A Peloton perched in the living room. A set of weights on the bedroom floor. Some wellness products have a way of making their presence known. But even the smaller things—think daily supplements, mushroom tinctures, herbal teas—can slowly start to sprawl out everywhere. With the rise and awareness of holistic health habits, wellness routines that rival your skincare shelf, and obsessions like ProteinTok—a whole corner of the internet dedicated to everything protein—you might find that wellness has taken over your kitchen. Suddenly, your blender is battling for space with the hydration powders, collagen tubs, and stacks of snack bars. If you don’t have a place to properly store it all, your kitchen can start to be more overwhelming than calming. But with thoughtful design, proper planning, and smart storage solutions, you can integrate it all into your home in a way that feels serene and seamless. We asked designers and wellness experts how they manage their ever-expanding collection of products and design their kitchens with well-being in mind.Consider An Appliance GarageTessa NeustadtGreen cabinet doors conceal the appliances in this kitchen by Interior Archaeology.“For things that need to be in reach and on the counter, we put everything in an appliance garage,” shares Lynn Kloythanomsup of Landed Interiors and Homes. By that she means is a built-in cabinet or nook—typically integrated into the cabinetry—that features a door that lifts, rolls, or swings open and shut to conceal bulky appliances. Designer Hollie Velten of Spaces by Hollie Velten is also a fan of this feature and notices more clients requesting it. “A custom appliance garage allows things like tea supplies to be accessible for entertaining but hidden for everyday use.”It’s not just designers who advocate for this intentional placement—wellness experts themselves are just as mindful of it. “Our juicer must be on the countertop to make juicing as effortless as possible but other appliances are fine tucked away,” says health coach and nutritionist Daphne Javtich of Doing Well. Kerrilynn Pamer of Cap Beauty echoes this: “I keep my juicer on the counter, I have a Nama, and it’s pretty discreet even though it's large. Everything else, I keep behind doors.”Think Beyond The Main KitchenStacy Zarin GoldbergThis auxiliary kitchen by Kate Abt Design makes a perfect spot for wellness essentials.One luxury feature on the rise? Auxiliary kitchens, also known as dirty kitchens. “When designing for clients, we almost always have the ‘family’ or ‘show’ kitchen and then a second kitchen where the real cooking happens,” says Eric Egan of Eric Egan Interior Design. “This is much like in a restaurant show kitchen, where you see them finishing the meals, but you don't see the prep work or the clean up, all of which happens in the background.” Designer Sarah Barnard of Sarah Barnard Design has also seen an increase in the request of auxiliary kitchens and loves them because they “provide concealed storage for juicers, blenders, dehydrators, and food processors.” While two kitchens might not be realistic for everyone, if you have access to a nice-sized pantry or closet nearby, that’s an ideal spot to corral it all, as well. Rethink Unused SpacesKEVIN MIYAZAKIRemove the booze, bring in the blender, and this liquor cabinet, in a library designed by Kate Marker, could be a wellness station.Speaking of ideal spots for wellness, consider transforming underutilized spaces like liquor cabinets or part of a mudroom into a wellness hub. “We don't find that too many of our clients have a liquor cabinet or use a bar anymore,” shares Kloythanomsup. “So that area can be repurposed as a wellness area.” While you're repurposing it, consider where you can plug in all those wellness appliances. “Clients are also asking us to design technology-stations, so they have multiple areas to hide their technology and free their view of cords and distractions,” Velten says. Get In The ZoneEmma Farrer//Getty ImagesA dedicated tea zone.If you are going to dedicate counter space to your wellness routine, whether it’s a juicing zone, smoothie station, a hydration corner—keep things arranged in groups or zones. “I keep the bulk of my supplements and remedies in a large, shallow pullout drawer in the kitchen,” Javitch shares. “I find this is the easiest way to organize and find products quickly. And you don't have to remove some to get to others.”“I love setting up thoughtful, dedicated zones, like a wellness drawer with teas, vitamins, and tinctures all in one place, or a water station with a glass water pitcher, reusable bottles, and electrolytes,” shares Blakey. Keeping similar items together allows products to stay top of mind and prevents them from getting lost in the shuffle. Contain YourselfCourtesy Holly BlakeyA pantry organized by Holly Blakey of Breathing Room Home.While baskets are a no-brainer for kitchen organization, designers and experts say that’s for good reason, advising homeowners not to overlook them—and to keep the materials as natural as possible. “Wooden bins are another favorite way to add warmth and style while keeping items grouped,” Blakey says. Velten seconds the idea of rush baskets or wooden bins, “We try to push living finishes as much as we can because with proper care, material that came from the earth just vibrates differently.” No matter how many products you use or how dialed-in your routine may be, “wellness becomes part of the daily flow when your space helps you follow through on your intentions,” says Blakey. For that reason, says Javitch, “I always keep a few small baskets in our cabinets with products I often grab for like the kids' sunblock stick or their multivitamin gummies.”Show Off Your Stash Thomas LeonczikHollie Velten designed this kitchen to keep essentials on view. The alternative to hiding things away? Showing them off! “We worked with a client who described her kitchen goals as ‘California health kitchen,’” shares Velten. “We actually removed the upper cabinets to create an easy-to-access corner of shelving to hold glass jars and sustainable practices for her teas, herbs, spices, tinctures, and other food prep essentials.” After all, some items deserve to be seen—not only from an aesthetic perspective but also to prompt daily use and consistency. “I’ll usually keep my essential daily products on a pretty wood tray on the kitchen counter,” Javtich shares.If you are going to keep things out in the open, Bay Area-based organizer of Breathing Room Home Holly Blakey, says clarity is key. “I swear by glass containers for food storage, not just for sustainability, but because they help you know what you have and when you can clearly see your items, you’re more likely to use them before they expire.”Plus, this keep-it-all-out method a way to incorporate your personal preferences and add a little personality into your kitchen. “Sometimes well-kept essentials really only bring more joy and utility when out in the open,” Velten adds. 