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There’s a common misconception that every single workout should be done lightning-fast—the harder and more grueling, the better. The truth: You can increase your strength by lowering your intensity. “Just because you slow down doesn’t mean your workout isn’t effective,” explains Dani Busko, senior Pilates instructor at Equinox SoHo in New York City. Which is why this Pilates series from Busko is so amazing. It forces you to hit the brakes and be more intentional with how you move, “helping you to zero in on underused muscles, for better tone and definition,” she says. Ready, set, slooow.

1. Half Roll-Down

“This warms up the body, giving it a road map of what you expect out of it for the rest of the series, from the lower abs, to the spine, to the back of the legs,” explains Busko.

How to do it: Begin seated with knees bent, heels on floor, and hands on sides of thighs (A). Exhale and pull abs in toward spine, tilt pelvis so low back is pressing to the floor and small of the back is the leader, and roll down one vertebra at a time until lower back touches the floor (B). Exhale, and engage hamstrings, squeeze glutes, and hollow the belly to roll back up to start. Do 8 reps.

2. Glute Bridge

“This move is the aspirin of the body,” notes Busko. “Neck pain, lazy glutes, sciatica—the glute bridge can almost always fix it if done properly.”

How to do it: Lie faceup with knees bent and arms at sides, palms face down (A). Push into arms, tuck hips, and roll up, starting with the small of the back and ending with hips (B). Starting with the ribs, slowly lower back down. Do 8 reps.

3. Standing Side Kick Series

“Standing up to do this series, rather than lying down, allows for more muscle engagement throughout the leg and helps build balance,” says Busko.

How to do it: Stand with left foot on yoga block and right foot on floor. Step to lift right foot up; keep left knee soft (A). Keeping shoulders down and back, flex foot and extend right leg forward (B). Squeeze butt to pull leg back (C). Do 8 to 10 reps. Next, circle leg clockwise for 8 to 10 reps, and then counterclockwise (D) for 8 to 10 reps. Repeat entire series on opposite leg.

4. Side Plank

“Side planks help with balance and stability, as they work every part of the core—front, back, and everything in between,” explains Busko.

How to do it: Start in plank with shoulders over arms and abs tight (A). Move left hand in toward right; pivot feet, left foot behind right (B), rotating body to right. Keep hips lifted and extend left hand up (C); hold for 10 seconds. Return to A; repeat on left. Do 8 reps per side.

5. Lower Lift

“This is a great exercise to help engage the lower belly,” says Busko.

How to do it: Lie faceup with knees bent and feet on floor. Make a diamond with hands and place them under butt, palms down. Lift legs straight up, place heels together, and allow knees to turn outward, forming a diamond with legs (A). Pull abs in toward spine, press into hands, exhale air out of belly, and lower legs to 45 degrees (B). Raise legs back up to start. Do 8 reps.

6. Criss-Cross

“Not only does this work the obliques, but spinal rotation is key for overall spine health,” notes Busko.

How to do it: Lie faceup with knees in table top position and hands on head, elbows forward. Crunch up to bring elbows to knees (A). Hold position and shift elbows out to sides (B); twist left elbow toward center of body while bringing right knee in to touch (C). Return to B; repeat on other side. Do 8 reps per side.

7. Pilates Pushup

“The Pilates pushup allows you to lift your body weight with the triceps, which is typically a neglected muscle.” says Busko.

How to do it: Start in a plank with elbows stacked over hands and abs tight; squeeze inner thighs (A). Bend elbows and lower down as far as possible without touching chest to ground (B). Push back up. Do 8 reps.

As a freelance writer, I travel a lot for work—which leaves me with a packed schedule that gives me little time to take a class or hit the hotel gym. When I’m not sleeping, most of my downtime is spent at the airport. Instead of continuing to do nothing before boarding, during layovers, or while I’m waiting for my bags, I decided to figure out creative ways to squeeze in workouts on the go.

RELATED: The Best Fitness Vacations to Take in 2018

It was definitely weird at first. I’m that kind of person who races to the back of the class because I get self-conscious when people watch me sweat, so you can imagine why the airport wouldn’t be my go-to place for a full-on fitness routine. But I eventually had to get over myself because I’d go months at a time traveling weekly.

