, that really depends on how creative you’re feeling and your overall aesthetic preferences/sensibilities (or lack thereof).

“Teddy bears and laser beams”

Generating a customized AI watch face using the Pixel Watch 5 is surprisingly easy. You simply open the “Create Watch Face” app and tap “create your own” using either text input or voice transcription. A cellular connection or Wi-fi connection is required.

Once you submit a prompt, the process takes anywhere from ten to thirty seconds to complete. Note: In my experience, one out of five times the app rejects your prompt, especially if it is hard to understand, overly complicated, or the internet connection is weak.

The first prompt I entered was “Teddy bears and laser beams.” The results are... You decide. To me, it looks more like Pink Floyd-inspired Cheerios than what I entered. Moreover, it seems the app overly prioritizes the first bit of text you've entered as the basis for any textures that appear in the watch face.

Post-generation, the Create Watch Face app provides six options to choose from, along with the ability to create additional versions of the original prompt or start over. As of this writing, there isn’t much variety among the six initial choices.

“Raging river with jumping salmon”

The next prompt I entered was “A raging river with jumping orange salmon.” This resulted in a slightly more visually appealing result, even if it looks more like clip-art koi fish.

Ultimately, I was hoping the feature could generate a watch face with movement, like fish slowly swimming around, but it can’t. Generated watch faces are entirely static, no matter what prompt you enter. (I also tried "Fish actively swimming in a stream" to no avail.)

Should you generate a custom AI watch face on the Pixel Watch 5?

Maybe! But be prepared for slightly underwhelming, generic results... or maybe something a bit more unsettling; my third prompt, "Deli meats," resulted in the masterpiece at the intro of this article

Ultimately, in my opinion, Google already offers a ton of really amazing free watch faces that are far more feature-rich than anything the Create Watch Face app can come up with.

That said, for special occasions — like a koi fish convention — an AI watch face might be fun. Maybe just avoid the prompt “teddy bears and laser beams.”

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As we get older, strength training becomes more important than ever. It’s the single best way to reduce your risk of falls, protect your bones, and slow down the inevitable loss of muscle that comes with age.

But if you’re a complete beginner, or you’re returning to exercise following an extended break, it can be tricky to know where to start. To find out more, I turned to experienced personal trainer Jacob Siwicki.

5 bodyweight exercises to prioritize over 60:

Whether you’re looking to get fitter, build the functional strength you need to lift your grandkids, or carry a heavy bag of groceries from the store, strength training doesn’t have to mean hours spent in the gym lifting heavy weights. If you’re a beginner, you’ll get a great workout using just your bodyweight.

While all of the exercises are suitable for beginners, if you’re currently recovering from a specific injury, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.

Here are the exercises Siwicki recommends:

1. Plank

“A plank gives you a strong core and a stable back, but it also works almost everything. Your shoulders, back, core, and quads are all working. Beginners can start on their knees or with their hands elevated if holding a full plank is too difficult.”

2. Pushups

“Pushups build off the plank, but now you are adding your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Beginners can start with wall pushups or place their hands on a chair or countertop before working toward the floor.”

3. Wall sits

“Bodyweight squats are good when someone is first starting, but after the first week or two, they will probably need to add some weight to continue building strength. If we are talking strictly about bodyweight exercises, I would choose a wall sit. You put your back against the wall, lower yourself into position, and hold it.”

4. Crunches

“For another core exercise, I would recommend crunches instead of full situps because they are less intense, especially for a beginner. You lie on your back, squeeze your core, lift slightly, and then relax. That is it. It is simple, but it teaches someone how to engage their core.”

5. Supported single leg deadlifts

“The fifth exercise would focus on balance. A beginner can hold on to a wall or chair, balance on one leg, and kick the other leg backward while lowering the chest. They are trying to create an uppercase T with their body. The bottom of the T is the leg that stays on the ground. Holding on to something makes it safer while they build strength and balance.”

To turn this into a workout, do a quick warm-up, then do 30-seconds of each exercise. Repeat the circuit three times.

Remember, once these exercises feel easy, it’s time to increase the resistance. The easiest way to do this is to add weight — check out some of the best adjustable dumbbells for working out at home here.

What are the benefits?

All of the exercises in this short routine help you build full-body strength. You’ll be working your upper and lower body, as well as your core. The single leg deadlifts will also help you notice any imbalances in your body, as one side is likely to feel more difficult than the the other. This can help build balance and stability in the body. As we get older, one of the biggest risks is falling, so working on your strength and balance can help avoid this.

These exercises allow you to start light and gradually build up. Once the plank feels easy, extend your legs and hold a full-body plank. The same applies to the push-up — once it’s easy, don’t drop your knees to the floor. Strength training exercises like this can help build strength in the muscles, but the exercises above also place controlled stress on the bones, which can help support bone strength.

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm a personal trainer who works with clients over 50 — these are the 3 mobility exercises I never skip
• After 60, this is the 10-minute routine I use with my clients to stay strong, mobile and independent
• 'I’m a Pilates instructor, and I recommend these 5 core exercises to help older clients build strength and improve posture'

Time is a resource that almost all of us struggle to get enough of, and that’s especially true for parents during the summer school break. Taking the time to train when you’re also juggling work and childcare can feel impossible, but you can achieve a lot with short, sharp workouts.

Workouts just like this 20-minute session from personal trainer and Bowflex fitness advisor Gideon Akande. I asked Akande for a quick, effective workout people can do on the treadmill, and he didn’t disappoint with this hilly interval session.

"This interval-style approach repeatedly raises and lowers your heart rate,” says Akande. “Making it an efficient way for busy parents to challenge their cardiovascular fitness in just 20 minutes.”

The workout is designed for the BowFlex T16 treadmill, but you can do it on any machine that offers up to a 4% incline.

Gideon Akande’s 20-minute treadmill workout

Even with short workouts like this, a warm-up is always advisable, and along with the one included in the workout, Akande suggests doing some dynamic stretches before you get to the treadmill.

“Whenever possible, begin with a brief dynamic warm-up off the treadmill,” says Akande. “Moving intentionally through multiple planes of motion helps gradually raise your heart rate and prepare your muscles before stepping onto the machine.”

Once you’re on the machine, keep it slow and controlled during the warm-up.

“Remember, the treadmill warm-up is exactly that: preparation for the work ahead,” says Akande. “Avoid starting too fast or doing too much too soon. Give your body time to find its stride before tackling the workout’s changing inclines and speeds.”

Once you’re into the workout proper, you’ll be building intensity through four progressive segments.

“Each segment begins with an incline power walk followed by a run of the same duration and incline,” says Akande. “After each running effort, you’ll have one minute to recover. As the intervals get longer, the incline gradually decreases to help offset the additional work.”

Akande’s tips for the workout

When you’re doing a 20-minute workout, it’s always important to make every minute count, so judge your effort correctly rather than pushing too hard or taking it too easy.

“Make the walking intervals purposeful,” says Akande. “Think brisk power walk, pumping your arms in rhythm with your legs. Your running pace should feel faster than a jog but shouldn’t be an all-out sprint.

“By the end of each interval, you should welcome the recovery while still feeling as though you could continue a little longer if necessary.”

While having target pace numbers in mind can sometimes be useful, every day is different, so listen to your body and pick a speed that suits you in the moment.

“You’re in control,” says Akande. “Choose walking and running speeds based on your current fitness level and the energy you have that day rather than chasing a specific number.”

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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If there’s anything I’ve learned in my 15 years as a certified personal trainer, it’s this: the way you work out now will affect your longevity and independence as you age.

It’s tempting to focus on bigger muscles, visible six-packs, and new PR’s every week. But if you aren’t paying attention to the “less flashy” aspects of your fitness routine, you could be paying the price when you hit your senior years.

That’s why I make all of my clients – especially those in or approaching their 40’s – practice exercises that promote full-body strength, stability, and power. One of those exercises is the offset front rack squat. It’s a great move to target the deep core, glutes, quads, and even the upper back and shoulder stabilizing muscles. If you’ve got a kettlebell nearby, you can give it a try for yourself.

How to do offset front rack squats

Consult a doctor before trying any new exercise or workout program. Depending on your health history, they may suggest alternatives or advise you to limit your activity.

Beginners should consider meeting with a certified personal trainer to learn how to do the exercise correctly. Offset front rack squats aren’t extremely difficult, but you should be comfortable with basic squat form before attempting them.

You’ll need one moderately heavy kettlebell for this exercise. You should be able to complete 8-12 repetitions with good form. If you’re unable to do 8 reps without pausing to rest, choose a lighter weight. If you can do 12 reps easily without feeling fatigued, use a heavier weight.

Start by doing offset front rack squats for one set of 8-12 reps, 2-3 times per week. As you build strength, you can add an additional 1-2 sets of the exercise.

Offset front rack squats can be done on their own or as part of your current exercise routine. Just be sure you’re including appropriate rest days between each attempt.

Here’s how to do the exercise:

• Hold a kettlebell in your left hand.
• Bring the kettlebell to a “front rack” position – the kettlebell should be aligned with your left shoulder, with your left elbow parallel to your rib cage.
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and engage your core.
• Hinge your hips behind you, as if you were about to sit down.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips towards the floor.
• Stand back up to the starting position.
• Continue for 8-12 reps, then repeat holding the kettlebell in your right hand.

Benefits of offset front rack squats

Basic squats work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and hip stabilizers all at once, training your lower body for better strength, stability, and power.

The addition of a kettlebell not only challenges your lower body to a greater degree, but also engages the upper back, shoulder stabilizers, and deep core muscles like your transverse abdominis and internal obliques. Since you’re holding the weight on one side, your core must work to keep your body upright and balanced. This enhances your full-body stability and can lead to better overall balance with a reduced chance of certain injuries.

Common offset front rack squat form errors

Offset front rack squats may look simple, but they can be tricky to do with proper form. These are the most common errors I see beginners make when attempting the exercise.

Leaning too far forward

As you descend into the squat portion of the exercise, your torso and chest should remain tall. Think of your spine forming a diagonal line from the top of your head to your tailbone.

If the core muscles are weak, the hips are tight, or the kettlebell is too heavy, you may find that your torso and chest fall forward during your squat, leaving your spine in a more parallel position to the floor.

To fix this, focus on strengthening your deep core with exercises like planks and bird dogs, stretching your hips with moves like the figure 4 stretch and kneeling hip flexor stretch, and using a lighter kettlebell until you’ve built up the appropriate strength.

Allowing the spine to round

Another form error that can indicate a weak core is allowing the spine to round throughout the movement. You should be able to maintain a neutral, tall posture at each point of the exercise.

If your shoulders start slumping forward and your back gives as you descend, drop the weight and focus on building strength in your core. You may also want to include exercises that target upper and mid back, like prone extensions and lat pulldowns.

Practice basic squats until you can keep proper alignment with each rep, then start working with light weights as you perfect the form.

Tilting towards the weighted side

Deep core weakness is also the culprit when your body tilts towards one side.

Again, ditch the weight and focus on building deep core strength, specifically the interior obliques with moves like side planks.

Use a lighter kettlebell until you’re able to keep the spine upright and balanced in the proper position.

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Every runner is an individual with their own preferences in shoes. Some love super-squishy and soft cushioned shoes, while others prefer ultra-light and aggressively rockered trainers.

It can sometimes be difficult as a reviewer to pick out the best running shoes for everyone as a result, but I try to highlight sneakers that offer a bit more than their rivals in the same category, whether that’s better value, more fun, or a higher level of performance.

The poll feature at Tom’s Guide gives me a chance to get feedback on running shoes in general, and recently, I asked readers to vote on the brand they wear. After counting 380 votes, I was pleased to see a clear winner that aligned with what I’d voted for myself.

Which running shoe brand do you wear?

Asics actually got more votes than the next four brands combined, and for me that isn’t a surprise, because right now the Japanese brand has some of the best options in a wide variety of running shoe categories.

I’ve picked out my favorite Asics shoes below and also gone into why I think Puma is a brand people are sleeping on.

The poll is still open if you want to add your own vote to see if it shifts the results.

My top Asics running shoes

Whether you’re looking for one of the fastest carbon plate racers on the market or a cushioned shoe for easy runs, the Asics line-up has you well covered, and it also boasts the best all-rounder available in my view, which is the Asics Megablast.

The Megablast is very expensive, though, so the alternative most people might prefer is the Asics Novablast 6, one of my favorite shoes of 2026 so far. It’s a great cushioned daily trainer with a bit more punch for faster efforts than other Asics max-cushioned shoes, like the Asics Gel-Nimbus 28, which I found relatively dull on the run.

For race day, Asics has three of the best super-shoes going. I’ve set PRs in the Asics Metaspeed Ray and Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, while some might prefer the Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo to the Sky — they’re similarly great shoes, with different ride feels.

Overall, the Sky would be my top pick in this category from Asics, even over the ultra-light Ray, which is pricier and very soft and unstable, so it might not suit everyone.

If you’re heading onto light trails and gravel paths, then the Asics Blazeblast is a shoe I thoroughly enjoyed testing this summer. It’s as comfortable as a cushioned road shoe with an outsole that offers better grip and durability when off-road.

Puma should be more popular

Looking at the rest of the results, the one that really stands out to me is how low Puma ranked. It’s understandable because for a long time Puma was not a force to be reckoned with for road running shoes, but that has all changed in recent years.

They have a smaller line-up than Asics but challenge for the top spot in a couple of key categories of running shoes.

The Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 just edges out the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo as my top racer right now, while the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro is a great lightweight daily trainer to rival the Novablast 6 as perhaps the best new shoe of 2026.

Puma shoes tend to offer good value in general as well, and they crop up in sales regularly, so they deserve to be higher in the rankings in my view.

It was interesting to see "Other" do well — I’ve been testing shoes from a few up-and-coming brands this year, and some have been exceptional, most notably the Dynafish Xiaonian.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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The Google Pixel Watch 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 arrived mere weeks apart, and I can already tell there’s a good chance one or both will end up in our list of the best Android smartwatches of 2026.

As I work toward completing reviews of each, I thought it might be helpful to call out the five biggest differences between the Google Pixel Watch 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, two fairly evenly spec'd full-feature smartwatches with lots in common.

Pixel Watch 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 9: key differences

Price

Both Samsung and Google upped their pricing compared to last year’s models. While 2025’s Galaxy Watch 8 started at $349, the new Galaxy Watch 9 starts at $379.

Likewise, 2025’s Pixel Watch 4 started at $349, but the Pixel Watch 5 now starts at $399. If you’re looking to save some money, you can always go with an older model, as they’re pretty similar to the latest crop.

However, if you’re more of a “latest model or bust” kind of person, the Galaxy Watch 9 is ultimately the (slightly) better value compared to the Pixel Watch 5.

Case design

The Pixel Watch 5, like those before it, is a perfect circle. Available in 41mm or 45mm, the case is primarily constructed of aluminium and boasts a 50-meter water resistance rating.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 case is more of a squarish-circle (Samsung calls it a “cushion” case), a design update introduced with last year’s model. Users can choose 40mm or 44mm, and like the Pixel Watch 5, water resistance is 50 meters.

In terms of construction, the Galaxy Watch boasts a mix of aluminium and composite materials. That said, durability-wise so far, the two feel equally well-built.

Screen design

On paper, it may seem like the Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 have fairly comparable screens, and in terms of brightness and panel size, that’s pretty much true. The 41mm Pixel Watch 5 has a 1.2-inch AMOLED screen while the 40mm Galaxy Watch 9 has a 1.34-inch AMOLED.

The bigger Pixel Watch 5, meanwhile, has a 1.4-inch AMOLED compared to a 1.47-inch panel for the larger Galaxy Watch 9. Max brightness is 3,000 nits across the board, enough for easy viewing in direct sunlight, but that’s where the similarities end.

While the Galaxy Watch 9’s glass is completely flat and surrounded by a thick recessed bezel, the Pixel Watch 5 screen is domed with some slight distortion around the edges and a much smaller bezel.

Which is better? That’s truly a matter of personal preference, but I will say this: the Pixel Watch screen does take a little getting used to. On the other hand, it’s also reminiscent of the domed acrylic crystals of some of my favorite classic mechanical watches, like the Omega Speedmaster, which makes the horology nerd in me smile.

Safety features

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Google Pixel Watch 5 each support basic safety features like fall detection and emergency SOS. However, each device offers some safety features not found on the other.

For example, only the Galaxy Watch 9 offers FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection. On the other wrist, only the Pixel Watch 5 supports Loss of Pulse Detection and Google’s new Breathing Emergency Detection feature, both of which can send for help when triggered, similar to fall/cash detection.

Personalized fitness and training tools

Finally, both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Google Pixel Watch 5 are bursting with features to help you improve your physical fitness, including personalized training plans and AI-backed coaching.

However, Samsung’s are free — though you need a Samsung phone to unlock them — while Google’s are paywalled behind the brand’s Google Health Premium plan, which is $10 a month or $100 for the year.

Stay tuned for more comparisons between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Google Pixel Watch 5 as I work on complete reviews of both.

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I run marathons for fun and spend hours of my day sitting down behind a desk — if I didn’t have tight hip flexors, I’d be superhuman. When we talk about tight hip flexors, we’re referring to two different muscles: the iliopsoas and rectus femoris. When these muscles are tight, they remain in a shortened state. This, in turn, can cause reduced hip mobility and lower back pain.

There are some common exercises you can do to help relieve tight hips, including pigeon pose and the 90/90 stretch. While I use both of these in my routine, when I’m short on time, I revert to a simple Pilates exercise instead, as it means my deep core also gets a workout as I release my hips. Read on to find out more.

As a reminder, what works for me might not be right for you and your body. If you’re a complete beginner, you’re pregnant or postpartum, or you’re recovering from an injury, always check in with a medical professional before trying something new.

What is the exercise?

Unlike typical stretches, this exercise works on extending the hip flexor through its full range. This can help undo any tightness and relieve lower back pain. If, like me, you’re a runner, this stretching can also help you restore full range of motion in the hips.

The exercise is the Pilates single-leg stretch. All you’ll need is your body weight, but lying on one of the best yoga mats can help keep things more comfortable.

Here’s how to do it:

• Lie on your back. Peel your head, neck and shoulders off the mat and engage your core, thinking about squeezing your belly button to your spine.
• Raise your legs into tabletop position. Pull your right knee into your chest, holding it with both hands. At the same time, extend your left leg straight out at a 45-degree angle.
• Pause here, holding the stretch, then switch legs in a controlled motion. Try to keep your shoulders and upper back lifted while bracing with your stomach.

During the exercise, think about extending your leg as much as possible, reaching it as far away from your body as you can. I tend to think about someone pulling my leg away from my hip socket. Ensure your lower back stays pressed into your mat throughout the exercise, keeping your core engaged.

What are the benefits?

This is a classic mat Pilates exercise, and, as mentioned above, you’ll be working your deep core and stretching your hip flexors. The extended leg attempts to pull your pelvis forward and arch your lower back. To stop this, your deep transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis have to fire to keep your spine flat on the mat.

At the same time, this dynamic move can help your body practice keeping your pelvis stable as your legs move. This translates directly to working on your gait efficiency while walking and running.

Of course, you’ll also be lengthening your hip flexors and improving mobility in your hips.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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As a certified personal trainer, fitness writer and mum of two (very) active kids, I know working out isn't just about looking good in the mirror. For me, it's about building all-round strength, balance and mobility and feeling strong for everyday life.

I usually train five or six days a week, combining strength training and cardio, but I also like to mix things up with barre, yoga and Pilates. And lately, I've found myself doing a lot more of the latter.

Pilates has become one of social media's favorite workouts, thanks to its reputation for building strength, improving posture and helping you move better. Scroll through Instagram, and it won't be long before you're faced with an impressive-looking Pilates move promising to fire up muscles you didn't even know you had. And I'm not ashamed to admit it: I used to think low-impact Pilates meant low effort. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Celebrity Pilates instructor and founder of Motus Institute Catherine Farrell, also known as Pilates by Cat, agrees. "The biggest fitness myth I wish would disappear is that Pilates doesn't build strength," she says. And here is one exercise she swears by.

What is the Pilates exercise?

"Strength is built by progressively asking your muscles to do more over time. That can mean increasing resistance, repetitions, or sets; working through a greater range of motion; changing the leverage; reducing assistance; or progressing to a more challenging variation. Every one of those principles can be applied in both mat and reformer Pilates," says Cat.

I discovered the one exercise she returns to time and time again with her celebrity clients and runway models, and I had to try it for myself. It's called the reverse plank bridge, and, according to Cat, it is "one of the most efficient full-body movements in Pilates," so I tried it for 30 days.

How to do a reverse plank bridge

• Start seated on the floor with your hands behind you, fingers pointing away from your body. Press your right heel into the mat and hover your left foot just above the floor.
• Push through your right heel and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips into a tabletop position. At the same time, straighten your left leg, keeping your thighs parallel.
• Slowly bend your arms and lower your glutes towards the floor. As you lower, reach through the lifted leg and raise it toward the ceiling, keeping your core engaged and your ribs drawn down
• Pause briefly, then press back up, opening through your chest as you return to the tabletop position with your leg extended in line with your body. That's one rep.
• Complete 12 reps on each side for 4 rounds, moving slowly and focusing on control rather than speed.

Why is it so effective?

The reverse plank bridge is one of the most efficient full-body movements in Pilates because it strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, challenges the deep core and works the arms and shoulders, while encouraging good posture and balance.

Because you're supporting your own body weight, multiple muscle groups have to work together to stop your hips from dropping or twisting. Instead of isolating one muscle group, you're training your body to work in unison, which is exactly what makes it feel so challenging.

What happened after 30 days?

Sprinkling this move into my daily workouts was interesting. I was under no illusion that it would be easy. I’m used to swinging kettlebells, sprinting up hills and pushing heavy sleds, but not flowing gracefully through Pilates.

Within seconds, my shoulders were working, the gluteal muscles on my supporting side were burning and my core was working overtime to keep my hips lifted. Your glutes certainly feel the brunt of this move, and don't be fooled by the fact you're on the floor, as your entire body has to work hard.

I’ll admit, I finished that first set feeling slightly frustrated. Cat made it look effortlessly graceful. For me, it absolutely wasn't.

The stretch in my hamstring as I lifted and lowered my leg was pretty extreme, too. Keeping a slight bend in my knee helped with this until, after a week or so, I felt my flexibility improving.

As always, I stuck with the challenge I set myself, and what surprised me most was just how many muscles had to work together to control the movement. Think glutes, hamstrings and shoulders, with my core constantly switched on to keep me stable.

After 30 days, I noticed better hip and glute engagement and stability during my longer runs. My core also felt more switched on during everyday movements, and I became more aware of my posture. The ache in my shoulders was also a regular reminder to sit a little straighter at my desk and be more mindful of my posture when getting my steps in.

Adding the reverse plank bridge to my routine helped me feel more connected to my body, particularly during exercises that require balance, control and coordination. But one of the biggest changes was something I hadn't expected: I started using the flow of the movement as a chance to become more present.

With this exercise, I made a conscious effort to slow down and focus on what my body was doing. Once it clicked, the move became a great way to finish a workout or switch everything on before a morning run. In that sense, it became a small moment of mindfulness.

Most importantly, I got better at it. The movement became smoother and more controlled with each day, and by day 30, I may not have looked quite as graceful as Cat, but I was certainly less clunky than on day one.

Overall, the challenge reminded me just how interconnected our muscles are. Strength isn't always about lifting heavier or pushing harder. Sometimes slowing things down, moving with control and paying attention to how your body moves can expose weaknesses and build strength in ways you don't expect.

I’m much more mindful of what slow, controlled movements can give you compared with simply rushing through your reps. In fact, I’ve started slowing things down when I lift weights too. Time under tension, good form and feeling the muscles you're trying to work can be just as important as the weight you're lifting.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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The brain doesn't come with an off switch, although I could use one at bedtime. My laptop is asleep, my phone is on do not disturb, but my mind is still buzzing away. These racing thoughts lead to bad sleep and 3 a.m. wake ups.

As Dr. Shelby Harris, psychologist with BetterSleep, explains, there are two big factors behind nighttime stress. And they're things none of us can avoid: the past and the future.

But although I can't power down my mind, Dr. Harris explains that there are ways to press pause on busy thoughts. Her pre-bed hacks are helping me drift off without anxiety. And I've found a way to supercharge her advice.

Key takeaways

• When we're in bed, mental noise fades, leaving you free to worry about the future and overthink the past.
• These anxieties keep the brain engaged, when it should be winding down.
• Simple writing tasks such as to-do lists and gratitude journals can redirect your thoughts to calmer, more sleep-inducing thought patterns.

The 2 factors that keep you awake

"At night, the mental noise of daily life fades and that quiet can actually work against us," says Dr. Harris, behavioral sleep medicine specialist.

Now that humdrum responsibilities aren't keeping the brain occupied, the stage is set for an onslaught of racing thoughts. She breaks it down into two problem areas: regretting the past and worrying about the future.

"Without the distraction of our to-do lists, unresolved thoughts move to the front," explains Dr. Harris. "Regrets about the past pull us into rumination, replaying conversations and decisions on a loop."

That's why that embarrassing moment from third grade you forgot about returns in technicolor when you're tucked up in bed.

And if the past wasn't bad enough, the future can also intrude on your rest.

"Worries about the future do something similar, but in the opposite direction — instead of rehashing what happened, we're mentally rehearsing what might happen, running through scenarios and trying to problem-solve before a problem even exists," says Dr. Shelby.

It's that itchy, restless feeling that compels you out of bed at 3 a.m. to start sending emails.

"Either way, the brain stays cognitively engaged at exactly the moment it needs to be powering down."

How to-do lists and gratitude journaling can help combat 3 a.m. wake ups

We can't just wipe our brains clean at bedtime. But good sleep hygiene can prevent unwanted thoughts from ruining your rest. Dr. Harris recommends adding a simple writing habit to your bedtime routine.

Gratitude journaling can help you stop overthinking the past

Life rarely seems gloomier than at 3 a.m. To help transition your thought patterns to a happier place, Dr. Harris recommends gratitude journaling.

"Gratitude journaling can be helpful because it shifts attention away from threat, unfinished business, and negative thought loops toward more positive or grounding experiences," she explains.

A gratitude journal is a place to write down happy reflections from the day. These can be small things — like that perfect cup of morning coffee — that made you smile.

"For someone whose mind tends to spiral at bedtime, that change in focus may make it easier to disengage from stressful thoughts," says Dr. Harris.

"That said, if journaling becomes another task you feel you have to complete perfectly, it can have the opposite effect. The goal is not to force yourself to think positively, but to give your mind something calmer and less activating to focus on."