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I do not consider myself a very woo-woo person, someone who's in touch with their spirituality, or even someone particularly sentimental. The concept of meditating, like so many other things I regard "too mystical," has never appealed to me, but I'll tell you what does: Working out, being physically healthy, and staying on top of my goals. That's why Peloton's approach to meditation sessions appealed to me more than others have before.I'm always browsing the Peloton app for new workout options and recently stumbled across the guided meditation classes it offers alongside cycling, walking, yoga, strength training, and more. At first, I didn't see the appeal. I use the app and its classes to get sweaty, burn calories, and enhance my body's performance, after all. But as it turns out, these are really cool and can put you in a better mental space, which clears the way for you to do all that other stuff. Since discovering them, I've been streaming them quite a bit. Here's why you should, too.What are Peloton's meditation classes all about?Using Peloton's app—which is included on the touchscreens of its at-home workout equipment, can be downloaded to your phone, or even streamed on devices like a Roku—you can access a variety of class types. Tap Meditation from the home screen and you'll be shown hundreds of meditation options that range in length from five minutes to 30. As with any Peloton offering, they're led by a number of different instructors; if you take enough of them, you'll find a favorite or two, but what really stands out is that there are different categories available, such as:sleep mindfulness anxiety focus recoverygratitudehappinessrelaxingEach class is designed for a specific purpose, so you can choose if you want to "flow and let go," embrace a bright morning, or even take one designed for use on your evening commute. You can filter by class type, which lets you break down the classes by categories like "Daily Meditation," "Meditation Basics," "Emotions," "Theme," or "Walking Meditation." There are even some for pre- and post-natal meditation. You don't need any special equipment; the instructors usually lead off simply by suggesting how you should position your body. Meditations can be added to class Stacks, which are Peloton's version of playlists that cycles through pre-selected classes, allowing you to customize your entire workout before it begins. If you have your Apple Watch linked up to your Peloton account (and you should!) the app will track your heart rate and input the meditation into your Apple Health tracker, listing it as "Mind & Body" under your sessions. Why I like Peloton's meditationsAs I said, I'm not a very spiritual or soulful person, so I appreciate that the meditation classes I've taken through the app aren't overly mushy. Rather, they're pretty straightforward: The instructors speak clearly and plainly, don't rely too much on frivolous imagery, and instead, draw your attention to your breathing and body in a way that actually helps you feel more connected to both. For as much energy as I put into working out and strengthening my body, I do struggle with things like the "mind-muscle connection" or just identifying how different parts of my body are feeling, so these sessions, where I'm asked to focus intently on certain areas and connect to how I'm feeling in a given moment, are actually pretty beneficial to my quest to become stronger and healthier overall.I first tried the Peloton meditations a few weeks ago while waiting for the bus. I was having a very busy day and had had absolutely no time to work out, not even on my Peloton bike, which was adding to my stress while I waited for the bus to pull up and take me to more busy activities. I didn't want to lose my Peloton streak, so I opened the app to see if there was a quick walking workout I could get in, maybe by strolling to the next-farthest bus stop, and saw the meditations option. I picked a five-minute meditation and listened to it while I stood on the sidewalk—and it did chill me out, help me focus, and reinvigorate me a little, almost the same as a traditional workout would have, but without taking up as much time or making me a sweaty mess. I tried a few others over the next few days and found them really useful, especially during long hours in the car on my Memorial Day road trip or earlier this week and when my team was losing a baseball game and I was not enjoying the experience of watching. Obviously, these classes are a lot different from Peloton's usual offerings. I'm not sweating, straining myself, or enhancing my cardiovascular or respiratory function. Instead, I'm strengthening my mind, training myself to focus on my breathing and feelings. Those abilities translate really well to being able to continue my fitness journey as well as just handle whatever is going on in an average day. I think these are especially useful as a pick-me-up, a kickstart for the day, or a post-workout wind-down. I also appreciate how accessible the classes are. You can toggle on closed captions, for instance, and the audio and video components are high-quality, making the instructors easy to understand. The background music never muffles the instructors' voices, there is a diverse selection of instructors and class types, and there really does seem to be something for everyone, whether you want to walk and listen or only have five minutes to devote to grounding yourself.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Even if you don't have a Peloton Bike or Bike+, the at-home fitness giant's app can help you get in an effective, safe cycling workout. The instructor-led classes that are available for Bike and Bike+ users on their devices' touchscreens are also available on the Peloton app, which works on iPhones, Androids, and streaming devices like Roku. Taking one of the company's famous spin classes is a little different without the accompanying proprietary equipment, but it's still a solid workout. Make sure you can see the classWhen you take a Peloton cycling class using the mobile or streaming app, you still see most of the same elements on-screen that you would if you were taking it on a Peloton Bike: recommended cadence and resistance, a leaderboard that you can hide, and, if you have a heart rate monitor connected, your heart rate. It doesn't exactly look the same as it does on a Peloton device—it's much plainer, as you can see in the screenshot above—but that doesn't really matter as long as you can see the