To come up with a workout plan of my own that made sense for me at the airport, I naturally looked to Instagram for help. My two favorite finds were fitness star Kaisa Keranen’s easy-to-follow workouts right at the terminal and mega yogi Caitlin Turner’s inspiring moves before her flight. 

For more ideas, I reached out to Pure Barre master trainer and studio owner Sami Sweeny along with Peter Lee Thomas (Halle Berry’s trainer). Here, they share their tips and tricks to bring you to that next level of health before takeoff. 

RELATED: The Healthiest Things to Eat at the Airport

Take advantage of seating areas

“Sitting at an airport can be a pain, [so] make the most of your surroundings by incorporating chairs and benches into your workout,” Thomas tells Health. “I like to do reverse crunches on whatever I was sitting on and several sets of pushups.”

Sweeny is on the same page. “There are countless bodyweight, equipment-free movements you can do while waiting for your flight,” she tells Health. “Go for 30-second tricep dips with your hands on a chair to one-minute wall sits with calf raises.”

And if you’re waiting at a lonely gate without many people around to potentially disturb, consider pulling a Sia Cooper from Diaryofafitmommy.com and stealing her pre-flight lower-body moves, above.

Do lunges on the moving walkway

The people mover that makes it easy to traverse miles of airport terminal space can also be an effective substitute for a track or treadmill. Witness Keranen doing high-knee exercise on the moving walk below. Just make sure you don’t run into anybody.

Lay out a yoga mat on the terminal floor

Nothing zaps stress and revives your energy like yoga, so feel free to go to an empty space and unroll a mat. (If you’re mat-less, lay out a coat or jacket on the floor—or do what I’m doing below at the airport in Richmond, Virginia and work it in a waiting area chair.)

The Yoga Poses app makes things easy with video tutorials of 250 poses along with modified positions for beginners, so you won’t feel like you’re totally in the dark when taking on a rather complicated practice alone.

Asana Rebel is another alternative that transforms the yoga experience into something more active, and it’s guaranteed to work up a big sweat. There are also quick mini sessions on the app if you don’t have much time to spare.

Scout out an airport yoga studio

If DIY yoga isn’t your thing, check to see if the airport you’re stuck in has an airport yoga studio. According to Yoga Journal, an increasing number of airports internationally and in the U.S. are offering designated areas for yoga, including airports in San Francisco, Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Heathrow in London.

Yoga on the Fly, a company that offers travel-friendly yoga and meditation gear in airports, has opened up a private studio with classes at the Denver airport and has plans to launch other in-airport spaces this year.

RELATED: Travel Yoga: 14 Tips for Doing Yoga on the Go

Put these in your carry-on

Though it’s best to not add any more items into your suitcase, Sweeny and Thomas both agree resistance bands are fitness gear worth having. “They’re versatile, lightweight, portable, and great for strength training and stretching,” Sweeny says. “You can use the resistance bands in place of weights for the upper and lower body, and even core work.”

So break them out in an empty area near the gate or in a yoga room, if the airport you’re heading to has one. It’s basically an easy way to make your workouts more challenging. With a resistance band, you’ll be able to do everything from bicep curls to tricep extensions. “For the lower body, you simply need to place the band around your thighs and perform squats, lunges, or plyometric movements,” Sweeny adds.

Most actors would want to take a relaxing vacation during their break between filming seasons of their hit TV show.

Mandy Moore? She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

The 33-year-old This Is Us star summited the highest mountain in Africa this month, traveling on the adventure alongside a group of her closest friends including fiancé Taylor Goldsmith.

For Moore, the trip was a dream 15 years in the making.

“I have dreamed the dream of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro since the age of 18,” Moore wrote on Instagram Friday. “Thanks to @eddiebauer, my partner in this adventure, this past week saw #1 on my bucket list come to fruition and I lived out one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life with a few of my best friends.”

She had previously posted a photo of her crew on March 23, the day hike took off.

According to Travel + Leisure, it takes at least a week to complete a hike to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro — which, at 19,341 feet, is the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. With “the mountain itself hosting five different vegetation zones,” the journey to the top means climbers will encounter temperatures “varying from hot to freezing” and terrain varying from lush forests to dry deserts.