To-do lists stop you from worrying about the future

"Writing down what needs to be done can give the brain a sense that those tasks have been captured and don't need to be actively rehearsed," says Dr. Harris.

These to-do lists shouldn't be unwieldy. She recommends keeping it "brief and actionable" rather than turning it into an opportunity to problem solve.

So instead of detailing a 10-step plan to reconfigure your pension, your to-do list will act as a reminder that tomorrow you need to look into your savings.

"I often recommend treating a bedtime to-do list as a way of telling your brain, 'I don't need to solve this right now. It's written down, and I can deal with it tomorrow'," she says.

For college students (or parents of college students), these writing tasks are a good way to stay on top of burgeoning responsibilities and protect your sleep. After all, a study has found sleeping better can increase grades. And I have a hack to make it work even better...

My hack to supercharge your pre-bed ritual

I highly recommend handwriting your to-do lists and gratitude journals — don't just type them into your notes app. Research suggests that handwriting is better than typing for memory retention and it protects you from the bright lights and stimulation of your phone.

But recently I've switched from my trusty notebook to a reMarkable. This tablet and stylus works like a notebook but the final result can be uploaded to your online workspace.

The reMarkable can even read your handwriting and convert it into text. (Although my messy writing has resulted in some mistranslations.)

The big advantage is that I can easily turn my scribbled to-do lists into online documents. This is particularly useful for work-related lists, as I can collate my cluttered evening thoughts into something actionable the next day.

Speaking of clutter; mess is bad for your sleep, as it adds to the sense of unfinished business. Piles of half-scribbled to-do lists are particularly liable to trigger that sense of panic. A tablet like the reMarkable, or a well organized notebook, keeps everything in one tidy place.

Sleep expert's tips for reducing anxiety before bed

Good sleep hygiene is based around activities that you find relaxing, so if to-do lists and gratitude journaling aren't your jam, Dr. Harris has other suggestions to wind-down before bed.

"You can try slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or a quiet, low-stimulation activity," she advises. "I’m also a fan of practicing mindfulness meditation for just five minutes during the day."

She explains that these habits teach you to gently direct your attention away from anxious thoughts, towards a calmer, relaxing headspace.

"Over time, this helps strengthen your ability to let go of busy thoughts, she says. "Practicing during the day can make it easier to do the same thing when your mind starts racing in the middle of the night."

"The broader goal is to reduce cognitive arousal rather than fight with your thoughts — because trying to force yourself to stop thinking can sometimes make those thoughts even more persistent."

Our fave products to help you sleep through the night

I was sold on armless sunglasses from my first run using them, simply because the secure fit provided by the cord immediately rules out the biggest problem I have with running sunnies, which is that they bounce or slip down your nose when you get sweaty.

The only reason I haven’t been using the Ombraz Refugio more often since I first tested them is that I prefer to use prescription running sunglasses over contacts, so when the chance arose to try the Ombraz Teton with prescription lenses, I jumped at it.

I’ve run 200 miles in three weeks using the glasses, as well as using them for bike rides, strength workouts and general use. They don’t come cheap, but I’ve been highly impressed with the sunglasses — here are my likes and dislikes.

Like #1: The fit is rock solid and quick to adjust

The best running sunglasses have to provide a reliable fit to be of any use, and it’s not easy to find a design that fits every face using nosepads and sticky or adjustable arms.

Ombraz’s glasses sidestep these issues thanks to the cord that attaches directly to the frame, which you can tighten quickly and easily using the two toggles.

I found that I didn’t need to have the cord that tight for a bounce-free fit, even during my hardest runs. This means there was no pressure on the back or sides of my head, and I never had to push the Teton glasses back up during runs.

If you’re constantly frustrated by sunglasses slipping or bouncing during runs, especially on trails where I find downhills can make otherwise secure sunnies slip, then this armless design could be the answer.

A bonus of not having to constantly adjust the glasses during runs is that you don’t get sweaty fingerprints on the lenses.

Like #2: I haven’t had any fogging during runs

The Teton glasses have large flat lenses that don’t wrap close to the face. This is a downside in some respects, as I’ll come onto later, but it does mean there’s space for air to flow around them.

This means I’ve not noticed any fogging during hot, sweaty runs, even indoors on the treadmill, which can be another common problem with sports sunglasses.

Like #3: Photochromic prescription lenses are ideal for year-round use

I opted for photochromic lenses with the Teton glasses, which isn’t an option with every prescription Ombraz style but is well worth it for me as a runner in the UK who is regularly under tree and cloud cover.

The lenses darken quickly in the sun but are completely clear when running indoors on the treadmill and react rapidly when I train in my local forest, moving from sun to shadow and dappled light.

I’ve been testing the sunglasses during a heatwave and can also vouch for the fact that they are dark enough for me in bright sunlight, but if you are more focused on reducing glare and just blocking out the sun, other lens options might suit you better.

Like #4: They’re easy to pack

The corded style of the glasses means that they pack pretty much completely flat, and they come with a padded pouch to store them in.

I’ve been on a couple of trips while testing the glasses, and they slip easily into the side pocket of my rucksack and can be thrown into a suitcase without fear of damaging the arms, because there aren’t any.

Like #5: The style isn’t too sporty

While I like the look of very sporty wraparound sunglasses when I’m running, they’re not the best to use outside my training, whereas the Ombraz Teton are good-looking sunnies for general use that happen to be great for runs.

They are quite large, which is the case for most of the Ombraz line-up, but I like a larger style with my sunglasses.

Dislike #1: The price for prescription is much higher

Ombraz sunglasses don’t come cheap in general, but the $160 you pay for a standard set of the Teton isn’t really out of line with many top sunglasses brands.

However, if you do want to get prescription lenses, the price rises very sharply. You shop via Lens & Frame Co and the quality of the lenses is great, but the cost of the Teton rises to $420 for standard glasses, $520 for sunglasses, or $570 for photochromic lenses.

This kind of price rise for prescription sports sunglasses isn’t that uncommon, but there are great options I’ve tested that cost a lot less if you don’t need the cordless design, like Zenni Optical’s Zunnies line-up.

Dislike #2: They’re not full wraparound lenses

As I mentioned above, the flat lenses on the Teton mean they are easy to pack safely, but at times on the run, I noticed I had to turn to get a full view of things in my peripheral vision.

I often run on a bike path, for example, and have to turn my head right around to check that no one is coming up behind me, whereas wraparound styles give you a wider field of vision.

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• No squats! I just tried this 8-minute chair workout, and it’s perfect for seniors, beginners, and anyone looking to build strength without impact

As we age, our bone density gradually declines. For women especially, this can be more dramatic, with women losing up to 20% of their bone density in the years following menopause. Left unmanaged, this can lead to conditions like osteoporosis, leaving bones brittle and prone to breaking should you fall.

Luckily, there is a simple solution to slow down and even reverse this loss. Bones are living tissues that adapt to physical stress, so when you strength train, whether that be with a set of the best adjustable dumbbells or just your bodyweight, your muscles contract and pull on your tendons. This tugging force causes the cells inside bones (osteocytes) to trigger bone-building cells (osteoblasts).

Yet if you’re new to exercise or returning following an extended break, it can be tricky to know where to start. Below, we turn to a personal trainer who specializes in training seniors, Janet Osbourne, who shares a quick five-minute workout to add to your routine.

What is the workout?

All you’ll need for this workout is a chair and a set of weights. You can check out the best adjustable dumbbells for working out at home, but as a reminder, the right weight for you will feel challenging, but not impossible, by the final few reps. If you don’t have weights, just use your bodyweight for this workout, and you’ll still get a great workout.

Ensure the chair is sturdy and doesn't have wheels. While this workout is suitable for most people, if you’re currently working out with an injury, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.

Here are the different exercises:

• 50 dumbbell chair taps: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand in front of your chair. Plant both feet on the floor and engage your core, thinking about squeezing your belly button into your spine. Keeping your back straight, lift one leg to tap your foot on the chair, then return it to your starting position. Repeat on the other leg, and keep alternating sides until you’ve completed 50 reps.
• 40 sit-to-stand squats: You can do this with or without dumbbells. Standing in front of your chair, bend your knees and push your butt back to lower down into the seat. Don’t fully sit down; once your glutes tap the chair, push through your feet to return to your starting position. Here’s how many reps you need to complete for your leg strength to be considered "elite."
• 30 heel raises: Stand behind the chair while holding onto the backrest for support. Raise onto your tiptoes, completing the calf raise, then drop your heels down to the floor with a firm landing — as Osbourne points out, this gentle impact will help stimulate your bones.
• 20 bent-over rows: Sit down in your chair and hinge your torso forward slightly, keeping your core engaged. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms to the floor. Bending at your elbows, row the dumbbells up toward your torso, pause for a few seconds at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to your starting position. This exercise works your arms and the muscles that support your spine in the lower back.
• 10 overhead presses: Sit in your chair with your back straight and engage your core. Starting with your dumbbells at your shoulders and your elbows bent, raise the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening your arms. Pause at the top, then bring the dumbbells back to your starting position.
• 20 seconds of foot taps: You won’t need your dumbbells for this exercise. Sit on the edge of your chair, holding onto the seat for support. Quickly lift and lower your feet, tapping them on the ground. “It’s a simple way to add a little bone-friendly impact,” Osbourne says.

What are the benefits?

All of these exercises put physical stress on the tendons in the upper and lower body. The exercises might seem simple at first, but by using the chair for support, you’ll be completing a full strength training workout. The squats and heel raises will build strength in the hip sockets and femurs, whereas the seated rows and overhead presses help strengthen the spine.

As well as strengthening your bones, workouts like this one will also help strengthen the surrounding muscle groups, tendons, and connective tissues, all of which stabilize the joints. This can help improve your overall stability, helping reduce falls that can cause fractures.

Finally, while this workout is low impact, the firm landing with heel taps and foot taps, as well as the resistance of the dumbbells, help stimulate bone growth without overstressing aging joints.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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For me, the debate over morning showers vs evening showers has one clear winner. Evening showers help me unwind and wash away the sleep-disrupting allergens collected during the day. Morning showers just add another step to my pre-work routine. However, there is one drawback to an evening shower: harsh bathroom lighting.

Exposure to bright bathroom light bulbs in the evening has been found to shift circadian rhythms about two hours later per day, making it harder to fall asleep. In other words, your sleep-wake cycle thinks it's still daytime, so you can't drop off.

And that's where the Auria Glow Lamp, now $49.99 at Amazon, comes in. This dark showering device swaps overstimulating LED bulbs for a soothing amber glow. It's gone viral but does it work? I tested it out to see if the Auria Glow lamp (and dark showering) can help me sleep.

Key takeaways

• Exposure to harsh bathroom lighting before bed has been shown to suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that signals it's time to sleep.
• The dark showering trend, however, is said to support melatonin production by replicating the natural conditions at the end of the day.
• The Auria Lamp is designed to be used while showering, switching your overhead light for a warm amber glow that mimics a sunset.
• However, while the Auria Glow Lamp is more relaxing than bright LED bulbs, further research is needed on its effectiveness.

What is the dark showering trend and how does it improve sleep?

Dark showering is pretty self-explanatory; it's when you take shower in the dark.

While the dark showering trend originated on (where else?) TikToK late last year, it mirrors time-honored bathing customs from Japan, India, and ancient Rome. And there's a good reason why dark showering traditions have stood the test of time: they really can help you sleep.

"The 'dark showering' trend can improve sleep for a couple of reasons," explains Sam Sadighi, a certified sleep practitioner at Get Laid Beds. "Bathroom lighting is renowned for being bright, which isn't going to help our melatonin production."

Melatonin is a hormone that makes us feel tired and its production heavily relies on light (or lack thereof).

"Showering in dim lighting helps, as our brain expects our surroundings to be dark approaching bedtime and will help our melatonin production," she explains.

A 2023 study found that reducing blue light exposure shortened sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) and helped prevent melatonin suppression.

Another argument in favor of dark showering is that a warm shower (counterintuitively) drops our body temperature before bed, echoing how our core body temperature naturally drops before sleep.

"That's one of the reasons why it's harder to sleep when the ambient temperature is hot," explains Sadighi. "Having a very warm shower before bed will help to lower your core body temperature, which will help sleep by drawing heat from your core."

What is the Auria Glow Lamp?

Sadighi points out there is one major flaw with showering in the dark. You can't see.

"The main issue with showering in low light is ensuring that while the lighting is dim, it isn't so dim that you can't see what you're doing," says the sleep consultant.

To counteract this, the waterproof Auria Glow Lamp aims to light up your bathroom. But instead of a harsh blue light, it emits a warm amber glow.

Amber lighting, the color of a toasty fireplace, has been shown to help people fall asleep faster and experience fewer awakenings — making it the perfect alternative to showering in darkness.

The lamp comes in two different projection styles, depending on whether you want to keep the dome on or take the dome off. Below is dome-on mode, which gives you a diffused candlelight-mimicking glow.

If you decide to take the dome cover off, you'll get a more ethereal, wave-like projection, with wisps of light cascading along your walls (sounds dramatic, but it's true).

Auria says the Glow Lamp "lowers cortisol, supports melatonin, mimics sunset light and calms nervous system".

"You already know the power of a dark shower," claims Auria's website. "Now add the warm, amber glow that helps your nervous system finally exhale."

While the science behind the dark showering and warm lighting checks out, will the Auria Glow Lamp really work miracles on my sleep?