cues for how fast you should be going and at what resistance your bike should be set. There's the first key: You need to be able to see the screen. Instructors do periodically call out recommended cadences and resistance settings, but you'll be better off if you can see the ones displayed on-screen. I tried out two different kinds of non-Peloton bikes with Peloton classes at the gym this week and found that a recumbent bike with a little ledge for the phone worked better for enabling me to see. Streaming the class on your TV is smart, if you can, but there are also all kinds of phone holders available on Amazon for under $20 that you can attach to your bike. Choose the best bike If you already have a spin bike at home, you'll have to deal with whatever it is you've got, but if you're looking for an at-home cycle or have a few options in the gym, here's what you should keep in mind if you want to take Peloton classes. First, I highly recommend a stationary bike that displays RPM (revolutions per minute). I first tried a Peloton mobile class on a spin bike in a commercial gym cycling studio, then went out on the gym floor to find a recumbent bike I could try for the experiment, too. I've taught spin for years in a variety of settings and not all the bikes I've taught on have featured a digital component that shares information on RPM or visually displays the resistance level. Over the years, these have become more common, but you may still find yourself in a place where the spin bikes you have access to don't show any information at all. It's not the end of the world; you just won't be able to track your cadence and match it up to what the instructor and screen are telling you it should be. While testing the mobile app classes, I used two pretty rudimentary bikes. They lacked many of the usual bells and whistles but featured basic displays that at least gave me a sense of my cadence. The simple display on a bike I tested. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Don't bother trying to guess your RPM if you don't have access to a bike that shows it to you; I've been teaching for a long time and still couldn't accurately estimate my RPM if I tried. Spending too much time trying to guess your RPM will take your focus off your form, the music, and your workout. If you can't see yours displayed as you ride, just do your best to ride to the beat of the music. Watch the instructor closely and try to match their cadence. Most of the time—not all the time, but most of the time—riding on the beat will put you in the middle of the recommended cadence. I also recommend choosing a bike that displays the resistance level you're on. It's much easier to ride knowing your resistance level rather than simply guessing based on how the tension feels. The resistance isn't quite as important as you think, however. When I teach a class, I make sure participants know that if they're struggling to ride on, say, a resistance level of 14 out of 25, they can knock off a few resistance points, even if I'm telling the class to aim for 14. Do your best to hit the resistance levels your instructor is telling you to, but understand that—especially if you're new to spinning—what's easy or manageable for someone else might not yet be easy or manageable for you. Be prepared to do mathThis is the part that sucks the most about doing a Peloton class on a non-Peloton bike. The instructors will tell you the recommended resistance level on which you should be riding—but they're going to be giving you numbers between one and 100 because that's how a Peloton bike's resistance is set up. If you're riding a bike that doesn't display resistance levels, it's no big deal. If the instructor says your resistance should be around 50, you can feel out what a 50% effort is for you and be done with it. But if you're riding a bike that does display resistance levels, you could end up having to do a lot of math on the fly. The bikes I currently teach on most often show a resistance level between one and 25. That 25 is comparable in feeling and effort to Peloton's 100, while a 12 or so on that bike would be similar to a 50 on the Peloton. To follow a Peloton class on one of those bikes, I'd have to calculate to make sure my resistance was lining up with what the instructors suggest. But wait, it gets worse. While testing out the mobile app classes, I was at a new gym I've never been to, using a bike brand I'm not familiar with. That bike's resistance, inexplicably, was represented on a scale of one to 35. That calculation was much more bothersome than the comparably simpler one required on a bike that uses a 25-point resistance scale. Some bikes represent tension on a scale of one to 50. Others go from one to 10. Before pressing play on a Peloton mobile class, crank the resistance on your bike all the way up just to see what number is displayed on the screen when it's at its max. Prepare to calculate accordingly from there. Why I like the option to take Peloton classes on any bikeThe math is annoying and it can be frustrating to take one of these classes if you have no way of measuring your cadence, but overall, I think the ability to take a Peloton class on any bike is great. The All Access Membership costs $44 and grants you access to all kinds of classes, from walking to stretching to meditation, which makes the app valuable even if you don't have one of Peloton's Bike, Bike+, Tread, or Row devices. The cycling classes, which are all the same as the ones available on the touchscreens of Peloton's devices, make it even more valuable. You're getting guidance and encouragement from a trained, reputable professional. The classes are rigorously reviewed and keep safety top of mind and the playlists are varied and exciting. Even just following them on your phone is better than trying to craft a workout on your own, especially if you're new to cycling. I also love that these broaden the population of people who can use Peloton classes. I tried a mobile Peloton class on a recumbent bike, for instance, and it worked great, which is fantastic news for people with joint problems, mobility issues, or a desire for a more low-impact workout. I recommend linking your Apple Watch or other heart rate monitor to your Peloton app if you're going to try to take the cycling classes on a non-Peloton bike. Sure, you can depend on the heart-rate monitors that might be in the handlebars of your gym's bikes, but overall, gym equipment is a lot worse at giving you accurate information about your workout than a wearable is. The Peloton Bike itself tracks your distance, cadence, and all kinds of metrics as you work out, but if you're taking a class through the app on a different brand of bike, you get absolutely no data unless you have a wearable.