Moore shared a series of Instagram Stories from the hike as well on Friday, explaining that they had often hiked for 9 hours before stopping at camp.

Still, it was hard to wipe the smile off her face throughout her journey.

Last year, Moore told Shape Magazine she hoped to scale the mountain on her and Goldsmith’s honeymoon.

“I do want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro,” Moore said. “That’s a bucket list item, maybe on the next hiatus; I’ve already told Taylor that I may incorporate it into the honeymoon,” she added.

And though the couple — who have been dating for over two years — haven’t yet walked down the aisle, the experience appeared to bring them even closer.

“This crew, 4 ever,” she labelled a photo of the two of them with their friends.

If you want your behind to look firm and toned in a butt selfie, you could do endless sets of squats and slather on all the anti-cellulite creams in the world. An easier way? Try this two-second butt-enhancing camera trick—the same one fitness influencers turn to when they want to emphasize their backsides.

RELATED: Get a Better Butt With These 6 Exercises

It’s just another example of the tactics social media stars use to change the way their bodies really look, while convincing you that what you’re seeing is real. Take it from these 7 Instagram stars, who are more than willing to let you in on the lie.

Mercedes Bridle

“The left is a photo of me clearly doing an ‘instagram’ popular pose to make my butt look better. On the right is real life – what happens when I squeeze my bum. OMG CELLULITE – guess what ladies we all have it…”

Sia Cooper

“I would get so upset because I knew I could not look like that all the time. But the truth is, nobody does. A picture is just a split second. We all look different from different angles.”

Anna Victoria

“A lot of the booty pics you see on Instagram are flexed, pushed out, back arched so much it actually hurts…I love posing and admiring the “Instagram booty” but that’s not my real booty. And I’m okay with that.”

Sara Puhto

“I would get upset and think that because my booty didn’t look like all the other bootys on instagram, it meant that all of a sudden I had an ugly body. But that is not true. We all look different from different angles. We all have different bodies.”

Sophie Allen

”Just keepin’ it real with y’all #ihavecellulitetoo and it appears when I squeeze my butt & disappears with the simple act of slightly tilting my hips out! Don’t ever let instagram take away from your achievements, cause there’s a lot of editing, tilting, posing, angles, lighting and all the rest going on.”

Lauren Tickner

”I sometimes still stumble across a photo and think ‘agh, I wish I looked like that…’ BUT, they uploaded that photo for a REASON! They probably took 10000 others and chose that ONE photo.”

Marisa Taylor

“WEDGIE POWER. Couple of minutes “transformation.” (So for those who don’t understand, not a transformation at all) … Both ways are cool dude, wear em how you want.”

Social media posts clearly don’t reflect a person’s complete reality or appearance. The so-called perfection a social media star achieves is likely due to a filter, a specific angle, or hiked-up undies lifting up their butt cheeks. And the photo itself might be one of dozens of takes.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “abs are made in the kitchen.” But that’s really only partly true. While a healthy diet goes a long way toward uncovering your six-pack (it’s in there … somewhere), you’ve got to put in work at the gym (or studio!) too. And when it comes to developing a rippling core, the lower abs might be the toughest zone to sculpt.

“This is an area many women want to target,” says trainer Susanna Kalnes, who teaches fitness classes at Studiomix in San Francisco. “I get asked by many of my students how to flatten this area of the body.”

Below, Kalnes and trainer pal Kristi Williams, who teaches fitness classes at XSport Fitness in Chicago, share their picks for the best lower ab exercises to add to your spring shape-up routine.

The eight bodyweight moves require no equipment (which means no excuses). And rather than counting your reps and sets, Kalnes recommends timing your workout. “I like to do these [moves]–and teach them–in time intervals,” she explains. Do as many of each exercise as you can with good form for 45 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds, then move on to the next one.

Get ready to feel the burn.

Heel Taps

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head, your elbows wide, and your knees raised in a 90-degree angle with your feet off the floor. Lower one leg down, maintaining the bend in the knee, and tap your heel on the floor. Return to starting position, then repeat with the opposite leg. Continue to alternate legs.