Putting the Auria Glow Lamp to the test — see the results over 3 nights

Night 1

The first night, I decided to try the Glow Lamp without the dome, as this was the projection style that seemed the most exciting to me. This projection style creates an underwater feel, with the lamp spilling golden waves over the wall. Here's what it looks like in action:

The Auria Lamp made me feel as if I were showering in an enchanted lagoon — one with passionfruit-scented shower gel and volumizing shampoo.

It certainly created a relaxing mood before bed, but was it enough to boost my sleep score from the previous night?

According to my Oura Ring 5, it was. I scored an 82/100, 5 points more than the previous night. "Your Sleep Score was above your typical range last night. Hopefully you feel in your energy levels!" the smart ring told me.

Night 2

On the second night, I tried the lamp with the dome on, which created a soft, muted glow. This projection style is more luxury spa than mermaid cove, and I can see why some users prefer this lightning mode when conducting their nightly ablutions. Here's what the Auria Lamp looks like avec dome:

Again, the lamp delivered a tranquil shower setting, and I definitely felt ready for bed afterwards. However, I didn't get the perfect sleep. But it had nothing to do with the Auria Glow...

At 3 a.m., I woke up with menstrual pain, which kept me awake until 4 a.m. This significantly impacted my sleep score (a "fair" 68) but it can't be blamed on the Auria. So instead, I'm focusing on my sleep before my 3 a.m. rude awakening.

My sleep latency was shorter than the previous night, meaning I fell asleep two minutes quicker. Meanwhile, all the deep sleep I experienced happened before 3 a.m, racking up to 1 hour and 24 minutes. Not bad considering that, according to the Oura App, the optimal amount of deep sleep is between 1 hour and 1.5 hours.

Night 3

On the third night, I still had pretty bad cramps, meaning I showered and went to bed later. I decided to bring the lamp closer to the shower, to change the lighting effect. (It's completely showerproof so you can actually bring it in beneath the stream if you want.)

I used dome-off (mermaid) mode this time around and found that the warm relaxing shower did relive stress. I felt my muscles relaxing, which also provided some pain relief.

So, the good news is that my sleep score crept up into "good territory" again (73/10) and my sleep latency was shortened by another 2 minutes. My REM sleep could have been longer, but my deep sleep was still in the optimal range at 1 hour and 19 minutes.

Does the Auria Glow Lamp actually work?

Considering that cramps ravaged my sleep on nights 2 and 3, I still managed to fall asleep fast and get plenty of deep sleep after using the Auria lamp.

It definitely helped me unwind before bed and created a relaxing, sleep-inducing atmosphere. It was nice to take a break from the harsh LED lightning in my bathroom, and I will definitely keep showering in the glimmer of the Auria Glow.

Overall, I think sleep expert Sadighi summed up the lamp: "The Auria Glow Lamp does look good. However, honestly? I'm not sure it would be a magic elixir to help sleep, but it's absolutely not the worst sleep aid on the market"

3 top-rated products to boost melatonin for sleep

There are lots of walking trends, including fart walking, the Hot Girl Walk, and ChiWalking, which is the same as Tai Chi walking.

I'm not made for meditation in its traditional sense, so I'm always looking for ways to boost mindfulness without sitting and breathing with my legs crossed. A while ago, I stumbled across ChiWalks and loved trying it; I've noticed recently it's trending up again, so I wanted to revisit.

Here’s what the walking method means, how to do it, and the benefits for your body.

What is Tai Chi walking?

I checked out ChiLiving, which claims the goal is to improve posture, increase joint mobility and engage the core muscles while reducing aches and pains associated with poor walking mechanics.

But aside from these physical benefits, the goal is to walk purposefully, slowly and with a focus on shifting your weight across your body, which promotes better balance, control, awareness and lower-body stability.

Tai chi is low-impact, which is perfect for those with limited mobility, and has its roots in Chinese martial arts, "meditation in motion." It could help you stay active, hit your daily step count and increase mindfulness and mobility.

How to do Tai Chi walking

Tai Chi walks vary in style, but here are a few basic tips for beginners:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly out to create a "bow stance"
• Engage your core and draw your navel in, then softly bend into your knees and keep your body loose
• Stand tall through your spine. Slowly, step forward with one foot and roll from heel to toes, shifting your weight forward and grounding your foot, then rocking back into the back leg, keeping the knees bent.
• Keep the knees slightly externally rotated to protect your joints
• Step back. Practice on both sides, slightly stepping outward and opening up the hips. Your hands can be behind your back or on your hips
• In the video, your teacher explains a few different fundamentals you can practice.

My verdict

If you enjoy more vigorous styles of walking, this might not seem like it's for you, but I'd argue you could be the target audience. From experience, sometimes the things we don't want are the very things we need most. For me and my frenetic brain, that's to slow down from time to time.

It’s slow and mindful, like a walking meditation, and yes, it can feel a little boring (sorry, Tai Chi lovers), but if you go in with the purpose of taking a little time out from your desk or just as a light activity before bedtime, you can actually settle into it.

The most obvious benefit for me was then, and still is, ankle mobility. On both tries with Tai Chi walking, the slow, deliberate steps and the shifting of balance from left to right sides make me focus on my lower body and, in turn, relieve ankle tightness.

This also helps me tune into what my body is doing, improving proprioception (my body's awareness of space), helping me stay present in the moment while my attention is on my foot-ground connection.

You could do Tai Chi walks anywhere, but I recommend finding somewhere peaceful, like your garden or local park, where you can focus.

I found it useful for slowing down during walks and for improving core activation and lower-body mobility; the slower you move, the more you test balance and stability. However, it didn't improve my posture or walking gait, though it did help me open my hips and knees a little.

Regardless, easing stress helps the body stay in the parasympathetic nervous system state of rest and repair more often, which is great for your mind, but also, walking is a low-impact, accessible way to avoid prolonged sedentary time, helping you burn off extra energy and contributing toward a healthy metabolism. So, there isn't much reason not to give this walking method a go.

Overall, it helped me remember why I enjoyed it the first time: slowing down. Why not add a little Tai Chi to your next walk?

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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As someone with the attention span of a goldfish, I’m all for the screenless health tracker trend. Being able to keep track of all of my health and fitness goals without the buzz of notifications on my wrist is a must, and I’ve been wearing Garmin’s new $199 Cirqa for the past three weeks to do just that.

You can read my colleague Dan’s full Garmin Cirqa review here, but below, I look at how well I think the Cirqa compares to the Google Fitbit Air or the Oura Ring 5. Here are three things I like, and three things I wish Garmin had done differently.

3 things I like

Part of Garmin’s ecosystem

A screenless tracker is only as good as its app, and I really love the Garmin Connect experience. Sure, it’s not perfect (I still find it confusing that Garmin hides a lot of its tracking in the ‘more’ tab — that’s why we’re here, Garmin!), but having used it for years, it’s familiar, and it gives you an awful lot of data.

It’s also handy if you already have a Garmin device, as you can sync the Cirqa and still keep track of scores like Body Battery and sleep, even if you’re not wearing your main device.

Garmin has made it, and will continue to make it, super easy to connect more than one device to the Connect app. Plus, compared to the Fitbit Air, you don’t really need to pay for Garmin Connect to get all of your data.

I personally think one of the most impressive elements of the Fitbit Air is the Gemini-powered health coach, which really is one of the best I’ve tested, but this feature will cost you $9.99 a month. The Oura Ring 5 also has an excellent app, but comes with an ongoing subscription fee of $5.99 per month.

The physical button

One thing that sets the Cirqa apart from the Fitbit Air or the Oura Ring 5 is the physical button on its side. At the launch event in London, Garmin said this design decision came back to Garmin’s DNA — Garmin knows its users don’t want to miss a minute of health tracking, and this includes the seconds it can take for a tracker to auto-detect your workout.

This button is automatically set up to start and stop a ‘timed activity’, but you can customize which workout type it starts in the app.

Heart rate accuracy and health tracking

Our resident heart rate expert, Nick Harris-Fry, was impressed with the Heart Rate accuracy of the Cirqa in his testing. While it may not be as precise as a dedicated chest-mounted heart rate sensor, it comes pretty close. I’ve always found chest-mounted bands super irritating to wear with a sports bra, so this is music to my ears.

The Cirqa also measures your skin temperature, which can be used for female health tracking, plus the Garmin Cirqa is compatible with Natural Cycles, one of the most popular women's health apps for tracking fertility, postpartum health, and perimenopause. While the Oura Ring also works with Natural Cycles, the Fitbit Air does not support it at this time.

3 things I don’t like

The strap itself

I have pretty petite wrists, and my main issue with the Garmin Cirqa compared to the Fitbit Air or Oura Ring 5 is that it’s pretty bulky on the wrist and not all that comfortable. If I’m wearing a screenless tracker, I want it to disappear, and the Cirqa just doesn’t.

Plus, while I love the color of my purple band, I find it stays wet for a long time. If I’m wearing it for a swimming workout, fine, but I’ve resorted to taking the Cirqa off for a shower, as having a wet fabric band around my wrist when I sit down at my desk is not fun.

The price

At $199, the Cirqa is $100 more than the Fitbit Air, which is a lot of money. Sure, you don’t need the ongoing subscription with the Cirqa in the same way I think you do with the Fitbit Air, but it’s still double the price. I’d personally spend $50 more and buy the Garmin Forerunner 70 and have a screen and onboard GPS, but I get that these are aimed at different users.

That said, the Cirqa is far cheaper than the likes of Whoop or Oura.

Lack of on-board GPS

As mentioned above, there’s no on-board GPS on the Cirqa, so you’ll have to take your phone with you if you want a map of where you’ve walked or run. That said, this isn’t really a fair criticism, as at the time of writing, none of the screenless trackers, including the Whoop 5.0, Oura Ring 5, or Fitbit Air, have built-in GPS.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested the Fitbit Air vs Whoop 5.0 side by side — here's the winner
• The Fitbit Air is basically just a screen-less Fitbit Inspire 3 — and that’s a very good thing
• I tracked my sleep on Fitbit Air vs Whoop for a week — does spending more buy you better sleep data?

Falling is a serious subject for my senior personal training clients. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 years and older, and over 14 million older adults experience falls every year.

When I work with a client in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s or beyond, I always incorporate dynamic balance training into their routine. These types of exercises enhance your body’s ability to maintain equilibrium during movement. Since falls rarely happen when we’re standing completely still, it’s important to practice your balance while shifting your body weight or moving through different planes of motion.

The following are my 3 favorite dynamic balance exercises to strengthen your stabilizing muscle groups and sharpen your proprioception (or the sense of your body’s position in space). You’ll only need a step to get started, but as you get stronger, adding tools like dumbbells can make the exercises more challenging.

How to do the 3 dynamic balance exercises

Speak with your doctor before starting any new exercise or workout program. If you’re a beginner, consider working with a certified personal trainer or physical therapist. They can help you learn proper form, provide corrections or modifications, and progress the exercises appropriately once you’re ready.

You’ll just need a raised platform for these exercises. A stair in your house will do, but you can also use an aerobic stepper if preferred.

Perform one set of 8-10 reps for each exercise, 2-3 times per week. As your balance and strength improve, increase to 4-5 times per week. You can also add additional sets of 8-10 reps.

These dynamic balance exercises can be done on their own or as a warm-up for other activities. Here’s how to do them:

1. Marches

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your left knee to a 90-degree angle.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your left foot to the ground.
• Lift your right knee to a 90-degree angle.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your right foot to the ground.
• Continue alternating between your two sides for 8-10 reps per leg.
• If needed, hold on to a wall or chair for additional support.

2. Step up to balance

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Place your left foot on the platform.
• Press your body weight into your left foot and step up onto the platform.
• Bring your right knee in front of you to a 90-degree angle.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your right foot back onto the ground.
• Lift your left foot off the step and back onto the ground.
• Continue for 8-10 reps, then repeat on the other side.
• If needed, hold onto the wall or a chair for additional support.

3. Lateral step to balance

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Step your left foot to your left side.
• Lift your right knee to a 90-degree angle.
• Pause briefly.
• Step your right foot to your right side.
• Lift your left knee to a 90-degree angle.
• Pause briefly.
• Continue alternating between your left and right sides for 8-10 reps per side.
• If needed, hold onto a wall or chair for additional support.

Benefits of the 3 dynamic balance exercises

Traditional exercises like balancing on one foot can definitely improve your overall sense of equilibrium. But the majority of serious falls happen when we’re moving and changing direction, so we must practice balancing during movement.

The exercises in this routine all train your body to stabilize while your center of gravity changes. Both the marches and the lateral step move side to side, which mimics everyday movement like stepping around an object or avoiding a collision with something coming towards you.

The step up to balance moves up and down, mimicking the everyday movement of climbing stairs or getting up from a seated position.

By sharpening your sense of balance in these planes of motion, senior adults can move with more confidence and independence.

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Google and Garmin both recently dropped new screen-free fitness trackers to rival the popular Whoop 5.0. The biggest difference? The Fitbit Air and Garmin Cirqa are both subscription-free.

I’ve already tested the Fitbit Air vs Garmin Cirqa head-to-head in a prior walk test comparison, but a hiccup with the latter’s data meant a rematch was inevitable.

About as evenly matched as they come, both the Air and Cirqa track your sleep, workouts, and overall health. Garmin’s insights go a bit more in-depth than Fitbit’s, but the Cirqa is also twice the price of the Air, $199 vs. $99.