I never considered myself a walking girl. I never engaged in the "hot girl walk" trends on social media or went on "mental health walks" during the pandemic lockdown. In fact, I long thought walking—the milestone most of us reach as babies, the activity the majority of us do each day to accomplish all the other basic tasks of living—had a little too much PR hype, especially after learning that the much-ballyhooed "10,000 steps" we're supposed to take every day relied on an arbitrary, made-up figure for marketing pedometers. If I am going to do cardio, I reasoned, I'm going to do cardio: cycling, running, swimming, or playing sports with my friends. If I'm not sweating, what's the use? After trying out Peloton's guided walks, available in the at-home fitness giant's incredibly versatile app, I have learned the use. I am now, finally, a walking girl. Is walking good cardio?The reductive view I formerly held of cardio—that I have to be sweaty and tired for it to matter—is and was always false, which I knew, intellectually. As Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki has explained before, walking is cardio—and it's actually a pretty good form of it, too. How fast you walk can even be used to measure your health and capacity. Different intensities of cardio do different things for your body, but at its most basic level, walking still burns calories. It's also a great, easy way to work a little extra movement into your life, especially if you're a fitness beginner or have an injury. The catalyst for me checking out Peloton's walking offerings was actually my mom being "prescribed" walking as a treatment for an issue she's been having with her back. The issue prevented her from walking long periods of time or walking fast, so after addressing it medically with doctors and physical therapists, her at-home assignment was to walk longer and longer durations on a walking pad in the living room.As an able-bodied person living in a walkable city (by which I mean a city where I am basically forced to hit my arbitrary 10,000 steps per day whether I want to or not), I have definitely taken the ability to walk for granted. I decided to check out Peloton's walking workouts to see if they'd be useful for my mom—but they ended up being useful for me. What are Peloton's walking workouts all about?To find walking workouts on the Peloton app, select Walking from the top of your home screen or type "walking" into the search bar. Peloton's walking workouts are designed for use on their Tread treadmills (or any treadmill, really)—but I've found that I enjoy them just as much if I go outside, although I obviously can't control the incline if I do that. The guided walks available in the app are like any class Peloton offers: They come in a variety of lengths and formats, are led by a certified instructor who encourages you and reminds you of safety cues, and feature playlists of music that keep the energy going. I start off nearly every weekday morning by walking to Dunkin' Donuts and then to the post office to drop off whatever I've sold on resale apps, so I queue up a Peloton walk for my journey. While I don't necessarily need to have an instructor in my ears reminding me to, well, walk, it encourages me to keep my pace up; I just ignore whatever they're saying about messing with incline and resistance buttons, as I'm not on a treadmill. This morning, I walked along with a five-minute warmup walk routine from instructor Logan Aldridge, who shared encouraging reminders that walking, even if it feels easy, is "massively worth it" for a person's health. He also gave speed cues using practical, real-world examples instead of just relying on cues built around treadmill functions. At one point, he described the pace goal as "not Manhattan walking, not New York City walking," which was funny because I was, in fact, Manhattan-walking my way to a Dunkin', so I slowed down a bit. You can enable location sharing for more accurate measurements and, of course, I have my Apple Watch paired with my Peloton app to give me better data on my heart rate, output, and speed, too. I forgot to enable my location tracking at the beginning of the walk (I don't have it set to automatically track that, though you can), so at the end, it prompted me to enter in my distance walked for better measurements. I glanced at my watch, which told me how far I'd walked, entered in that number, and was taken to a screen where I could review my output. You can absolutely do this on a treadmill, too, and the workouts are more or less designed for you to. There are live classes available, which enter the on-demand archive when they're finished, and you can choose from cool-down walks, power walks, hikes, walks set to certain kinds of playlists (like '90s music or EDM), or even "walk & talk" walks that have two instructors if you like that chatty, podcast kind of feel. Some classes feature walking and running and their titles tell you that upfront. As you're scrolling the options, you'll mostly see title cards with instructors on Treads in the Peloton studio, but you'll also see a few where the instructors are outside. These guided walks are designed more for outdoor walks and the instructors will call out the half-way point so you always know when to turn around and head home (or back to the office or whatever). The workouts come in all kinds of lengths, from five minutes up to 75, with the longer ones often incorporating both walking and running. Why I like Peloton's walking workoutsThese workouts are an easy way to slot some extra intentional movement into my day. I'm already walking around a lot, but I'm not always doing it with purpose. Having an instructor reminding me to connect with my steps and a playlist designed to keep me on a certain pace turns a standard coffee run into a mindful exercise. Walking is also low-impact and accessible, so even on a day you're tired or even if other forms of cardio are beyond your reach, this opens up a whole world of fitness opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, this is the most accessible kind of workout on the app because you really don't need anything special. You don't need a floor mat, yoga blocks, or weights, let alone a fancy treadmill. As long as you have some good shoes, you can walk around all you want while still getting the company's signature encouragement and guidance from trained pros.