We may earn a commission from links on this page.I know Im not the only person with exercise equipment an arms reach (or a short walk) from where they spend most of their day. And you can pop down to your home gym a couple times a day, is that better than doing a whole workout all at once? Or if not better, is it just as good? Sometimes it is! Lets discuss the nuances.For purposes of argument, Ill assume youre trying to decide between two schedules: A traditional strength workout, where you warm up and then do four or five different exercises, with several sets of each. The whole thing might take you anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on what youre doing and how much. The same exercises, but breaking them upspending, say, 15 minutes on each piece of the workout and then returning to your regular workday.The benefits of spreading your workout throughout the dayWorking out for 15 minuted probably sounds a lot less intimidating than a whole workout, and that's likely the most obvious benefit to breaking up your workout. For people with busy or unpredictable schedules (say, someone with a taxing job, or parents with a new baby), it may be easier to find a few small chunks of time to exercise rather than to schedule in a full-length workout. Here are four reasons to consider splitting up your workout:Each mini-workout is less intimidating, since it will be over in a few minutes.It may be easier to fit short sessions between other obligations and activities.You'll get a few mental and physical breaks from your workday (which is healthy if you normally spend the day sitting at a desk).You may feel less fatigued at the start of each exercise, because youve had an hour or two of rest rather than a few minutes.The downsides of spreading your workout throughout the dayThose benefits sound great, but there are some pretty significant downsides to splitting up a workout, depending on what kind of workout youre doing. Most people will probably conclude its not worth it for these five reasons:Instead of deciding once that its time to go work out, you'll have four or five opportunities during the day to tell yourself yes or no. Miss one of those, and youve only done, say, 75% of your workout.You'll approach each exercise cold, instead of still being warmed up from the previous one. Warmups arent always necessary, but they can help a lot to prepare you, especially for a good strength session.You probably wont get to shower after each mini workout, meaning you might be sitting around in sweaty clothes. It can be nice to do a workout, clean up, and know that youre done.You'll spend most of the day knowing that you have another workout coming up, rather than getting it over with early.Some workouts are designed so that each part follows from whats before itfor example, activating or pre-exhausting a muscle in the first exercise of the day, and then going into the second exercise before youve fully recovered. Breaking up the workout can make it less effective or, ironically, encourage you to use more weight or work harder than you would have if youd done everything in one block.Aside from that last point, which only applies to those workouts designed to work as a sequence, most of the reasons for choosing one option over the other come down to time management. Do you think youll be more likely or less likely to do four mini workouts than one big one? Are you OK with the tradeoffsperhaps spending more total time warming up or cleaning upif they mean you never have to dedicate your entire lunch break to exercise? Thats a decision only you can make.Exercise snacks can be an effective alternativeIf you cant or wont do a dedicated workout, maybe you can do an exercise snack every few hours.A lot of recent research has considered ways to get people to exercise more to improve their health. One study had older adults do a 10-minute, no-equipment workout twice a day. The exercises included standing up from a chair over and over, marching in place, and doing calf raises. At the end of four weeks, the subjects improved their score in a sit-to-stand test by an average 31%. Short workouts are definitely doing something, and are a hell of a lot better than nothing.Whether the same strategy works for more athletic people doing work with weights would require more specific study, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works.Mini workouts like greasing the groove can improve strengthTheres another type of mini workout that has a lot of backing in the exercise world. So-called greasing the groove can help you get better at a specific exercise, like pull-ups. The name reportedly comes from kettlebell coach Pavel Tsatsouline, and the idea is that you pick an exercise to do multiple times a day, but never to failure. So if you can't do five pullups in a row, you might do one or two pullups every hour or so throughout the day.Many people have found this helped them get better at the exercise, likely for two main reasons. One is volume: two pullups an hour for six hours is 12 reps of pullups. Do that every day, and youll have done 60 reps during the work week, more than if you just did three sets of five pullups on two or three workout days. Each set might be easy, but they add up.The other advantage of greasing the groove is that it gives you a lot of practice at the movement you're working on. Strength