When it comes to onboard tech, neither device has GPS, so you must carry a paired smartphone for location tracking data during outdoor workouts.

I walked 5,000 steps with the Fitbit Air vs Garmin Cirqa

So, which screen-free tracker is the more reliable wearable? I walked 5,000 steps with the Fitbit Air on my left wrist and the Garmin Cirqa on my right wrist to find out (the opposite of the previous test).

For good measure, I also tracked the walk using the Strava app on my iPhone 16, and as always, I manually counted my steps with some help from an old-school tally counter (one click = 100 steps).

Find the results of the Fitbit Air vs Garmin Cirqa walk test, round 2, below.

Garmin's step count was closer

Given the fact that the Fitbit Air, Garmin Cirqa, and Strava were all making use of the same location data, courtesy of my smartphone, you'd expect metrics like distance, steps, and pace to be pretty similar across the board. And that is very much the case.

However, when it comes to steps, Garmin's tally was closer to my actual count than Fitbit's by a whopping margin of... three steps. This is to say, both devices performed remarkably well here.

Strava's step count, for what it's worth, was 4,992, another impressive result.

The Fitbit Air continues to struggle with climb data

Some things never change. While the Garmin Cirqa and Strava calculated virtually the same amount of ascent for my rather hilly walk, the Fitbit Air significantly undercounted.

This is far from the first time the Air has logged lower-than-expected climb data. I had a similar result when I last pitted the Air vs Cirqa in a walk test. It also undercounted in a walk test versus the Apple Watch 11, and another time in a comparison against the Pixel Watch 4.

All three tracking methods noted similar distance and pace

Despite inconsistencies in climb data, the Fitbit Air, Garmin Cirqa, and Strava app all calculated roughly the same amount of distance covered and average pace for my ~45-minute walk around sunny Seattle, Washington. That said, Garmin was the most generous with my efforts and speed.

Garmin failed to record any heart rate data

Well, this is a first: For unknown reasons, the Garmin Cirqa failed to record any heart rate data during my walk. This is particularly disappointing given the fact that it performed well in every other regard. Coincidentally, when I last tested the Garmin against the Fitbit, heart rate data was one of the few metrics it did log.

The Fitbit Air's max and average heart rate data, meanwhile, are right around what I expected for my walk, based on previous walk data from a zillion other tests.

Fitbit burned more battery and calories

Finally, neither device used much battery recording my walking workout, which makes sense given neither has a screen or GPS to power. While the Cirqa registered zero drain, the Air used just 2%.

Not only did the Fitbit burn more battery, but it also said I burned more calories than the Garmin during my stroll. That said, fitness tracker calorie counts are notoriously inconsistent, and one of the main metrics I tend to ignore.

Which of these two fitness trackers would you be more likely to use? Let me know in the poll below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Can the $99 Fitbit Air beat the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 at fitness tracking? I manually counted 4,500 steps to find out
• I walked 4,000 steps with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — and the winning margin was razor-thin
• Exclusive: Garmin Cirqa PM says ‘it just felt like we had all of the pieces in place’ to launch a screen-free fitness tracker

Two months ago, I got my hands on the Oura Ring 5, which you can buy from $399 at Amazon. It's a sleek smart ring that delivers gold standard sleep tracking analysis. But could the Oura Ring actually help me sleep better, or merely hold a mirror up to it?

I was wearing the Oura Ring when a sleep doctor helped take my rest from six to seven hours of sleep in a week. And I can now see why it's considered to be one of the best sleep trackers on the market.

From keeping me moving throughout the day to pinpointing my optimal bedtime, the Oura Ring has helped me reach my seven-hour sleep goal, and even helped me pay back a chunk of my sleep debt. Here's a closer look at the top three things the Oura Ring did to help me increase my total time asleep, plus the three hidden Oura features that can help you boost your rest.

Key takeaways

• The Oura Ring 5 provides helpful feedback to optimize your sleep.
• Its activity reminders encourage healthy habits that improve sleep quality, while bedtime reminders help you to optimize sleep timing.
• Sleep and health metrics also help to pinpoint the reason for any sleep issues, with its 'latency' and 'time asleep' metrics showing when you need to go to bed and wake up to hit your sleep duration target.
• Other Oura Ring features for seep optimization include unguided and guided sleep meditations and sleep stories.

My sleep before using the Oura Ring 5

I've always struggled to get at least seven hours of sleep. As for the apocryphal 8-hour recommendation? Forget it.

My barriers to getting enough sleep can vary from night to night, but the common offenders include revenge bedtime procrastination and the Sunday Scaries.

Getting six hours of sleep is common for me (though racking up 5 hours isn't a rarity either), and my average sleep duration in May, the month before I got my Oura Ring, was 6 hours and 9 minutes. And that is a problem.

In 2025, researchers at the Oregon and Health and Science University reported that sleeping for less than seven hours a night decreases life expectancy more than poor diet and lack of exercise.

Meanwhile, a study by Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) found that following the 7:1 sleep rule (meaning getting at least seven hours of sleep, falling asleep within the same one-hour window, for at least five nights a week) could add four years to lifespan.

"The recommendation for adults is seven to nine hours, with seven being the minimum," says Sam Sadighi, a certified sleep practitioner at Get Laid Beds "By getting the appropriate amount of sleep, we are giving our brains and bodies the opportunity to rest, recover, and repair."

3 key Oura Ring features that helped me go from 6 to 7 hours of sleep

1. It keeps me moving

The Oura Ring 5 does more than track sleep, of course. It's also a health and fitness tracker, which means it becomes a pedometer, reports on how long I've been active for, how much calories I've burnt, and even sends me gentle reminders to stretch my legs and move around if I've been inactive for too long.

That's all well and good, but you're probably wondering how that ties in with my sleep?

Research has shown that regular physical activity helps improve seep quality, meaning that it regulates sleep cycles and helps you fall asleep faster. It also helps me to move around throughout the day, rather than encouraging a vigorous workout before bed (which has been shown to actually decrease sleep quality).

Plus, the Oura starts tracking my movement as soon as I roll out of bed, which means it motivates me to take morning outdoor walk. And that morning dose of vitamin D, according to studies, actually helps to regulate my circadian rhythm to sleep better at night.

2. It helps me set the right bedtime

There's been many times were I believed that going to bed at 11 p.m. and setting my alarm for 6.05 a.m. guaranteed me at least 7 hours of sleep. Surely adding an extra 5 minutes to my wake-up time would account for the time it takes to fall asleep?

However, I was way off base. Not only does the Oura Ring's sleep tracking tell me that it can take me up to 18 minutes to fall asleep (which is by no means a bad thing; the Oura app tells me that the ideal sleep latency should be around 15-20 minutes), but I also have to factor in nighttime awakenings.

For example, on a night where I managed to rack up 7 hours and 3 minutes of sleep, I went to bed at 11.18 p.m., and set my alarm for 6:45 a.m — and leaving room for 7 hours and 27 minutes in bed (instead of just 7 hours and 0 minutes) paid off.

My 6-minute sleep onset latency that night, added to any nightline awakenings I had, took my total time awake to 27 minutes. Having the Oura Ring, which tells me how long it takes me to fall asleep and how long I wake up for at night, helped me set a bedtime that took into account for any obstacles that could take me away from my seven-hour goal.

In addition, it also sends me bedtime notifications (I don't set these reminders, the app sets a notification time that's in line with my body clock and encourages sleep consistency), which nudge me to start my nighttime routine so I'm ready for bed at the right time.

3. It helps me pinpoint any sleep issues

The Oura Ring doesn't just show me the number of hours I slept and a sleep score, it also breaks down my night, shows me the areas I need to work on, and offers me guidance on how I can improve my sleep.

For example, on nights where nighttime awakenings affected my sleep score, it suggested that stress and tension could be to blame for my restlessness and advised me to reduce stress and tension with proper hydration and dynamic stretching, among other stress-relieving activities.

The Oura Ring's counterlife as a health and fitness tracker also means it can tell you how your health patterns are affecting your sleep. Recently, I got a low amount of REM sleep, and the Oura Ring app (which also functions as a period tracker) informed me that this could be due to the fact that I was in the second half of my menstrual cycle, which increases the need for restorative sleep but also naturally reduces REM sleep.

3 other Oura Ring 5 sleep features to check out

1. Unguided session

Considered to be one of the hidden Oura Ring 5 features (I confess it is very difficult to find in the app), the Unguided Session offers you the chance to try some meditation and mindfulness sessions to improve sleep. To access this feature go to the home (Today) page, scroll down to Timeline, and scroll across the Add a tag section until you find Unguided session.

When you begin a session, the Oura Ring 5's sensors activate on a continuous cycle, and then when the session ends, it provides insights from that session so you can see the health benefits (such as higher HRV) of meditation.

The session can last as long as you like, anywhere from one minute to an hour. You can also choose from a menu of soothing "soundscapes" to help you unwind. This feature is excellent for nighttime routines, as mindfulness meditation has been reported to improve sleep quality and reduce daytime fatigue.

2. Body Clock and Chronotype

The Body Clock and Chronotype features your optimal sleep window, based on your sleep chronotype (when you're at your most active and alert) and pits it against your current sleep patterns. From this information, you can gain understanding of how your biological clock likes to function and how to improve your sleep schedule and habits.

This feature is hidden, as it isn't available from the get-go. Instead, unlocking this feature requires you to consistently wear your Our Ring to bed to gain 30 long sleep periods (in the same time zone) during a 90 day period. As I've recently travelled (and haven't owned the Oura Ring for 90 days), so this feature isn't available to me yet. But stay tuned...

3. Sleep stories and mediations

Bedtime stories for adults are now a popular sleep hack, with popular meditation apps such as Calm and Headspace offering a library of cozy, relaxing tales for you to fall asleep to. Luckily, Oura has its own selection of sleep stories, with calming titles such as "A Walk to the Cottage" and "Rockabye Railway".

There's also a library of guided sleep meditation, if you need more help than the above Unguided session offers. These guided mediations gently coach you through body scans and breathwork for sleep.

More top-rated sleep trackers to improve your rest

The Hoka Clifton is one of the most popular running shoes in the world, which is obviously great news for Hoka, but does come with one notable disadvantage — how do you update a shoe that people already love without risking disappointment?

One answer is to barely update it at all. For me, the Hoka Clifton 11 is very similar to the Hoka Clifton 10, bar some changes to the upper and a slightly softer sock liner.

Hoka clearly did have some big updates to the Clifton in mind this year, but instead of putting them into the Clifton 11, they went into the Hoka Clifton Pro, which launched at the same time.

The Clifton Pro has a new midsole foam that creates a more energetic and fun ride, and for me it’s one of the best running shoes launched so far this year, and the Clifton to go for over the 11, even if you pay slightly more.

For its part, the Clifton 11 remains a comfortable daily trainer for rolling through easy miles, and it’s also great for those who spend all day on their feet for work, but rivals like the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro and Asics Novablast 6 are more enjoyable options, along with the Clifton Pro.

Hoka Clifton 11 review: price and availability

The Hoka Clifton 11 went on sale in July 2026 and costs $155 in the U.S. and £140 in the U.K., making it $10/£10 cheaper than the Hoka Clifton Pro, which launched at the same time.

Some of its key rivals do come in slightly cheaper, notably the equally-popular Nike Pegasus 42 and Brooks Ghost 18, along with the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro.

Hoka Clifton 11 review: design and fit

The Clifton 11 is currently available in 15 colors for the women’s shoe and 13 colors for the men’s shoe. It comes in wide and standard fits — I found the standard shoe fit me well in my normal running shoe size, but Hoka shoes can run narrow so the wide option is welcome.

It’s listed as being slightly lighter than both the Clifton 10 and Clifton Pro at just under 10oz in a men’s size 10. My men’s size 9.5 actually came in at 10.1oz on my scales, but minor variances like this are normal in running shoes.

The Clifton 11 has a drop of 8mm and a stack height of 42mm at the heel and 34mm in the forefoot, which is the same as the Clifton 10 and Clifton Pro.

Upper

The Clifton 11 has a mesh upper that has some minor changes from the Clifton 10, designed to improve the fit and breathability.

I found the fit and feel of the upper very similar to that of the Clifton 10, which is no bad thing. It’s a comfortable upper that’s breathable enough for me in hot conditions, with some padding around the collar that helps to hold the heel securely.

Midsole

The midsole on the Clifton 11 uses a compression-molded EVA foam, as opposed to the more energetic and impressive supercritical EVA foam on the Clifton Pro. It’s the same midsole foam as on the Clifton 10, but the sock liner has been changed to a softer material.

Overall, the setup feels similar to the Clifton 10, and I think Hoka could have introduced the ProGlide+ foam from the Clifton Pro into the Clifton 11 and made that a bigger update rather than introducing a second Clifton into the line-up.

Outsole

The Clifton 11 uses Hoka’s Durabrasion rubber to cover the forefoot and heel on the bottom of the shoe. It has gripped well for me throughout testing and there are no signs of wear and tear yet, despite me using the shoe on dirt trails for most of my runs.

Hoka Clifton 11 review: running performance

I used the Clifton 11 for a mix of daily training runs at easy and steady paces, with my longest run in the shoe being just over 10 miles.

Throughout testing it felt very familiar to me, as someone who has ran extensively with the last few models of the Clifton. It has a soft, mellow ride feel that’s great at easy paces, with the mild rocker profile of the shoe helping to ease you from heel to toe smoothly.