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.Two months ago, I downloaded and started using the Steppin app, which locks up your most distracting apps and forces you to trade your real-world steps for them. After just three days, I was finding it enjoyable enough to review it, but now that I've spent 68 days with the app, I'm even more impressed. While it's still only available on iOS, an Android version is available on a waitlist and not much has changed in terms of interface or use since I first reviewed it, but I've found it much easier to navigate and incorporate into my life. My social media use is definitely downThe app works by syncing with your Apple Health data and pulling in the steps your phone or fitness tracker record, then converting them to minutes that you can redeem on your preferred apps. Once you add an app to your blocklist, you'll be prompted to open Steppin every time you try to open the blocked app. Then, you have the choice of selecting between one and 30 minutes of unlocked time or just abandoning the pursuit altogether. My settings are calibrated such that 50 steps unlocks one minute of app time. When I started, I added two apps to my blocklist: Instagram and a game called Project Makeover. My time on those apps has absolutely bottomed out. For the most part, this is a good thing. I can't even tell you the last time I watched a nonsensical Reel. On the flip side, though, I'll admit it's actually had a little bit of an impact on my social life. Instagram is where, for better or worse, people broadcast the goings-on in their lives, so I've missed out on a few things like milestone announcements from people I consider friends, but not best friends who would text me good news directly. I do feel rude for not "liking" these posts or congratulating them in the DMs when I eventually see or hear about the news days later. For as much as my mom complains that "social media isn't real life," that's not exactly true anymore and I am missing out on some real-life-adjacent things in my quest to stop looking at so many stupid Reels. I think it's a fine trade-off, but it's definitely something I've noticed.Still, it's given me a lot of time back and I'm grateful for it. I check my screen time every week and have seen it taking a nosedive. This week, my daily average is down 18% from last week, my "pickups"—or the amount of times I've unlocked my phone—are down 14% from last week, and my average notifications are down 8% from last week, though Poshmark, with over 6,000 notifications this week, is an outlier because I get a notification every time someone shares, likes, or buys one of my listings and have been using a third-party app to maximize how often those things happen. Don't worry, though. I set those alerts to appear quietly in my notification feed; they don't generate a push notification that lights up my lock screen.As it all relates to the little dopamine bops my brain has become wired to seek out from short-form videos and bite-sized hot takes, I've definitely noticed I'm just less interested in seeking that stuff out—to a point. Time without it has certainly acted like a detox and I don't necessarily feel the urge to look at posts that will shock, enrage, titillate, or otherwise entertain me, which wasn't true three months ago. That said, I've noticed that it's been a little easier for me to get sucked in by other apps that I didn't used to look at that often and didn't initially add to my blocklist—it was as though some of my previous Instagram time just spilled over into other apps. For a while there, I was spending an inordinate amount of time on X, for example. I noticed, added it to my Steppin blocklist while writing this, and carried on. Streaks make this workI am motivated heavily by arbitrary personal rewards. My workout streak on Peloton keeps me motivated to hop on my bike every day. My self-care streak on Finch keeps me motivated to log all my daily wins. My listing streak on Poshmark and my purchase streak on the Dunkin' Donuts app even earn me real-world rewards like discounted shipping and free coffee, respectively. It's no surprise the streak feature on Steppin has kept me similarly locked in. You maintain your streak by not removing any apps from your blocklist or overriding the app to get at your blocked apps. I have maintained my streak for 68 days and am quite proud of it. Adding new apps to your blocklist doesn't reset your streak and neither does altering the amount of steps you have to take to earn one minute.My steps aren't necessarily up (but I knew they wouldn't be)My distracting app use is definitely down and I'm feeling the positive effects, but Steppin's whole deal is that it facilitates change by encouraging you to be more active. It's supposed to be a two-for-one benefit. I was already active before downloading this and haven't noticed a significant increase in my daily average steps, but I don't mind. I teach three to four spin classes per week and do the majority of my cardio using my Peloton bike at home—while those activities burn calories and keep me active, they don't count toward "steps." I still take as many steps in an average day as I ever did, walking to the post office, Dunkin', the gym, and the bus—all the places I was already walking before installing Steppin. I have noticed I have not just a willingness, but an eagerness, to walk slightly farther distances than normal, though. Sometimes, instead of taking my Poshmark sales to the post office two blocks from my apartment, I walk up to the one 10 blocks away. I also get off the bus two or so stops early from time to time just to walk a little, although that might have more to do with my excitement that it's finally getting warmer outside. Generally, I know I'm doing this so I can bank some minutes of Instagram time, but I don't really end up using it, anyway. My banked minutes reset every Sunday at midnight and I usually end up with about five to six hours of unclaimed time. (It is very annoying to wake