Butterfly Sit-Ups

Lie on your back with the soles of your feet touching and your knees bent out to the sides. Lift into a sit-up while reaching your arms beyond your feet to tap the floor. Lower down one vertabra at a time to protect your spine. Repeat.

Scissor Kicks

Lie on your back with legs straight and shoulder blades lifted. Draw one leg up to the ceiling as the other hovers an inch or two off the ground. Alternate legs, switching like two scissor blades. Use your arms to support your thighs if you need a little assistance.

RELATED: 27 Fat-Burning Ab Exercises (No Crunches!)

Leg Drop

Lie on your back with your hands tucked under your rear and your legs lifted straight up toward the ceiling. Flex your feet, then lower your legs toward the ground while keeping them as straight as possible. Lift back up to starting position and repeat.

Low Plank Rock

Start in a low plank position balancing on your forearms with your spine straight. Using your abs, rock forward two to three inches on your toes, then rock back to starting position. Repeat.

RELATED: 20 Ways to Do a Plank

Mountain Climbers

Start in a high plank position with your wrists directly below your shoulders. Draw one knee into your chest, keeping your spine straight, then return to starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg, then continue to alternate as quickly or as slowly as you want. The faster you go, the more of a cardio move it becomes, Kalnes notes.

Ski Abs

Start in a high plank position with your wrists directly below your shoulders. Use your lower abs to lift your hips and jump both feet forward and to the right side of your body. Jump back to plank position, then repeat on the opposite side. Continue to alternate.

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Reverse Crunch

Lie on your back with your hands tucked under your rear and your legs lifted straight up toward the ceiling. Using your lower abs, lift your legs, butt, and lower back off your mat closer to the ceiling. Lower back down with as much control as possible. Repeat.

We’re all about comfy workout pants with enough pocket space to hold our essentials during a gym session or outdoor run. But one athleisure brand didn’t exactly have a wallet and lip balm in mind when they put these pocketed yoga pants on the market.

RELATED: These High-Waisted Workout Leggings Flatter Any Shape—and Never, Ever Fall Down

These $99 high-rise leggings have nine pockets—which the manufacturer suggests can be used to stash your knife or gun while you burn calories and build muscle.

“While big name athletic companies shy away from promoting one’s second amendment right and certainly have never built in the ability to do so, Alexo will never back down from supporting a woman’s right to choose how she defends herself while striving to bring the best in fashionable, functional active carry-wear to the market,” the company wrote on its website.

The brand is helmed by CEO and founder Amy Robbins, who also runs a podcast called “Not Your Average Gun Girls Podcast.” Two months ago, Robbins promoted the pants while holding pepper spray, a knife, and three guns in her pants.

To our knowledge, this is the first time a workout product designed for achieving zen is being marketed for women packing heat. And considering all the pro–gun control rallies held across the country this past weekend, these leggings are bound to stir up controversy. We’re already seeing mixed reviews on Twitter, with people sharing their condemnation or praise.

Touted as the ideal athletic wear for a run, hike, or when you’re just out and about, these pistol-pocket pants are currently sold out in XS, S, and M. Our seven best workout leggings with pockets might be a better way to go, if Alexo doesn’t currently have your size in stock and you need leggings now, or if the pants don’t exactly reflect your personal style.

In September 2002, Kara Edwards was in the car on her way home from a weekend in the country with friends when her phone started blowing up with messages. “We reached an area with cell service, and I started getting bombarded with texts from my three brothers and other family members,” she recalls. Frightened, she called one of her brothers: “He told me that our father had committed suicide.”

“It felt like my world had spun off its axis,” recalls Kara, now 37. “My father was one of my best friends. I’d been a daddy’s girl from the time I was little, and even though he lived in another state, I talked to him all the time. We had just spoken before I left for the weekend, and he seemed fine. I was so stunned and distraught I couldn’t think straight. I had to ask my friend to pull the car over to the side of the road so I could get out and walk around. It felt like life would never be normal again.”

For a long time, it wasn’t. “I went back to work a couple of weeks later, but it was the least productive time of my life,” she says. “I couldn’t concentrate or get anything done because I was so paralyzed by shock and grief.”

