No matter how you feel about crunches, core strength is important. A strong core means a stronger upper body; it takes the stress off your joints and other muscles, and can even help alleviate upper and lower back pain and tension. If you’ve just made the decision to get fit: congrats! Use these moves to help you get started on strengthening those inner core muscles. If you’re back from taking break a break or just sick of your usual ab routine: congrats to you as well for getting back in the game or for mixing things up and pushing through. Now let’s get started!

1. The Anti-Crunches Workout 

This workout posted by Daily Burn is simple and crunch-free because, well, who really enjoys doing a million crunches anyways? There’s a better way! Daily Burn is giving us six crunchless ab exercises, all described in vivid detail. They let you know what areas specifically each exercise targets, and offer modifications so you can complete each move no matter what your level or physical limitations. Simple, informative, and crunchless? Sign us up!

2. Easy [Basic] Ab Exercises 

These easy ab exercises from Ask Men can be done in the comfort of your own home, and are as effective as they are convenient and simple. They’re pretty basic, featuring crunches as their number one easy ab exercise. And let’s face it, they are effective. If you don’t mind dropping and doing a few every day, you’ll be well on your way to tighter abs. But they include other suggestions in this article as well, like torso twists and standing side bends.

3. Simple Belly-Blasting Workout 

Health.com’s Simple Belly-Blasting Workout features four fun, easy moves you can do at home to trim your waist, flatten your belly, and tighten your abs. A healthy fitness routine is all about finding what’s right for you, and having fun with it. These easy moves are designed for anyone to be able to do, and once you’ve mastered them, you can amp up your routine.

4. 5-Minute YouTube Workout

This short, five-minute workout by YouTuber HASfit has gotten rave reviews. The comments section is filled with YouTube users touting their results after adopting this workout into their daily routine. Any easy ab workout producing such phenomenal results is definitely worth a shot!

5. 15-Minute Crunch-Free Workout

We started this article off with a crunchless workout, and we’re ending it with one too. Because we figure if you’re a beginner, it’s likely you’re dreading crunches. And trust us, we understand. This article insists you’re better off without them anyways, and features exercises guaranteed to work your entire core, as opposed to the small amount of midsection typically worked by crunches. They suggest doing this routine three days a week for quick results—sounds like a good deal to us!

We hope these easy workouts get you on your way to tighter abs! Need to stock up on workout attire for the occasion? Check out Athlete Beyond.

The benefits of regular yoga practice are boundless. Yoga has been known to reduce stress, increase flexibility, build muscle, improve posture, and increase blood flow. It can help you focus, sleep better, breathe better—the list goes on .

Daily exercise is already a great way to reduce stress, but yoga in particular has a strong effect on the body and mind by creating mindfulness through awareness of the breath. If you’re skeptic, “mindfulness” and “awareness” might just sound like silly fad words. But even psychologists point to mindfulness as a way to better cope with major and minor life events by observing experiences without judging them as good or bad.

If you’re interested in the calming effects yoga can have on the mind and body, you might benefit from giving it a try. We’ve compiled a list of 10 yoga poses to relieve stress to help you get started:

1. Child’s Pose

Child’s pose calms the mind and helps relieve stress and fatigue. It also stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles, and can relieve back and neck pain. 

2. Corpse Pose

Corpse pose is a great pose for mindful meditation. It relaxes your mind and body, relieves mild depression, lowers blood pressure, and can help ease headache, fatigue, and insomnia.

3. Legs Up the Wall Pose

This deeply relaxing pose calms the nervous system and aids in digestion. Combined with deep rhythmic breathing, this pose can help quiet the mind and get you ready for sleep.

4. Cat-Cow Pose

Cat-cow is actually a combination of two poses in a gentle flow. It warms the body, brings flexibility to the spine, opens the chest, stimulates the kidneys and adrenal glands, and relieves stress and anxiety.

5. Tree Pose

Tree pose helps develop balance and mind/body awareness. It calms and relaxes your central nervous system, while it strengthens your thighs, groin, shoulders, core, calves, and foot muscles. Find how to do it here.

6. Extended Puppy Pose

This pose helps relieve tension in the shoulders, spine, upper back, and arms. It can help ease chronic tension, insomnia, stress and anxiety.