up on Sundays and not be able to even glance at Instagram while I brush my teeth and make my coffee, which results in me kind of shuffling around in a circle in the living room to generate some quick steps, but if I were to reconfigure my settings so that my minutes rolled over week-to-week, I'd lose my streak and I simply can't do that.) All in all, my Apple Health data shows I'm taking the same amount of steps now, on average, as I was this time last year, but I consider it a win that I'm even consciously choosing to walk when I wouldn't normally. Just this week, besides going to the farther post office, I've opted to go golfing for my weekly sports outing, walk around a shopping center instead of order all my summer clothes online, and use Peloton's guided walking workouts instead of doing all my cardio on my bike. This is definitely because of Steppin, which is forcing me to consciously make minor, healthy tweaks to my day.When I first reviewed Steppin, I interviewed its founder, Paul English. He mentioned he and his team are looking into ways to count things beyond steps that could equate to unblocked minutes, like time spent reading on a Kindle. That's a feature I'll be looking forward to. It would be great if the workouts my Apple Health records—like my cycling and my strength training—could somehow reflect in my Steppin time bank, although at this point, I'm not sure I'd use the extra minutes, anyway. I'm just not as interested in social media anymore.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.You've been hard at work all week, as have I—as Lifehacker's tech deals writer, I've been hunting down the best deals on TVs, speakers, laptops, and other tech all week. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's highlights, all of which I've vetted using my favorite price tracking tools.This week was the start of retailers launching their Memorial Day sales. You can find deals on Pixel phones, Sonos speakers, Sleep Number beds, OLED TVs, smart watches, and much more. Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Roam 2 $134.00 at Amazon $179.00 Save $45.00 Get Deal Get Deal $134.00 at Amazon $179.00 Save $45.00 Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds (Refurbished) Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 (refurbished) $169.99 at Stack Social $249.99 Save $80.00 Get Deal Get Deal $169.99 at Stack Social $249.99 Save $80.00 Tozo OpenEarRing $29.99 at Amazon $59.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal Get Deal $29.99 at Amazon $59.99 Save $30.00 Google Pixel 9 128GB Unlocked 6.9" OLED Smartphone (Obsidian) $599.00 at Amazon $799.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Get Deal $599.00 at Amazon $799.00 Save $200.00 Google Pixel Watch 2 $149.99 at Amazon $249.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $149.99 at Amazon $249.99 Save $100.00 BOGO with Free TV - KD-50X77L BRAVIA 8 II 55” Class QD-OLED 4K HDR Google TV (2025) $3,499.99 at Sony Get Deal Get Deal $3,499.99 at Sony i8 Sleep Number mattress $3,289.30 at Sleep Number $4,699.00 Save $1,409.70 Get Deal Get Deal $3,289.30 at Sleep Number $4,699.00 Save $1,409.70 16GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage Apple 2025 MacBook Air $899.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $899.00 at Amazon $999.00 Save $100.00 Craftsman VERSASTACK Mechanics Tool Set $99.00 at Amazon $199.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $99.00 at Amazon $199.00 Save $100.00 Peloton Bike $1,145.00 at Amazon $1,445.00 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,145.00 at Amazon $1,445.00 Save $300.00 SEE 7 MORE The Sonos Roam 2 is Sonos's least expensive speaker, and it's at its lowest price ever. It is a waterproof device on sale for $134 (originally $179) at Amazon, part of a small Sonos sale that also includes a discount on the larger Sonos Move 2 (also currently at its lowest price ever).The Powerbeats Pro 2 are Beats' latest headphones, and you won't find them at their current $169.99 (originally $249.99) price point for a while. These are refurbished from Stack Social, and you can read more about them in this review. They're great for the gym, but if you're not a gym rat, there are other Beats on sale as well.There are some great budget headphones and earbuds on sale during Amazon's Memorial Day sale, but the Tozo OpenEarRing stand out as budget open ear headphones currently going for just $29.99 (originally $59.99).If you're looking for a solid phone at a good price for Memorial Day, consider the Google Pixel 9, currently $599 (originally $799). It's the best standard Pixel model so far, and it's at its lowest price right now. For those who want the latest phones, the Galaxy S25 Edge preorder deals with a $50 Amazon gift card are still live.The Original Peloton is $1,145 (originally $1,445), the cheapest it has dropped to this year. And if you're looking for more fitness equipment deals for Memorial Day, check out these from Amazon.Speaking of fitness, smartwatches and fitness trackers are also on sale, including Garmin smartwatches. The highlight is the Google Pixel Watch 2, which dropped in price to $149.99 (originally $249.99) after the release of the Pixel Watch 3. One of my favorite deals this week has been the BOGO sale from Sony. You can buy the new Bravia 8 II OLED Google TV starting at $3,499 and get a free a X77L LED Google TV, valued at $589.99.Memorial Day also means getting deals on tools, and Amazon has them going up to 60% off right now. This Craftsman 230-piece mechanics tool set is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. It comes with ratchets, wrenches, a hand-held screwdriver, and several specialty bits.As usual with most Memorial Day deals, you can find mattresses on sale, but the i8 Smart Bed is not a regular mattress. You can read about my experience with this smart bed with adjustable firmness and a companion app that tracks your sleep. It is currently 30% off during the Memorial Day sale.It's crazy to think you can get Apple's latest MacBook Air with an M4 chip for $899 (originally $999). A couple of months ago, that money got you the M2, but now you can get the best MacBook for most people at the same price.