She wasn’t functioning well socially, either. Kara, a single mom, and her three-year-old daughter shared a townhouse with a friend who loved to have people over, and Kara began to feel resentful and judgmental of their ability to laugh and have fun.

“They didn’t understand what I was going through, and I thought they were shallow, so I became more and more introverted, staying in my room and writing songs and crying,” she recalls. “The more alone I was, the more depressed I became. I was in a downward spiral and, without my dad, I didn’t know where to turn for help.”

RELATED: I Was in an Abusive Relationship—But Yoga Gave Me the Strength to Leave

Forging a connection

Six months after her father’s death, she was sorting through a box of his belongings and found a Kundalini yoga video. “I didn’t do yoga—and I didn’t know he did,” she says. “But I’d been listening to lots of his music, and I thought this might be another way to connect with him, so I tried it.”

Kara remembers, “I cried off and on the whole practice—not in sadness, but in release. I’d been struggling with the feeling that I wasn’t good enough because I wasn’t enough to make my dad want to live. But something about the movement was incredibly comforting.”

She started doing the tape every other day, and over time, the practice helped her absorb the reality of what had happened—and find ways to cope.

“Yoga helped me discern between real limitations and false limitations. For instance, Kundalini is a cardio challenge, but I was able to push myself to do more of it than I thought I could—which made me realize that I could push through my pain off the mat and get to a better place emotionally as well,” she says.

“At the same time, I saw that my flexibility posed true limitations, and in order to get past those I needed to be gentle with myself—just like I had to be gentle with myself in real life, and gentle with my friends. I’d had unrealistic expectations of other people’s behavior. Acknowledging that helped me get past my judgment and reconnect with my support system.”

Most importantly, yoga helped Kara feel connected to her father—and continues to even now. “When I’m practicing, I feel like he’s here. I may not be able to see him or hug him or laugh with him, but his spirit is with me, and that’s incredibly comforting,” she says.

“Yoga was my dad’s legacy. My practice keeps me grounded, focused and confident in my own resilience. It allowed me to move on, to get married and have another child. I believe my dad left that tape for me, because he wanted me to learn to manage my feelings in a way he was never able to.”

We’re bombarded by fitness messaging that tells us that to be healthy, we must go to extremes (“no pain, no gain). But really, it doesn’t have to be that hard.

Simply going for a walk (especially if you do it regularly and outdoors) is an underestimated but low-stress, low-impact, accessible way to reap lots of health benefits. It can be a rejuvenating time, spent in solitude or in the company of friends, in sunshine and fresh air. Here are four benefits of going for walks—no gym membership required.

It Boosts Your Mood

Just the act of walking—the way you’ve probably been doing without thought ever since you were a toddler—can improve your mood, even in an environment where you may be dreading tasks you have at hand, according to a 2016 study.

Plus, it gives you a reason to take breaks from your chair throughout the day. If you’re able to walk outside in a natural setting and not on a treadmill or at your workplace, the benefits are even more direct. Studies show that walking outdoors can help relieve stress: In one study, participants who took a 90-minute walk outdoors reported less “rumination” (repeatedly thinking negative thoughts about yourself) and showed less activity in regions of the brain linked to mental illness.

RELATED: Here’s How Much Exercise You Need to Make Up for a Day of Desk Sitting

It Bolsters Heart Health

Activities that have you gasping for breath aren’t the only ones that count as aerobic exercise; moderate walking can help you reap some of the same heart-healthy benefits.

Just 30 minutes of walking a day has been shown to improve blood pressure and reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. This can be accomplished easily by simple decisions like parking farther away from buildings, taking stairs, and pacing while talking on the phone.

It Can Ease Sugar Cravings

The next time you have a hankering for a sweet snack, go for a brief walk. One study showed that taking a 15-minute walk helped people cut their chocolate consumption in half at their workplace.

RELATED: 3 Tips on Breaking Your Sugar Habit

It Improves Brain Health

Going for regular walks has been associated with increased brain plasticity, the ability to create and grow new neural connections in your brain.

It can even help stave off cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s later in life. One study looked at the activity level of seniors; those who walked 72 blocks or more per week had more gray matter in their brains, reducing the risk of cognitive impairment by half.