exercises arent just about the size of your muscles; they also involve a skill component. Just as you can get better at playing the piano by practicing, you can also get better at an exercise by staying in practice.What happened when I tried splitting up my own workoutsThat's a lot of theory. How does this work in practice? I gave it a try myself, and I have two stories to share. First, Ive been doing a grease-the-groove protocol with a kettlebell exercise for months now. Anytime Im sitting at my desk and one of my wearable devices tells me Ive been sitting too long, I get up and do a bent press (or two, or three) with my adjustable kettlebell. I add weight when it starts to feel too light, but I stick to a weight that feels nice and easymore like practice than training. I swear my shoulders feel healthier, and I know Ive gotten better at this particular exercise. A few months ago, 24 kilograms was a tough weight for me to bent press, so my daily bent presses were with 20 kilograms, one rep at a time. These days, I do 24 for an easy double, three times a day, no warmup required. Kettlebell Kings 12-32kg Adjustable Kettlebell Sets - Gym Weight Set for Exercises - Competition Style for Lift and Weight Training in Gym or at Home - 35mm Handle - Body Building Heavy-Duty Weights $241.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $241.99 at Amazon But while writing this article, I also decided to split up my usual workout to see what I thought of the approach. (My workout for the day included four main components that looked like they could be separated without ruining the intention of the workout.)I did the first exercisefive sets of heavy quarter squats with a barbellwhile helping my son with his own workout in our garage gym. I did a set, changed weights, talked to him a bit, did another set, and so on. I was done with my mini workout long before he was done with his.A bit later, I did the next exercise, three sets of sit-ups. I didnt even bother going down to the garage for that one, I just did them on the floor in my office. Later, I did my supersets of pull-ups and dips.This is a workout that I normally find pretty intimidating, because it can end up taking a while. (It involves eight sets of pull-ups and dips. I mean, come on.) But taking it on one piece at a time, it didnt seem nearly so badI can handle eight sets of pull-ups and dips if Im not doing another hard exercise right before and right after.That said, I did run into one of the problems noted above: I had to say yes to the workout four different times. And at the end of the day, I said no to the last part: a 15-minute circuit of core exercises. I had split everything up already, so what would it hurt to do the circuit the next morning? But today is "the next morning," and I still havent done it. Ill get around to it later. Maybe. Probably. After todays workout.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.You've probably heard of Oura's smart rings before, one of the best sleep and recovery trackers, but a new player entered the ring last summer: Samsung. It's the first time a big tech company has produced a smart ring, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. As the name implies, it's mostly geared to Samsung users, although any Android user can use it with some limitations. Right now, most sizes and colors of the Samsung Galaxy Ring are $279.99 (originally $399.99) after a $120 discount at checkout (some have the green checkmark under the listing price and others have a 30% discount), the lowest price it has reached since its recent release, according to price-tracking tools. Samsung Galaxy Ring ($120 discount at checkout) AI Smart Ring, Size First w/Sizing Kit, No App Subscription, Fitness Monitor, Sleep Tracker... $399.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $399.99 at Amazon Samsung's Galaxy Ring isn't a one-time gadget it threw at the wall to see if it would stick: it's a well-made health-monitoring product that is likely to have improved generations in the future. But as a first-generation smart ring, it's solid, according to PCMag's review, as long as you have a Samsung phone to get the most out of it. It is a solid health and sleep tracker, but the activity tracking is better left to smartwatches. The Galaxy Ring has a titanium finish with color options including gold, silver, and black. Like Oura rings, its a bit bulky compared to regular rings at 7 mm wide and 2.6 mm thick. Anyone wearing it can see their sleep, heart rate, and skin temperature, but Samsung users can control their phones camera or dismiss alarms by tapping their ring finger to their thumb twice in a row. The best part of the ring compared to the main competition, Oura rings, is that it's subscription-free. It also has a wireless charging case included and is IP68 water resistant so you can wash your hands or shower with it. The battery life will give you about six days of use and you can choose from a size five to 15. If your Android phone can run the Samsung Health app, it's compatible with the ring. If you want to access a feature called Energy Score, which gives you a score on your energy level based on sleep, diet, and activity, you'll need a Samsung phone.

Roli debuts Piano AI Assistant for electronic keyboards.

Security researchers claim to have found a swathe of flaws, but Palo Alto says they can't be abused.