What does it mean to design from the inside out? For Ionut Radulescu, the answer lies in work that's unapologetically personal, often intimate, sometimes raw, and always resonant. Whether crafting bold editorial collages, expressive lettering or hand-drawn brand campaigns, the Romanian-born, Brooklyn-based designer and illustrator builds visual worlds with heart. "I think there's a certain power in being vulnerable, raw, authentic," he says. "And people can feel that – they can resonate and react to these visual messages." Ionut's creative language spans illustration, type, print and digital, often sitting at the intersection of identity and motivation. His clients include The New York Times, Peloton, Converse, Teen Vogue, Pepsi, and Dipsea, but his visual voice first gained traction through personal projects. Posted to Instagram like visual diary entries, these self-initiated pieces soon caught the attention of like-minded brands seeking a similar honesty and intensity. "The series Shapes and Flesh, these collages, shapes, sometimes mixed with type, were inspired by my queer life. I wanted to translate those experiences into abstract visuals," he explains. "The same goes for my Words Are Images typographical quotes. Words have a strong visual impact, and I wanted to explore that." Ionut's is an instinctive, emotion-led approach shaped by more than a decade of exploration. Originally trained in industrial design at the Marin Sorescu Art High School in Craiova, Ionut later studied graphic arts at the National Art and Design University in Bucharest, where he would go on to co-teach illustration and lettering classes alongside professor Stela Lie. The two remain close collaborators through Romania's Illustrator's Club, which is a creative community from which Ionut still draws inspiration. "Europe and Romania have a more experimental approach to visual culture in general. There are a lot of indie artistic festivals and platforms that play more and explore interesting ways of storytelling," he says. "I'm part of the Illustrator's Club Romania, and we have members in there with very unique, experimental voices." While his early influences included British illustrators Marion Deuchars and Sara Fanelli, a move to New York helped sharpen Ionut's visual style, stripping it back and simplifying the language but dialling up the emotional directness. Bold colour, graphic forms, and a preference for hand-crafted imperfection became key to his work, whether for print, editorial, or branding. "It's important to me that you can feel the human touch. Even if it's a final digital piece, I want it to have that emotion," he says. For a Dipsea cover, for instance, the ink-drawn type was sketched on large sheets of paper before being digitised. "The computer can't always capture the spontaneity, the energy, the roughness. I like seeing that imperfection." It's a philosophy that shaped his recent award-winning work, too. His recent American Illustration win celebrated a collage and type piece that plays with balance, boldness and visual rhythm – a kind of structured chaos that invites interpretation. This blend of freedom and form is what makes Ionut's output feel both striking and sincere. Beyond the craft, it's the message that always matters most for Ionut. From collages on queer identity to affirming typographic statements on confidence and self-worth, his illustrations often speak directly to viewers' emotional states. That connection is part of the goal. "I want to inspire and motivate people," he says. "I want them to feel, react, reflect and stay with the artwork for a bit, even if it's just a short moment. That makes me happy. That means the message came across." He recalls messages from strangers who've seen his work and felt lifted or comforted by the sentiment. "It goes beyond aesthetics and creative craft," he adds. "Sometimes we just need to hear something or see it in order to feel better." That personal resonance translates into his commercial work, too. Ionut's ability to channel emotional and cultural themes has led to collaborations with brands that value not just good design but meaningful storytelling. From feminist and sex-positive narratives at Thinx and Dipsea to identity-affirming work for Hello Mr. magazine, the thread between personal and professional remains strong. "Queer themes, identity, sexuality, feminism, motivation — these are important to the clients I've worked with, and I was fortunate to be able to come in and express those things to a wider audience," he says. Of course, Ionut's process can differ with each project. Editorial and personal projects might be led by instinct and reflection, but campaigns and branding briefs often require strategic alignment, mood boards, deck presentations, and collaborative iteration. Still, Ionut welcomes the structure, especially when it allows space for meaning. "I've learned to enjoy the creative journey," he says. "The most important thing is working with a good team toward a common goal: to make something great and meaningful that makes you feel, that makes you react." Outside of client work, Ionut has also been active as a mentor, educator, and awards judge, most recently for global platforms like The One Club. Teaching, he says, is a way to give back and keep learning. "I think we live in exciting but challenging times. Technology is moving fast, so I try to ground students to ask the right questions and think beyond trends," he says. "It made me really happy to see some using analogue mediums in really experimental ways. There's still so much potential in that." For someone who began his creative life before touching a computer, print remains a powerful medium. His limited-edition screen prints for Print Club London speak to that love: tactile, imperfect, handmade. "Print has tactility," he says. "You can touch it, hold it, experience it in a way digital can't replicate." Yet he isn't precious about tools. While Ionut still favours hand-drawn elements and lo-fi media, he's curious about technology's role, including animation and, tentatively, AI. "I want to animate my lettering, type and illustration pieces more and maybe explore sound," he says. "I've experimented a bit with Blender while keeping that handmade feeling. And I've used AI in subtle ways to enhance images or speed up production." But for Ionut, the tools are secondary. "Ultimately, it's just that – tools. What matters is the craft and the voice. That took me years to build, and I'm still evolving." As for what's next, Ionut is pretty open. "I want to let myself be surprised," he says. "I want to work with great people, be excited about the process, and be part of a community. Keep learning, keep exploring." That sense of curiosity and openness runs through all of Ionut's work. Whether working with global brands or drawing for himself, he returns to a simple, striking idea: creativity as self-expression, crafted with care and shared without shame.