At faster paces, the limitations of the midsole foam are more apparent, in that it doesn’t give a lot of energy back when you’re trying to push. This is the main difference from the Clifton Pro for me, which does offer more energy return, while also being comfortable and smooth.

During testing, I did a short run wearing the Clifton 11 on one foot and the Clifton Pro on the other, and extra resiliency and bounciness of the Pro was noticeable. The Clifton 11 is softer at the heel, but lacks the spring off the forefoot you do get from the Pro.

I did enjoy my easy runs in the Clifton 11 and it gets the job done as a daily trainer for racking up miles, but there are certainly rivals that do the same job more enjoyably thanks to livelier midsole foams, while also being more versatile with regards to their performance at faster speeds, with the Novablast 6 and Puma Deviate Pure standing out on this front.

The Clifton has long been a popular pick for people who are on their feet all day at work and I still think the Clifton 11 will do this job very well. It’s great for walking too, just like past models of the shoe.

Should you buy the Hoka Clifton 11?

The Hoka Clifton 11 does all the things I expect a Hoka Clifton to do, being a comfortable option for easy runs that will suit a wide variety of runners, as well as walkers.

However, it doesn’t feel as up-to-date as the best shoes in its area, which are using livelier midsole foams that are bouncier and more fun, and the killer rival might well be the Clifton Pro, which I think is worth the $10 upgrade.

The Asics Novablast 6 is lighter and performs better at faster paces for me, while still being just as cushioned as the Clifton 11. The Puma Deviate Pure has a lower stack, but it’s still comfortable and much lighter and faster than the Clifton 11.

Compared to other very popular options, I do favor the Clifton 11 over the Nike Pegasus 42 and Brooks Ghost 18, both of which are firmer, heavier, and less cushioned and smooth. The Novablast 6 or Clifton Pro would get my vote over the entire trio, however.

They say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. However, I have no idea what a gander is. What I do know is that the new Google Pixel Watch 5 is a very good thing for current and prospective Fitbit Air customers.

In case you forgot, Google owns Fitbit, and has for quite some time. The newish Fitbit Air, a $100 screen-free wearable with up to a week of battery, arrived just a few months ago and is one of the best fitness trackers in 2026.

Despite its recent arrival, with this week’s launch of the Pixel Watch 5, we’re already getting shiny new Fitbit Air features, adding to the wearable’s already impressive value proposition.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why the new Google Pixel Watch 5 is great news for the Fitbit Air.

1. Blood Pressure Trend reports

The Pixel Watch 5 is positively brimming with new health and safety features that you won’t find on most other competitor devices. And even though the Fitbit Air doesn’t inherit all of them, one important one it will support is monthly Blood Pressure Trend reports.

Now, this isn’t a proper blood pressure reading; rather, the Pixel Watch 5 (and soon the Fitbit Air) tracks a wide range of holistic factors over the course of a month and runs them through an algorithm to see how your blood pressure may (or may not) be changing over time.

The algorithm is based on holistic insights from half a million users, including 60 billion hours of heart rate data. So, yeah, it should be pretty accurate. While this new feature doesn't generate an actual blood pressure reading, it is designed to give you an early warning if signs of your blood pressure trending upward are observed.

2. Insulin Resistance Trends

Similar to Blood Pressure Trends, the Fitbit Air will inherit the Pixel Watch 5’s Insulin Resistance Trends reports, which are also delivered on a monthly basis.

This non-invasive feature similarly uses your passive holistic metrics — namely, sleep, fitness, and nutrition data — to determine whether or not your metabolic health is trending in the right direction.

Both of these new tools are designed with preventative care in mind, with the goal of better surfacing early warnings of common health conditions that could lead to more serious consequences down the road.

3. More to come?

For now, these two groundbreaking health features are the only ones Google has confirmed for the Fitbit Air in the immediate future, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see others trickle down soon.

For example, the Pixel Watch 5 also boasts a new Sleep Breathing Quality trend metric that monitors and analyzes your blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels each night while you snooze, potentially providing valuable long-term insights into your respiratory health.

What new Pixel Watch 5 features do you most want to see Google bring to the Fitbit Air? And do these additional features make you more likely to buy a Fitbit Air? Let me know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested the Fitbit Air vs Whoop 5.0 side by side — here's the winner
• The Fitbit Air is basically just a screen-less Fitbit Inspire 3 — and that’s a very good thing
• I tracked my sleep on Fitbit Air vs Whoop for a week — does spending more buy you better sleep data?

I'm a supplement skeptic but it might be time to eat my words — and drink my mushrooms. As evidence grows that mushroom supplements might improve sleep issues, I decided to give adaptogens a go. And my sleep tracker was impressed.

For 30 days I added functional mushrooms to my sleep routine. Sipping on lion's mane in the morning (to improve clarity) and reishi in the evening (to reduce stress) I was hoping to supercharge my sleep-wake cycle. I recorded the results with a sleep diary, which I cross referenced against my Withings Sleep Analyzer sleep tracker.

Soon I was skipping the 3 a.m. wake ups and starting the day feeling ready to go. But were the adaptogens to thank? Or were changes to my routine the real secret behind better sleep. I asked Laura Perez, Registered Dietician and Clinical Nutrition Lead at Simple Online Pharmacy, what to make of the results.

Key takeaways

• Adaptogens and nootropics are herbal supplements, taken to reduce stress, boost focus and improve sleep.
• Early clinical studies show positive benefits from some adaptogens and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence.
• I used reishi and lion's mane, two types of adaptogenic fungi, for 30 days and felt some benefits — but these might be attributed to positive routine changes.

What are adaptogens and nootropics — and how can they help you sleep?

Adaptogens and nootropics are natural supplements derived from herbs, plants or mushrooms. Broadly, adaptogens are recommended to fight stress, while nootropics are used to improve cognitive function.

Adaptogens are said to respond and adapt to imbalances in the body to restore you to homeostasis. Popular adaptogens include ashwaghanda and reishi, while lion's mane and cordyceps are common nootropics. (Nootropics are sometimes classed as a form of adaptogen.)

Widely used in parts of East and South Asia, there's a wealth of anecdotal support for adaptogens. And scientific trials have shown some benefits to adaptogens although Perez notes that; “Human studies remain small and the results are mixed.”

“The honest answer is that you may be noticing a genuine benefit,” says Perez, “but the evidence is not yet strong enough to say confidently that reishi improves sleep or lion’s mane boosts brain power.”

Adaptogens and nootropics are available in various forms, from capsules to powders to tinctures. However, they're aren't regulated by the FDA and Perez warns you should always check what you’re getting.

“Products can vary considerably in their dose, concentration and the part of the mushroom used, so choose a reputable supplement company that has undergone independent quality testing.”

Reishi mushrooms for sleep

The first of my supplements is reishi (also known as Ganoderma lucidum or lingzhi).

Reishi has a long medicinal history and is intended to reduce stress and enhance sleep. A 2024 review did find sleep-aiding benefits to using reishi, as did a study from the same year.

However, Perez notes that much of the research has been conducted in animals or laboratories and more real-world evidence is needed.

Lion's mane for focus and clarity

Lion's mane, or Hericium erinaceus, is a nootropic intended to make you more alert and focused. Essentially, a brain booster.

Perez notes that while lion's mane is often associated with alertness, it's not going to wake you up like caffeine. However, she agrees there's promising evidence that lion's mane can improve your mental energy.

“Some small studies have reported possible benefits for memory, processing speed, mood or stress, particularly in older adults or people experiencing cognitive decline,” she says.

She does note, however, that other trials have found “no significant overall improvement in cognition.”

What happened when I used adaptogens to help me sleep better and wake up with more energy for a month?

I tested the Love Mush AM:PM Bundle for a 30-day period from March 1st to March 30th. I consumed 1ml of reishi extract in the evening and 1ml of lion’s mane in the morning.

First things first: do they taste like mushrooms? No. There’s no flavor at all, actually. At the start of my testing period I added the extract to water with trepidation. By the end of the month, I was mixing reishi hot chocolates and lion’s mane matchas.

My sleep scores stayed even

For the month of testing, my Withings Sleep Analyzer awarded me an overall score of 80... the exact same score I got the month before.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still happy with an 80. That indicates consistent, decent quality sleep. And there's a big caveat — I was horribly ill on March 5th, resulting in one of my lowest sleep scores ever (47). There’s nothing the mushrooms could have done in this situation and it dragged my average down.

However, even without my terrible 47, my sleep score wouldn't have jumped noticeably, So while there's a small improvement, nothing that couldn't be chalked up to natural fluctuations.

Reishi didn’t beat 3 a.m. wake ups — but my sleep interruptions went down

Stress is a major cause of disrupted sleep as it causes cortisol levels to spike, increasing alertness and leaving you prone to late night wake ups. It’s a problem I’ve dealt with on and off for years and during periods of high stress, my sleep takes a downturn.

“Reishi is often marketed as an ‘adaptogen’ that helps the body manage stress," says Perez and while she notes that further research is needed, current evidence is promising.

My own data (both my sleep score and subjective notes) support reishi's calming properties. At the start of March, I experienced several disrupted nights in a row. By the end of the month, I was sleeping through. (I didn't record any significant changes in outside stressors.)

When I stopped using the supplements in April, my sleep tracker recorded an uptick in interruptions. But nothing outside the realm of ordinary late night wake ups.

I felt calm and relaxed before bed

After sipping slowly on whatever drink I’d mixed my reishi supplement into, I generally felt ready to drop off. Was this thanks to the mushroom? Was reishi targeting the stress in my body to relieve anxiety before bed?

Perhaps, but there might be another benefit at play.

“Taking a supplement as part of a calming bedtime routine may signal to your brain that the day is ending,” explains Perez. This helps create your sleep-wake cycle to stay regulated, so you can drop off quicker.

My reishi ritual became a reliable part of my routine during my 30 day testing period. Pouring my drink, measuring my dropper full, mixing it in… it was like a low-effort version of a Japanese tea ceremony.

"Expecting it to help could also affect how relaxed you feel. A placebo response is not imaginary, but it does not prove the mushroom itself caused the improvement,” explains Perez.

I was more refreshed in the morning

If reishi gets you snoozing, lion’s mane is meant to wake you up. This nootropic is said to improve focus and cognitive function, like a kickstart for your brain.

Anecdotally, I was impressed. During the 30 day period I recorded how alert I felt each morning after consuming my lion’s mane drink. Instead of ‘groggy’, ‘half-awake’ or ‘uurrgghhh’, I typically felt ready to go.

And no, I didn’t start using lion’s mane alongside a burgeoning interest in espresso. Mostly, I mixed it into my regular cup of English breakfast tea.

Again, however, there might be another explanation at play. My testing period coincided with lighter mornings, meaning by the time I finished my drink I was enjoying the awakening effect of sunlight.

Plus, because I was making sure I got my lion's mane, I was hydrating every morning. This has been linked to improved cognition.

“Lion’s mane is not a stimulant like caffeine, so it should not produce an immediate surge in energy or alertness," explains Perez. "Claims that it will instantly sharpen the brain or transform productivity go beyond what current research supports.”

What happened after I stopped using adaptogens?

I had a 30-day supply of reishi and lion’s mane. Once my trial came to an end, I stopped using any adaptogens to see what happened to my sleep score.

Overall, there was little change. I slept slightly worse in April than I did in March (and that’s without the red mark of a sub-60 score) but it was still within my average range (a 78 overall). Also, as noted, I saw a slight uptick in sleep interruptions — but not enough to cause concern.

In terms of alertness, the brighter mornings have helped me wake up feeling fresher. But I recorded more drowsy mornings after I ditched the lion's mane.

Verdict: Can mushroom adaptogens help you sleep better?

Reishi didn’t stop my 3 a.m. wake ups and lion’s mane didn’t supercharge my brain. However, I’ll add myself to the long list of adaptogen's anecdotal beneficiaries.

During the 30 day testing period I felt well rested and alert. On the nights I used reishi before bed I went to sleep feeling calm, while my brain woke up faster on my lion’s mane mornings.

But this positive impact might be attributed to other healthy habits I picked up along the way; a ritual wind-down in the evening, hydrating in the morning, and getting sunlight first thing.

“My overall view is cautiously open-minded,” says Perez. “If you enjoy taking them, notice a benefit and know they are safe for you, there may be no reason to stop.”

“However, [adaptogens] shouldn’t replace the fundamentals with stronger evidence behind them, including sufficient sleep, regular meals, physical activity, daylight exposure and sensible caffeine intake.”

While Perez says adaptogens can be beneficial, she recommends being careful with use.

“Natural does not automatically mean risk-free," says Perez. "Reishi may increase bleeding risk and interact with blood-thinning or immunosuppressant medicines. Anyone taking regular medication, living with a health condition, pregnant or breastfeeding should always speak to a pharmacist or healthcare professional first."

Our favorite tech to help you destress before bed

I’ve been writing about fitness trackers before any of them could track a period. It was Fitbit that first added female health tracking to its app in 2018, launching alongside the Fitbit Versa.

Other major players followed suit, with Apple adding native Cycle Tracking to the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019, and Garmin adding Menstrual Cycle Tracking to its Connect platform soon after. In 2022, wearables shifted from manual logging to sensor-driven predictions based on skin temperature, largely down to the rise in popularity of fitness trackers like the Oura Ring.