Theres panda-monium in Washington, D.C., and we arent talking politics. Two giant pandas are making their public debut at the Smithsonians National Zoo on Friday, January 24, giving the nations capital some much-needed levity. Heres everything you should know about Bao Li and Qing Bao:Panda diplomacy in the United StatesBefore Bao Li and Qing Bao, Richard Nixon traveled to China in 1972. This opened up trade possibilities and diplomatic relations between the two countries. As an added bonus, a pair of pandas were given to the National Zoo, marking a new era for what has been termed panda diplomacy.When did Bao Li and Qing Bao arrive?The furry duo arrived back in October of 2024. This was less than a year after their counterparts, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub, Xiao Qi J, exited the scene. The pandas are on a 10-year loan from China. The adorable pair quarantined for 30 days for safety and were given time to adjust to their new enclosure before greeting guests.All about Bao LiBao Li [Photo: Roshan Patel/Smithsonians National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute]This three-year-old males name means treasure and energetic in Mandarin. He hails from Sichuan. His mom, Bao Bao, was born at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute while his grandparents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian called the National Zoo home from 2000 to 2023. Coming to America almost seems to be part of the family business for this animal ambassador.According to his keepers, Bao is spirited and playful. He is also vocal and not afraid to loudly make his opinions known. If you hear a panda vocalizing to a keeper, thats probably Bao Li, keeper Mariel Lally shared in an interview on the Zoos website. All about Qing BaoQing Bao [Photo: Roshan Patel/Smithsonians National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute]This three-year-old female is more of an introvert. She was also born at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. She prefers to take toys into the trees and get away from people.Another way to tell her apart from Bao is the markings on her backside. She has two dark patches of fur located on her left hip. Her checks are also wider. Her name means green and treasure in Mandarin.How to visit the pandasIf you find yourself in the D.C. area, drop by to say hello to these creatures. Admission to the Zoo is free but you will need an entry pass. You can save time by getting one ahead of time here.From January 25 to February 9, a whole slew of special events are taking place to celebrate the new arrivals. The District of Panda Party will include Lunar New Year celebrations, a special screening of Kung Fu Panda, and more.How can I stream the giant pandas live?For those outside of the nations capital, modern technology has your back. The National Zoo has a Giant Panda Cam with two feeds that are live-streaming daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET so you can watch the pandas do their thing. The cameras switch to a pre-recorded feed in the evenings.

Days after a winter storm dropped ice and record-breaking snow, cleanup efforts were underway Thursday in several major Southern cities such as New Orleans, where crews were removing snow the same way they remove trash, drink cups, and plastic beads after Mardi Gras.Temperatures were gradually rising across the U.S. South, bringing hopes that remaining snow and ice would melt away.We have to be honest with ourselveswere from Louisiana, we know crawfish, we know football, but we dont really know snow and ice and thats okay, said Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spokesperson Daniel Gitlin. Its going to go away and were better off letting Mother Nature do what she needs to do right now.Up to 200 miles (320 kilometers) of interstate was expected to remain closed until Friday due to treacherous patches of black ice, Gitlin said. Louisiana has nearly run out of its salt supply after treating roads, he added.In the Big Easy, a private waste management firm has been contracted to repurpose equipment thats typically used to clean up Mardi Gras beads and cups to clear snow from the streets.IV Waste President Sidney Torres said his company has deployed a 4,000-gallon (15,000-liter) flusher truck to spray water on the ground to soften the ice for removal in the historic and festive French Quarter. The truck normally sprays lemon-scented fragrance to get rid of that funky liquor, urine, puke smell from the night before, Torres said. Were finding new solutions and better techniques to dealing with this.Arkansas sent Louisiana snowplows, dump trucks, salt spreaders, and other equipment, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said.The snowfall likely broke several records across the region, including in Florida where a preliminary report of 10 inches (25 centimeters) in one town would set a new all-time record for the state, if confirmed.Snow totals reached 3 inches (8 centimeters) this week in Savannah, Georgia, the most that the states oldest city has recorded since December 1989.The snow was lighter in metro Atlanta, where the southern suburbs saw more snow and ice than areas north of the city. In Covington, southeast of Atlanta, Jesse Gentes used a flame thrower to deice the roads in his subdivision. In better weather, he typically uses the flame thrower for brush removal, he told WSB-TV.Light freezing rain was forecast Thursday in the port city of Brunswick and surrounding Glynn County, where local officials had imposed an overnight curfew because of icy roads and frigid temperatures. Officials opened three warming stations where people could escape the biting chill, and nearly 4,000 residents of the county were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.South Carolina reported at least one death in the storm. A 71-year-old man died from a medical condition while shoveling snow Thursday morning in Berkeley County, Coroner Darnell Hartwell said. About 3-4 inches (8-10 centimeters) of snow fell in the area, according to the National Weather Service.The snow and ice had staying power and left a mess on the roads in coastal South Carolina. In Charleston, ice that melted and then refroze overnight closed the James Island Connector, a bridge that links the city to its western suburbs. Police said on social media that while crews are working hard, it is unlikely to reopen soon.Schools and county offices remained