7. Seated Forward Fold

This toe-touching pose provides a deep stretch to the entire back of the body, while calming the nervous system and emotions, and stimulating the reproductive and urinary systems.

8. Eagle Pose

Eagle pose focuses on balance and eases tension in the legs, shoulders, and back. (https://yogainternational.com/article/view/eagle-pose-step-by-step)

9. Reclining Bound Angle Pose

This pose helps relieve stress and mild depression, as well as symptoms of menstruation and menopause. It stimulates the abdominal organs and increases blood flow, and provides a stretch for the inner thighs, knees, and groin (http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/reclining-bound-angle-pose/).

10. Cobra Pose

Cobra pose opens the chest, improves circulation, and reduces fatigue and stress. It also has the added benefit of toning the abdomen while stretching the entire back and shoulders.

Ready to throw on a pair of yoga pants and get started? Check out Athlete Beyond for athletic apparel to keep you cool and comfortable throughout your practice.

We are obsessed with these running tights. So obsessed that we want to tell you all about them. Why? A few reasons: they’re comfortable, flexible, and you can wear them anywhere, not just to the gym. And that’s only the beginning. Allow us to brag a bit:

Made with Patented Fabric for Your Best Workout

Athlete Beyond’s patented athletic fabric will give you your best workout ever. How? These leggings are designed to give you better range of motion, so you can work up to your full potential with ease. On top of that, their signature moisture transfer system wicks sweat, so you won’t feel bogged down halfway through and you can keep pushing yourself farther. Meanwhile, anti-odor technology keeps you smelling fresh, and SPF 40 means you can run outside and stay protected from harmful UV rays. These tights are an all-in-one workout booster.

They Improve Blood Flow

These tights were designed and approved for extended workouts, so they improve circulation. This means you can keep going…and going. With these tights, you’ll have to start setting your goals higher because they’ll be so much easier to reach. Endless stamina? Or hard-working athletic apparel? We’re going with both.

But don’t just keep it at the gym—improved circulation makes these tights great for everyday wear. They’ll keep you moving all day, and you’ll feel great at the same time.

They Ease Muscle Stiffness

That improved circulation eases muscle stiffness, which is a dream come true for, well, anyone who has ever worked out. Ever. Sure, that post-workout burn feels great, but sometimes when you wake up the next day it’s not just a healthy burn you’re feeling. It’s muscle stiffness. Nobody wants to feel inflexible and sore after tough workout. It’ll only prevent you from being on your A-game the next day. That’s why these tights are so great. They make you unstoppable.

And speaking of muscle stiffness. Have you ever had to sit in a car or on a plane for hours on end? That is muscle stiffness. When you’re traveling, you want to get the most out of your experience. Jet lag is already bad enough. Must your muscles suffer to? Wear these tights and you’ll hop off the plane ready to explore, even if it’s a business trip. They’ll understand, right?

Unbeatable Comfort and Range of Motion

Remember that patented fabric we were talking about? Well, it’s insanely comfortable. Why does that matter? Athletic apparel always matters. Comfort is essential to a productive workout. If you’re feeling stiff and weighed down by heavy sweatpants that you have to keep pulling up throughout your run, you’re not getting the most out of your workout. These rights provide unbeatable range of motion, so you can beat your distance over and over and over again.

Like we said, athletic apparel is everything. It sets the mood for a fulfilling workout, and it keeps your body safe and comfortable throughout. Check out Athlete Beyond for all of your athletic apparel needs.

During the winter, we can’t help but reach for comfort foods. It’s cold and dreary outside and not only is your body working harder to keep warm, but your mood is probably down, making you more likely to reach for snacks in an attempt to raise your spirits. But summertime is another story. The sunny months of summer inspire fresh fruits and vegetables, garden salads, and light, clean meals. What a relief!

Your binder is stocked with dinner recipes suitable for a warm evening on the terrace, but what about lunch? Leftovers in a Tupperware container? Not so fun. There are plenty of clean eating lunch recipes that you can enjoy at home or at work over the summer.

Summer Salads

Celebrate summer with a fresh tossed salad topped with yummy summer fruits like watermelon, peaches, and cherries. Add some nuts, meat, and/or egg for protein and you’re golden! Here are some delicious-looking summer salad recipes:

1. 17 Loaded Healthy Salads

This list of 17 salads is packed with fresh summer options, like the Spinach, Strawberry, and Peach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, the Tropical Pineapple Salad, and the Summer Chicken Taco Salad. So many options!