Yet eight years later, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I’ve trusted all the major devices with tracking my periods, and some do it better than others. My Oura Ring knew I was pregnant before I did back in 2023, but at the time the wearable didn’t have any means of tracking the physical and hormonal changes occurring during pregnancy. That has since changed.

Here’s the work that still needs to be done.

Core metrics of most fitness trackers are still based on male physiology

Before joining Tom’s Guide, I worked for Runner’s World, where I’d frequently hear that shoes were designed for men and then tweaked for women, even though women have a physiologically different body shape and stride.

The same applies to fitness trackers. Core metrics, including Heart Rate Variability (HRV), VO2 max, and “Readiness” scores, have historically been benchmarked on male physiological data.

It’s easy to see why: a man’s hormone fluctuation is far simpler than a woman’s. Men primarily operate on a 24-hour rhythm, with testosterone peaking early in the morning, then steadily declining throughout the day.

Women, on the other hand, have a 28-35-day hormonal cycle, with estrogen and progesterone levels shifting throughout that window, causing fluctuations in resting heart rate, skin temperature, and sleep architecture.

Fitness trackers are getting smarter, but often cycle tracking stops at predicting your day of ovulation, rather than how hard you should be pushing yourself or how much you should be prioritizing recovery based on where you are in your cycle. That said, not everyone feels they need to adjust training, as we all feel different during our cycle, but it's still handy to know.

Period tracking often doesn’t integrate with broader metrics

This brings me nicely to my next point: many trackers don’t seem to integrate women’s health into broader health tracking, with Oura as an exception.

While the Apple Watch now predicts your date of ovulation pretty accurately in my experience, when the new Perimenopause and Menopause features were announced earlier this month, I asked Apple if, when a user reports nightly hot flashes, this would sync to her sleep score. The answer? Not yet.

It often feels like menstrual tracking is a bolt-on feature, not something fully integrated into the targets or recovery advice on the watch itself.

When I was pregnant in 2023, all the pregnancy mode on my Garmin did was tell me what vegetable my baby looked like each week. Sure, that’s cute, but what about giving me actionable advice on how I should be tweaking my workouts to accommodate the drastic blood volume and weight changes I experienced during pregnancy?

Plus, don’t get me started on how none of the wearable devices at my disposal allowed me to tell them that no, I wasn’t purposefully waking up every two hours for fun. I had a newborn and I was breastfeeding.

Smartwatches are still bulky

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — the watches with the best safety features are always the biggest and the most expensive. If you want advanced sensors and the ability to run with an SOS siren on your wrist, should you need it, you’ll have to sacrifice comfort.

Plus, if a watch isn’t sat flush against your wrist, the chances are the optical sensors aren’t as accurate. This is because ambient light leaks into the optical sensors, giving you inaccurate heart rate or SpO2 readings.

This isn’t something that can be solved overnight or in one update. And it’s not a criticism directed at one brand in particular. It's worth highlighting Apple's Women's Health Study — a long-term initiative advancing the scientific understanding of menstrual cycles and reproductive health, a chronically under-researched area of medicine.

Hopefully, if I’m still writing about fitness trackers in July 2036, I’ll be talking about devices that identify early perimenopausal patterns, like Oura is starting to do, or help new mothers understand the dramatic hormonal changes that occur post-birth.

I also hope that brands will have developed special tracking parameters for conditions like endometriosis, and when you tell the device your gender when you first set it up, the recovery, readiness, and sleep scores will be different based on that.

• Apple Watch Ultra 4: All the design, health, and battery life rumors so far
• I walked 4,500 steps with the Fitbit Air vs Apple Watch SE 3 — and I'm surprised by the winner
• Exclusive: Can an Apple Watch actually spot perimenopause? I sat down with Apple to find out more about its new Women’s Health features

Apple debuted Fall Detection in the Apple Watch Series 4 way back in 2018, a major milestone for smartwatch safety tech, but in 2026, I'd argue that the health and safety features in modern Google smartwatches far surpass what Apple offers. And the new Google Pixel Watch 5 is concrete proof.

The Google Pixel Watch 5 officially debuted today alongside the latest Pixel 11 smartphones, new Pixel Buds, and a nifty-looking PixelTag tracker, the brand's take on an Apple AirTag.

I checked out the new Google Pixel Watch 5 ahead of its launch, and although it looks physically identical to its predecessor, small improvements to battery, processing power, and the onboard Gemini AI assistant should make it an all-around smoother operator.

However, the most notable and potentially groundbreaking upgrades come in the form of new safety features and health-tracking tools, namely Breathing Emergency Detection, Blood Pressure Trends, and Insulin Resistance Trends. Read on for everything you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch 5.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Upgrade cheat sheet

But first, here’s a cheat sheet to all the most notable Google Pixel Watch 5 stats and upgrades.

• Price: The Pixel Watch 5 sees a price increase across the lineup versus the Pixel Watch 4; the 41mm starts at an increase of $50, and the 45mm starts at $30 more
• Sizes and colors: 41mm and 45mm; same as Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 3; new colors include Obsidian, Fog, Olive, and Canyon; Olive features a Satin Pyrite casing
• Design: Same design and dimensions as Pixel Watch 4
• Limited edition model: Similar to the Fitbit Air, the new Pixel Watch 5 will be available in a Stephen Curry limited edition model with an upgraded strap for better breathability and moisture-wicking capabilities
• Screen: Same 3,000-nit max-brightness AMOLED touchscreen as Pixel Watch 4; comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
• Health features: New Blood Pressure Trends + Insulin Resistance Trends with monthly reports on each (also coming to Fitbit Air); 15% more accurate sleep stage tracking; new sleep Breathing Quality Trends metric that tracks min-to-min SpO2
• Safety features: New Breathing Emergency Detection feature that works similarly to Loss of Pulse Detection; exclusive to Pixel Watch 5 (for now); only available in the EU and other select markets at launch
• Fitness features: Improved route mapping for workouts in “tough” environments (like cities and forests); new strength training workout builder feature
• Processor: Pixel Watch 5 should be 20% faster than the Pixel Watch 4 thanks to a 12% more powerful processor and 50% more RAM
• Battery life: Same 30 to 40-hour battery life rating as Pixel Watch 4

Google Pixel Watch 5: Versus competition

Google Pixel Watch 5: Price and release date

The Pixel Watch 5, like the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, sees a price increase across the lineup. The 41mm Pixel Watch 5 starts at $399 / AU$649 for the W-Fi model, an increase of $50 over the 41mm Pixel Watch 4. The 45mm Pixel Watch 5 is $429 / AU$699, a $30 increase over last year’s equivalent.

The 41mm LTE model, meanwhile, is $499 / AU$829, and the 45mm LTE model is $529 / AU$879.

Pre-orders begin today. The Pixel Watch 5 should start shipping and be on shelves beginning September 3rd.

• 41mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $399 / AU$649
• 45mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $429 / AU$699
• 41mm (LTE): $499 / AU$829
• 45mm (LTE: $529 / AU$879

Google Pixel Watch 5: Design

The Pixel Watch 5 has the same circular design and button placement as the Pixel Watch 4, including the same domed, 3,000-nit max brightness display. The panel is still 1.2 inches for the smaller model and 1.4 inches for the larger one.

The weight and dimensions also remain roughly the same. Like the Pixel Watch 4, the Pixel Watch 5 has charging contacts on the side of the case and uses the same charger. It also features the same strap connecting system as prior models.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Health features

The most impressive updates to the Pixel Watch 5 come in the form of expanded proactive preventative health tools and real-time life-saving tools, including Breathing Emergency Detection, which works similarly to 2024's Loss of Pulse Detection.

Using the onboard heart rate sensor, accelerometer, and barometric altimeter, the Pixel Watch 5 can be set up to identify when a breathing emergency happens and automatically send for help via 911 dispatch and/or messages to friends/loved ones.

Breathing Emergency Detection joins Loss of Pulse Detection and Fall/Crash Detection under the Pixel Watch’s new “Health Guardian" features umbrella.

When it comes to preventative health, the Pixel Watch 5 has two additional, potentially revolutionary new features, both of which are non-invasive, including a monthly Blood Pressure trends report and a monthly Insulin Resistance trends report.

The former doesn’t provide a blood pressure reading, but instead tracks how your blood pressure may be changing over time based on a combination of metrics run through a snazzy algorithm. To ensure accuracy, Google built the algorithm using 60 billion hours of 24/7 heart rate monitoring data from half a million individuals.

The Insulin Resistance Trends feature is not the same as a continuous blood glucose monitor. It similarly predicts changes by tracking factors like your average sleep time, heart rate, workout routines, and more. This all gets fed into an algorithm that was separately tested against a large sample group to ensure accuracy.

Both of these new health trend features will also be coming to the Fitbit Air, but we don’t know yet if the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 3 will similarly support them.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Fitness and sleep features

Google says that the Pixel Watch 5 should be 15% more accurate than its predecessor at identifying and tracking sleep stages. It also gets a new bedtime mode watch face, along with the popular Smart Alarm feature, which aims to help you wake up less groggy via on-wrist vibrations.

Daily sleep reports feature a new Sleep Breathing Quality Trends metric that’s based on minute-to-minute blood oxygen level tracking (Sp02).

The Pixel Watch 5 sports Google’s “most accurate GPS on a Pixel Watch.” Post-workout route mapping should be twice as accurate as before, especially in locations with obstructed skies, like cities and forests.

The Pixel Watch 5 is still using L1 and L5 satellite data to track, except now, when you finish a workout, that data gets sent to a server for analysis and adjustment. Basically, Google creates a 3D model of your efforts designed to compensate for things like building reflections, tree cover, and atmospheric anomalies, including heat haze and other aberrations.

Google says that the GPS route tracking for outdoor workouts in the Pixel Watch 5 outperforms even the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, two much pricier models.

Starting in September, the Pixel Watch 5 and other older models will offer a new “workout builder” feature for strength training and HIIT workouts. This feature will include personalized routines, audio cues, rest timers, and weigh/rep tracking.

Google Pixel Watch 5: AI features

The Pixel Watch 5 continues to support Google’s fabulous Gemini AI voice assistant, which is accessible with a simple yet effective wrist raise.

Now, real-time relevant information is more accessible at a glance. For example, details like changed flight times or the number of train stops until you reach your destination will appear more frequently. Users can expand these bits of relevant information or dismiss them using one-handed gesture controls for added convenience.

The Pixel Watch 5 additionally supports eleven new information-rich homescreen complications.

Gemini’s proactive suggestions have also been tweaked to be more useful and actionable from the wrist, minimizing the need to switch to a smartphone. Finally, Google promises improved offline Gemini support, with the ability to execute basic tasks via voice control, like setting a timer or starting a workout.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Battery life

The Pixel Watch 5 sees a very small increase in battery capacity across both sizes, but the official ratings remain the same. The 41mm is rated at 30 hours per charge, and the 45mm model is rated at 40 hours per charge. That's the same rating as the Pixel Watch 4.

The question is, will the bigger one surpass that billing? After all, the 45mm Pixel Watch 4 easily cruised for 60 hours per charge in my testing.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Outlook

There’s probably not enough here to warrant Pixel Watch 4 users upgrading to the Pixel Watch 5, especially if some or all of the new health and safety features eventually trickle down via firmware. Hardware-wise, this is basically the same devices as its predecessor, just with a slight increase in battery and processing power.

The new Breathing Emergency feature is particularly exciting to see, and I look forward to learning more about how it works... that is, when it's finally available in the U.S. Similarly, time will tell whether or not the new blood pressure and insulin resistance trend reports are actually useful.

Either way, Google has entered a league of its own when it comes to on-wrist smartwatch safety tech, from Breathing Emergency Detection to Loss of Pulse. The question is, can Apple match Google in this regard with the debut of the Apple Watch Series 12 launches in a few months? I'm not convinced, but I remain cautiously optimistic.

Stay tuned for my full Google Pixel Watch 5 review. Until then, what are your thoughts on the new Google Pixel Watch 5? Would you consider buying/upgrading to one? Let me know below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve been wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for nearly a week — 5 things I like and 1 thing I don’t
• I walked 7,000 steps with the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air — and there's a clear winner
• Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air vs Whoop vs Oura Ring: Our fitness experts are helping you pick the perfect fitness tracker

It seems that 2026 is the year of the screenless fitness tracker. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the release of the Oura Ring 5, Fitbit Air, and now the $199 Garmin Cirqa, which hit the market in July. It seems that users are moving away from constant notifications buzzing on their wrists and opting for distraction-free health and fitness tracking instead.

A huge selling point of the screenless tracker is that, without the bright light of a screen and often a smaller, lighter design, it can make sleep tracking more comfortable and less distracting.

I often remove my smartwatch entirely to sleep, as I find the likes of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 uncomfortable, but have been wearing an Oura Ring to track my sleep for years. Keen to take a look at how the data from the Garmin Cirqa compared, I wore both for 10 nights — read on to find out more.

Garmin Cirqa vs Oura Ring 5

Before we dive into the sleep tracking capabilities of the two devices, it seems wise to point out some of the similarities and differences, if you are trying to decide between the two. The Oura Ring 5 is the more expensive of the two trackers, starting at $399 for the basic finishes. You’ll also need to pay an ongoing subscription fee, which costs $5.99 per month. The Garmin Cirqa costs $199 and has no subscription fees.

Design-wise, the Oura Ring 5 is the smallest, lightest smart ring on the market. It truly disappears, and is the best option for anyone looking for a fitness or sleep tracker that looks like jewelry. The Garmin Cirqa is a stretch wristband with a single button. It’s not exactly small, and it’s bigger and heavier than the Fitbit Air. You can also buy an additional bicep strap for workouts or team sports.