closed as officials in most areas south and east of the state capital, Columbia, asked people to stay home at least one more day.It was a similar story in North Carolina, where slick roads remained a danger to drivers after snow melted and then refroze overnight. Schools were also affected, including in Cumberland County where Fayetteville is located, where the school system announced that students would have an asynchronous learning day allowing students to complete assignments at home. Several other school districts operated on a two-hour delay.Some school systems in central and south Alabama remained closed Thursday because of concerns about remaining ice on roads or the possibility of frozen pipes in schools. In coastal Baldwin County, sections of Interstate 65 and Interstate 10 were shut down because of ice.Across the South, airports were gradually recovering from the weather interruption. Nationwide, about 600 flights scheduled to fly into or out of U.S. airports had been canceled by midday Thursdaya marked improvement over previous days when the storm was at its peak, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.com.Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press Writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.Jack Brook and Russ Bynum, Associated Press

This CD player has my heart because it combines the two tech trends Im absolutely on board with transparency and retro-revival. Meet the MusicFrame M1 a CD player that turns albums into art. Designed to look like framed art, the M1 is, in fact, a gadget that plays compact discs. Sitting within the frame is a transparent enclosure that houses a CD player. The components are bare-bones, giving you a gorgeous look at the players internal architecture. Place a CD in and the CDs album art becomes the frames art.Its a strategy that the folks at CoolGeek know too well, having made a similar Vinyl player in the past that held the vinyl disc vertically for everyone to admire. Now that the vinyl resurgence is complete, CoolGeeks moving to the next format of disc-based audio the humble CD. For those of us who still remember untangling headphones or curating the perfect mix CD, theres something undeniably sentimental about reviving these shiny discs. If youve got them buried somewhere in a drawer or a closet, this $99 player might just be the best way to play/display them!Designer: CoolGeekClick Here to Buy Now: $99 $179 ($80 off) Hurry! Only 160 of 500 units leftThe CoolGeek MusicFrame M1 isnt your dads bulky stereo system or even your old Discman. This stunning device reimagines the CD player as a floating frame that elevates both form and function. Designed with high-transparency acrylic, the MusicFrame is all about showcasing the CD as a visual and auditory centerpiece. When a disc spins inside the frame, it transforms into a dynamic piece of art, with its album artwork taking on a gallery-like presence. Spotify wishes it looked this coolWhats striking about the MusicFrame M1 is how it balances modern minimalism with vintage flair. Its clean geometric design looks at home in any space, whether mounted on a wall or perched elegantly on a table. The rotating disc sits perfectly in the center of the frame, with the players components behind it. a remote controls playback, and a seven-segment display on top gives you player information like song-length, track number, and player mode.The CoolGeek MusicFrame M1 offers versatile playback modes to suit both modern and retro setups. While its primarily a CD player, it supports Bluetooth 5.0 and a 3.5mm aux input, making it compatible with wireless speakers and traditional audio systems alike. It doesnt have built-in speakers, which emphasizes its role as a high-design accessory meant to integrate with your favorite sound setup. It also harks back to the Discman days when most disc players came with an aux cable and an understanding that youd use your favorite wired headphones. For audiophiles, the MusicFrame is compatible with CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA formats, offering plenty of flexibility for revisiting music collections over the years.Adding to its practicality is the inclusion of a remote control, letting you adjust volume, switch tracks, or change playback modes with ease. The player sports a built-in lithium battery (3.7V/2600mAh) ensuring it can run wirelessly, further adding to its versatility as both a functional and decorative piece. Measuring just 318 mm wide and 229 mm tall, the MusicFrame M1 just as easily sits on tabletop surfaces as it does hanging on walls. My only recommendation choose a CD with gorgeous album art to add to the MusicFrames appeal I hear Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is a great pick.What makes the MusicFrame M1 truly special is how it taps into a collective longing for tangible connections in a digital world. Streaming platforms have given us the convenience of having the worlds music library at our fingertips, but theyve stripped away the tactile joy of owning, holding, and displaying music. The M1 doesnt just let you play a compact discit lets you celebrate it as an artifact of creativity and culture, bringing back the sheer nostalgia of the pre-MP3 era. Or heck, even the post-MP3 era when downloading dubious tracks on Limewire and burning them on CDs was a thing!CoolGeeks offering feels perfectly attuned to a broader design trend that values the fusion of art and technology. Its not hard to see the parallels with brands like Nothing, whose transparent earbuds transform tech into something you admire aesthetically as much as you use functionally. Or Teenage Engineering, whose devices are as much about sparking nerdy joy as they are about performing well. The MusicFrame M1 belongs in that same categorya product thats as much about the visual and emotional experience as it is about the sound.The MusicFrame M1 starts at a mere $99, which is a pretty affordable price for the ultimate nostalgia trip. It makes for great wall or table art, or even the perfect gift for a millennial or a Gen-X kid. Heck, at that price its literally cheaper than Spotifys yearly subscription! The MusicFrame comes in two colors white or black, with global shipping starting in March 2025.Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $179 ($80 off) Hurry! Only 160 of 500 units leftThe post This $99 Transparent CD Player Frame Is the Ultimate Retro Tech Flex first appeared on Yanko Design.