2. 10 Healthy Quinoa Salads

Not only is quinoa good for you, but it’s ridiculously easy to prepare, so you can throw any of these 10 quinoa-based salads together in no time. The Quinoa Salad with Roasted Corn and Mango sounds particularly appetizing.

3. Thai Tuna Power Bowl 

Power Bowls are basically super salads. They’re untraditional in that there isn’t usually a leafy base. Instead, the bowl is just packed with veggies, some kind of protein, a type of grain (optional,) and a flavorful dressing. This one looks like a simple tuna fish salad upgrade that we would definitely be game for.

Wraps

Wraps are an obvious go-to for lunches. Step it up a notch with some delicious summer twists on the ol’ classic.

1. Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

Is it obvious that we love Thai food yet? Ditch the flour tortillas and try these lettuce wraps instead. They’re packed with veggies and healthy ingredients, and they’re easy to make!

2. Hummus Veggie Wrap

The great thing about a recipe like this is that you can customize it however you’d like, and change it up every week. All you need is a whole wheat tortilla, hummus, your veggies of choice, and maybe a little homemade balsamic dressing or a sprinkle or feta cheese to jazz things up a bit.

3. Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

It’s all in the name. These summer rolls are a perfect, healthy way to eat lunch when you have a little more time on your hands. Just slice up some veggies and follow the recipe for the dressing and how to wrap the rolls, and you’ve got yourself a fresh meal.

Eating healthy over the summer is important, and so is staying active! Check out Athlete Beyond for athletic apparel to compliment your healthy lifestyle.

Here’s the great thing about athletic wear: it’s super comfortable, so you can wear it any time you want, not just when you’re working out. And it’s stylish too. Nowadays, athletic wear and casual wear tend to go hand-in-hand. Leggings are in, crop tops are in, and slouchy tank tops are in. That makes Athlete Beyond your one-stop shop for athletic wear and casual apparel.

And it makes sense, right? Our clothing is finally beginning to match our active lifestyles. People are getting out and moving, and starting to understand the value of comfortable clothing. It’s a step in the right direction, if you ask us. So, how can your rock athletic wear as casual wear? Let us show you:

Women

1. Women’s Ria Crop Tee

This gray crop top is perfect for a day around the house, running errands, or even a sweet coffee date downtown. It’s breezy and comfortable, and it’s flattering as well. Paired with black leggings or blue jeans and sneakers, this top offers a casual but athletic look. It’s laid back, but says “I’m ready for anything,” and you are!

2. Women’s Poly Two-Way Crop Pant

Whoever says “leggings aren’t pants” is just bitter. Let’s be honest. Everyone should wear leggings—they’re comfortable and they go with everything. Did you wear those to sleep last night? Nobody knows. Did you just come from yoga class? Maybe. Are you going to wear them out tonight? Yes. You know the value of a comfortable pair of pants and refuse to be restricted by denim and a zipper. Good for you.

3. Women’s Air Relaxed Versatile Two-Way Tank Top

Last but not least, this relaxed-fit tank top is just as perfect as that gray crop top for mixing things up. It’s casual, fun, and sporty. No one has to know this, but it is odor resistant, so this top would be perfect for a day spent walking around town, or at the beach, or maybe even the zoo. Who knows? What we’re trying to say is that you could rock this top anywhere and look easy-going and chic doing it.

Men

1. Men’s Compression Base Layer Long Sleeve Top

Trying to think of a creative way to woo that girl you met at the gym? Indulge your competitive spirits and invite her over for a video game playoff. This long sleeve shirt would be perfect for the occasion. You’ll have all the flex and mobility you typically enjoy at the gym to show off your Super Mario skills, and you’ll look laid back and effortless doing it.

2. Men’s Premium Mid-Weight Running Tights

These tights aren’t just for running. They’re perfect for around the house, and even better for traveling. They’re comfortable, flexible, and ease muscle stiffness. Sounds like something you’d want to wear sitting on a plane for a few hours, right?

So, there you have it. Those are our casual wear highlights at Athlete Beyond! If only we could get this trend to move into office wear—leggings and loose-fitting tank tops in the office? Maybe we would be too comfortable to be productive…or maybe we would be so comfortable productivity would soar! Let’s go with that. Spread the word.