Both devices have a battery life that’ll last longer than a week between charges. The Garmin Cirqa lasts 10-11 days; the Oura Ring 5 lasts around nine days, depending on the size of your ring.

Both are also compatible with iOS and Android. With the Garmin, you’ll see all your data on the Garmin Connect app, whereas Oura uses its own app. Both can be synced with third-party apps like Natural Cycles for advanced female health tracking.

The results

But back to sleep. Before I share my results, I feel like I must point out that this test fell during a pretty stressful time, as I was right in the middle of moving house. I’m also a single mom, raising the next Houdini, and often get woken multiple times a night by my toddler climbing into my bed. All this to say, please excuse some of these sleep scores.

Of course, there’s no real way of telling which of these devices was more accurate at tracking how much sleep I did (or didn’t) get without going to a sleep lab, but I found it interesting to see that most nights, my overall sleep score and advice was pretty much identical.

There are a few key differences to point out: my Oura Ring 5 always recorded me as being awake for a lot longer than the Garmin Cirqa, more accurately reflecting the fact that I often lay in bed scrolling on my phone before I went to sleep. A lot of nights, the ‘awake’ part of my Oura sleep graph was at the beginning of the night.

The sleep duration and stages were also pretty similar throughout the testing, except July 29, when my Oura Ring 5 died overnight, and July 30, when Garmin recorded 90 minutes more sleep.

It’s worth pointing out I’ve had the Oura Ring 5 on my finger for months, whereas the Garmin Cirqa has only been on my wrist for two weeks, so it could need a little longer for more precise readings.

That said, overall, the data recorded was pretty similar, and the overall message was clear: I need more sleep. If only Garmin and Oura could relay that information to my toddler.

More from Tom's Guide

• I review smartwatches for a living, but these are 5 reasons why I sometimes still wear a 'dumb' watch
• Apple Watch Series 12 rumors — everything we know so far
• Garmin’s rumored screen-less wearable just might be the subscription-free Whoop rival I’ve been waiting for

Father's Day 2026 is almost here, arriving on Sunday, September 6, and it goes without saying that every dad deserves to be spoilt on his big day.

But if your dad is anything like mine, he might neglect his skin and hair care routines, simply because it's easier not to have one. However, all humans, dads included, should have an easy everyday routine to help them not only look their best but also feel their best.

To help Dad scrub up nicer, I've gathered 30 of the best hair and skincare items available on Amazon and Adore Beauty, ahead of the big day. Ranging from cleansers, moisturisers and serums to pomades, gels and shaving items, there's something for every dad.

All of the deals below have our tick of approval, with the majority of these products directly recommended by the men behind the Tom's Guide AU team. From La Roche-Posay, Nivea, CeraVe, to American Crew, Kevin.Murphy and Moroccanoil, there's up to 51% off products to suit your dad's skin and hair needs.

Don't just take my word for it, though — all of these items have thousands of 4-star reviews on Amazon, which is certainly no mean feat. Plus, thanks to Amazon's super-speedy shipping, you can get same-day or expedited shipping with a Prime membership, making your Father's Day gifting totally seamless and stress-free. If you haven't tried Prime before, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

I'll stop waffling now — here are the best skincare and haircare deals to shop this Father's Day 2026.

Everyone wants to sleep better but few want to acknowledge that good sleep is a matter of consistency and healthy habits. Wouldn't it be easier if sleep came in a cup? Say, some kind of sleepy girl mocktail?

Enter the rise of the TikTok sleep hack. Social media is cluttered with foods and drinks said to be as sleep-inducing as a tranquilizer dart. And as someone who loves a shortcut and often gets snack-y before bed, I'm the perfect target for a TikTok sleep trend.

Armed with my Withings ScanWatch 2 and seven popular sleep recipes, I spent a week experimenting with everything from lettuce water to bedtime brownies.

I also asked Laura Perez, Registered Dietician and Clinical Nutrition Lead at Simple Online Pharmacy, to weigh in on the supposed benefits. Did any of them work? The proof is in my sleep scores...

I tested the internet’s favorite bedtime snacks and drinks — here’s what they did for my sleep

Night one: Baby carrots

Carrots are a healthy choice for an evening snack, but for TikTok scientists it's all about the carotenoids.

These pigments, responsible for the distinctive orange of carrots, is turned into vitamin A in your body. This helps regulate your circadian rhythm, which keeps the sleep-wake cycle running smoothly.

"They also contain fibre, which can help keep you satisfied overnight," adds Perez. "And they’re unlikely to cause the blood sugar spikes that some sugary snacks can."

How to prepare baby carrots

This viral trend insists on seven baby carrots before bed. Not five, not six. Precisely seven. However, a bit of research shows that baby carrots are typically just regular carrots, shaved down and rounded.

With this in mind, I opted for the equivalent amount of regular carrot. I scrubbed them and sliced them into sticks, for easy snacking, and kept the nutrient-rich skin on.

About an hour before bed, I tucked into my snack.

Verdict: Did baby carrots improve my sleep?

• Sleep score: 66

My Withings sleep tracker awarded my a score of 66 for this night. That's slightly below average for me, but my scores often dip on a Saturday, when I'm more likely to let my routine slip.

"There’s no strong evidence that carrots themselves make people sleepy," says Perez, "but choosing a light, balanced snack before bed may be more comfortable than eating something very rich or heavy late in the evening."

My carrot sticks were enjoyable but not moreish, so I went to bed feeling comfortable rather than full.

Verdict: Not the sleep bullet TikTok suggested but a nutritious alternative to a pre-bed cookie.

Night two: Kiwis

“Kiwis are probably one of the better-supported foods when it comes to sleep," explains Perez. "Some small-scale studies have suggested they may help improve sleep quality."

Research from 2023 concluded that eating two kiwifruits one hour before bed over the course of four weeks could improve sleep and recovery time.

"[This is] possibly because they naturally contain antioxidants and serotonin, which are involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle," says Perez.

How to prepare kiwis for sleep

Simple version: eat two kiwis.

But I thought I'd have some fun with it, and turned to JessHallCooks on TikTok.

1. Use a sharp knife to slice the kiwis into rounds, roughly half a centimeter thick (you can peel the kiwis first, or tub them in kitchen towel to remove some of the skin).
2. Melt three to four squares of dark chocolate (dark chocolate is rich in magnesium).
3. Pat the kiwi slices dry and dip into the melted chocolate.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt and leave to set in the fridge (roughly 30 minutes).

Verdict: Did kiwis improve my sleep?

• Sleep score: 79

First of all, this is delicious.

However, two kiwis dipped in chocolate left me feeling bloated before bed. I did however, manage to score 79. So maybe kiwis do have some benefits, if I can get a good score even with an uncomfortably full stomach.

In the interest of fairness, and because I'd bought six kiwis, I tried it again a week later. This time, I missed out the chocolate (and the skin). A much lighter snack, I went to bed more comfortable and my sleep score rocketed up to 91.

"I wouldn’t describe them as a miracle cure, but they’re certainly a nutritious fruit," explains Perez. "There’s no harm in including them as part of a balanced diet if you enjoy them.”

Verdict: Delicious and possibly dream-inducing

Night three: Banana peel tea

Perez notes that bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium, which are important to muscle and nerve function. She adds that magnesium and vitamin B6 have also been linked to sleep regulation.

That explains the bananas. But why are we boiling the peels?

According to DebyUrsell, boiling delivers three times the dose of magnesium, supercharging the sleep powers. Banana peels also contain tryptophan, an amino acid used by the body to make serotonin and melatonin.

How to prepare banana peel tea

There are many, many different recipes for making banana peel tea online. I chose one by SacredLotus, as it has over 3 million views and 50,000+ likes. That many people can't be wrong, right?

1. Peel a ripe banana and chop the peel. Put the banana aside.
2. Place the banana peel in a pan of boiling water and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Strain the banana water into a mug and enjoy.

Verdict: Did banana peel tea improve my sleep?

• Sleep score: 72

At first, I was pleasantly surprised. Sweet, subtle and easy to sip on. For all my skepticism, this seemed like it was going to be a success.

Halfway through, things changed. It became cloying and musty. Even worse, bits of banana had slipped through the strainer, giving the drink unwanted texture.

I went to bed bloated and trying not to gag every time I remembered the taste.

My sleep score was an okay 72 but with some caveats. First, I was bone tired after two days in the office and would have expected to sleep better (I scored 88 the week before.)

Second, I got out of bed twice. Why? My banana tea was followed by two glasses of water, to get the taste out of my mouth. I woke up needing the toilet.

"There isn’t good-quality evidence that boiling banana peels into a drink will improve sleep," says Perez. "Incorporating foods like pumpkin seeds, almonds and leafy green vegetables into your diet daily will likely be more effective than going to the effort of boiling banana skins!"

Verdict: Disgusting — do not try

Night four: Lettuce water

Lettuce contains an ingredient known as lactucarium, which is reported to have a sedative effect. Small scale studies found consuming dried, powdered lettuce leaves and seed extracts could improve sleep... in mice.

“Lettuce water has become very popular on social media, but the evidence behind it is extremely limited," adds Perez.

However, seeing as we boil all kinds of leaves and call it tea, perhaps the leap to lettuce water isn't so strange.

How to prepare lettuce water for sleep

There's no consensus over exactly how to make lettuce water, although romaine appears to be the lettuce of choice. With that in mind, I put a handful of leaves in a mug, added boiling water and left it for five minutes.

I then removed the leaves, held my nose and prepared to drink.

Verdict: Did lettuce water improve my sleep?

• Sleep score: 65

Following banana tea, I had very, very low expectations for lettuce water. But it was... fine. I've been searching the thesaurus for an interesting way to describe it but there's nothing to say except: 'water with a hint of lettuce'.

However, it had no discernible impact on my sleep. I got a fairly lousy score of 65, spending only 6 hours, 22 minutes asleep. (And only 49 minutes of that in deep sleep.)

I doubt lettuce water is to blame but it does mean unless I'm craving a mug of lettuce-y goodness, I won't be reaching for this again. I'll stick with a chamomile, thanks.

Verdict: You're better off with a glass of water

Night five: Sleepy Girl Mocktail

The Sleepy Girl Mocktail has been blowing up FYPs for a while now as a magic sleep elixir. It combines tart cherry juice with magnesium and sparkling water.

"Tart cherry juice has attracted interest because it naturally contains small amounts of melatonin, and there is some research suggesting melatonin itself may support sleep in certain people," explains Perez.

Magnesium has also been linked to better sleep, with some studies finding magnesium deficiency negatively impacts the sleep-wake function. Hence the addition of magnesium powder.

As for the sparkling water, that's just for taste.

How to make a Sleepy Girl Mocktail

As with all TikTok trends, there are various recipes for the Sleepy Girl Mocktail floating around. However, the basic recipe contains just three components:

1. Pour a liberal swig of tart cherry juice.
2. Add a serving of magnesium (check the packet for the correct amount).
3. Top with sparkling water (or probiotic soda), to taste.

Verdict: Did the Sleepy Girl Mocktail improve my sleep?

• Sleep score: 95

I'd been looking forward to trying this one and as it has the most scientific backing, I gave it the toughest test. I had a late(ish) night on Thurday and was expecting to miss out on sleep. Could a Sleepy Girl Mocktail help me reclaim some rest?

Well, no. At least according to my sleep tracker, which recorded a dismal score of 36. I slept for just five hours, with only 30 minutes spent in deep sleep.

Despite this, I felt surprisingly well rested the next day. Something I hadn't expected from my sub-40 score. A second test on a regular work day had better results, with my overall sleep score leaping to 95.

From this (fairly limited) evidence, I'd theorize that the Sleepy Girl Mocktail might have some benefits. But it can't compare to good sleep hygiene.

Perez agrees that the Sleepy Girl Mocktail isn't a magic bullet. "It may be better to try to incorporate foods rich in melatonin (or tryptophan, which is an amino acid our bodies turn into melatonin) into your daily food intake, rather than relying on tart cherry juice."

She recommends pistachios and walnuts, dairy, turkey, eggs and soy food.

Verdict: Delightful, and you might start snoozing better

Night six: Golden milk

Golden Milk, sometimes known as moon milk, is a bedtime drink made primarily from milk and turmeric.

"Turmeric has recognized anti-inflammatory properties," explains Perez, although she notes there's no strong link that it improves sleep. She adds that milk is also a source of tryptophan.

Many versions of golden milk use adaptogens; natural ingredients that are often recommended for stress reduction (although further research is needed).

However, as Perez explains, the biggest benefit of golden milk might be its soothing feel. “Golden milk can be a comforting bedtime drink," she says. "A warm drink may help people unwind as part of their evening routine."

How to make Golden milk for sleep

Again, Golden Milk recipes vary a lot. I went for this recipe by Quincylk, which has over 3.9 million views.

1. Stir 1 tsp of ground turmeric, ground cinnamon and ground ginger into 2 cups of almond milk. Add a pinch of black pepper and heat on low for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 tbsps of honey or maple syrup. Serve immediately.

I made a few adaptations. Primarily, switching almond milk for oat milk and halving the recipe. I also added a drop of Reishi mushroom extract, as adaptogens are a popular add-on to Golden Milk.

Verdict: Did golden milk improve my sleep?

• Sleep Score: 78