Not to be outdone by its close rival OpenAI, Meta has announced its plans to spend $60 to $65 billion on AI infrastructure this year, and is building a data center almost as big as Manhattan.In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his companys intent to build a 2GW data center, bring roughly 1GW of compute online in 2025, and end the year with more than 1.3 million GPUs. Included in his post was a blueprint of the planned Richland Parish Center Data Center superimposed on a map of Manhattan (the data center will actually be in northeast Louisiana).

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33impressed audiences once again with its excellent showing at the recent Xbox Developer_Direct showcase, following which developer Sandfall Interactive has shared further details. Specifically, the developer has shared the upcoming turn-based RPGs full PC requirements (via Steam)- which are refreshingly modest.On minimum settings (1080p and 30 FPS), for instance, players will need either an i7-8700K or a Ryzen 5 1600X, along with either a GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (8 GB), a Radeon RX Vega 56 (8 GB), or an Arc A580 (8 GB), and 8 G of RAM.On recommended settings (1080p and 60 FPS), meanwhile, youll need either an i7-11700K or a Ryzen 5 5600X, and either a GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) or a Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB), alongside 16 GB of RAM. On either setting, youll also need about 55 GB of free storage space. Check out the full requirements below.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on April 24.

With a new story trailer and a chunk of new details, Ubisoft is continuing to fan the flames of hype forAssassins Creed Shadows.As part of that rollout, the company has also revealed what to expect from the upcoming action RPGs full suite of accessibility features.According to UX director Jonathan Bedard, withShadows,Ubisoft took the opportunity to retool, enhance, and improve its accessibility suite in various ways.Having changed the way we built the game, we had to redo many things, and it allowed us to revisit some elements that werent working as well as wed hoped, he said. Certain features benefited from this by being retooled or by simply changing the interface itself or in some cases, the functionalities to elevate our offer and our experience to higher standards.Assassins Creed Shadowsaccessibility features will range from basic options such as aim assist, subtitles, and HUD customizaiton, to more elaboration options, such as a mode to simplify combat, a mode to simplify exploration, and four separate difficulty options for combat and stealth each.You can also expect plenty of camera options, audio description for cinematics, screen narration, visual assists like colour blindness options, tutorials in the Codex section, and fully remappable controls. You can check out the full list of accessibility features below.Assassins Creed Shadowslaunches on March 20 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Its release will be accompanied by the paunch of the Animus Hub.ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES LISTVisualColorblind options Ability to change colors for certain gameplay elements from a list of presetsScreen Narration Not only most menu items, but also many HUD modules and time-sensitive elements can be narratedHUD Customization Ability to turn all HUD elements on or off either all at once, or individually, either with shortcut or using presets increase opacity, resize text, resize Icons or add background to increase readabilityScreen shake on/off toggleAudioSubtitles Better color modifications, speaker directions and speaker emotionsGameplay Captions Surfacing stimuli and points to their originsAudio Description for Cinematics Cinematic will be audio descriptedAudio Cues/Audio Glossary New signs and feedback allowing navigation and path finding with non-visual cuesSeparate, isolated audio slidersNavigation and GuidanceFTUE First time user experience flow is back, offering first-access critical optionsGuided Mode Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding contentTutorials Section Tutorials can be found in the Codex section at any timeMenu Tutorials Always alerts when there are new menu functionsConversation Log Every line can be perused from the start to the end of a dialogueControlsControl Remapping Remap gameplay inputs, and their action (hold, press, double-press)Many inputs devices Mouse and keyboard, controllers, combinationsLock-On Camera Lock the camera on an enemyX and Y axis inversion Ability to invert the axis for aiming actionsStick inversion Invert the analog-stick behaviorGameplayStealth and combat each have four separate difficulty settingsGuided Mode Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding contentCanon Mode Enable automatic selection of narrative decisions for the canon story to unfoldMelee Attack Mode Simplifies the combat by using a single input instead of multiple buttons or complex combinationsQuick Timed Events Type of input required to complete Quick Time Events can be simplified, or skipped entirelyAim Assistance Four levels of aim assistance are offered (off, light, moderate, full)