Credit: Mashable Photo Composite/Apple Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Learn more about how we select deals. SAVE $70: As of May 14, the Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) is on sale for $359 at Amazon. That's down from its list price of $429, saving you 16%. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) $359 at Amazon $429 Save $70 There have been some great deals lately on a wide variety of Apple products. If you've had your eye on the brand's smartwatches, you're in luck as a few are still discounted to low prices. In particular, the Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale at Amazon right now, allowing you to pick it up for under $400.The Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) has received a 16% discount that has dropped its price from $429 to $359, allowing you to save $70. There are a few color options marked down to this price as well, so you can choose between the jet black aluminum case with a black sport band, the rose gold aluminum case with a light blush sport band, or the silver aluminum case with a denim sport band.Whether you want it for working out or to just stay on top of your general health and wellbeing, the Apple Watch Series 10 boasts plenty of features to help you out. Not only does it include heart rate and sleep tracking, it also comes with a Training Load feature that helps you keep track of the intensity of your workouts, Activity Rings (which are useful for keeping track of calories and movement), and safety features like Fall Detection, Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS. All of this comes on top of a bigger display than its predecessors and a comfortable design that you can easily wear on the go. If you've been hoping to pick up the Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm), now is a great time to do it. Mashable Deals Want more hand-picked deals from our shopping experts? Sign up for the Mashable Deals newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Another one of our favorite deals at the moment is also over at Amazon, where you can score the iPad mini for under $400. The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts Energizer AA Batteries (24 Count), Double A Max Alkaline Battery — $13.31 (List Price $21.98) Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99) Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.00) Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $799.99 (List Price $1599.99) Peloton Bike — $1,145.00 (List Price $1445.00) New Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro): Apple Intelligence, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 128GB, Wi-Fi 6E, 12MP Front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life — Purple — $399.00 (List Price $499.00) Hannah Hoolihan Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer with Mashable. She’s written for various entertainment websites since 2017, covering everything from tech to games to film. You’ll currently find her work on IGN and Fangoria alongside Mashable, but she also has bylines at Rock Paper Shotgun, Collider, Screen Rant, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys catching up with the latest films and shows — horror, in particular — and has a deep love of FromSoft games, which she continues to happily replay.

I am someone who is borderline obsessed with monitoring my health and fitness data. I use a smart scale, a calorie- and nutrient-tracking app, smart workout equipment, and my beloved Apple Watch to create a picture of my overall physical well-being that is as complete as possible. The only time I take my Apple Watch off is when I'm dressing up to go somewhere nice and even then, it pains me deeply. Just imagine the heart rate and calorie-burning data I'm missing out on while I waltz around in my fancy dress. It's sickening. All of these apps and devices work in concert to keep tabs on my every heartbeat and footstep, but there is a notable exception. I am usually against linking my Apple Watch to apps that track my workouts, as this has caused headaches in the past by double-importing data into my food-tracking app and daily Apple Health summary—this defeats the purpose of the monitoring altogether by significantly inflating my burned calories and total active minutes. Today, reluctantly, I linked my Apple Watch to my Peloton Bike, expecting it to cause the same problems—but it only impressed me. Now, I'm a believer in linking these two devices. I'll tell you why, plus how to do it. How to link your Apple Watch and Peloton deviceOn your Peloton app, select your Profile (on the right of the menu at the bottom of the home screen), then find the hamburger menu on the top right of your profile screen. Selecting that will bring you to a page called More and right there, under Add-Ons, you'll find Apple Watch. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Tap that, grant the permissions in Apple Health when prompted, hit Set up, and you'll see three choices: Connect to Health App, Share Your Location, and Track Your Movement. For our purposes, with the Bike and other at-home workout equipment, you'll just toggle on that first one, but if you want your outdoor runs tracked privately, toggle on the second one, and if you want your pace for indoor runs and walks recorded, hit the third one, too. From there, I just opened the Watch app on my phone to double-check that the Peloton app was included in the apps installed on the device. I scrolled to the bottom of the Watch app, selected Peloton from the list under Installed on Apple Watch, and toggled on Show App on Apple Watch. Why I enjoy the link between the Apple Watch and PelotonAfter that, I hopped on my stationary bike and started up a workout. I opened up the Workout app on my watch and selected "indoor cycle," then opened the Peloton app on the watch. It showed me a blank screen with just a few words telling me to start a workout on the bike, so I did. Suddenly, the watch screen changed and began showing my heart rate. More interestingly, a small heart-rate tracker appeared on the upper left on my Peloton touch screen along with a power bar showing what "zone" I was in based on my heart rate. (My Peloton "power zones" are customized to my fitness level because I took the FTP test offered through the bike, which you should also do.) There's already plenty of information available on the screen, like cadence, resistance, and output, but I didn't find this distracting. It was actually pretty helpful to get a sense of what "zone" I was in. I only selected a 10-minute workout, so I didn't expect to be wiped out, but it was nice to gauge how much I was pushing myself so I could work to get the most out of those 10 minutes. When the class was over, I opened the Lanebreak app on the bike. Lanebreak is a virtual game offered by Peloton that I absolutely love and play every day, so I was interested in seeing if the heart rate monitor would pop up on the screen during a level, too. It did! After my five-minute cooldown Lanebreak level ended, I opened the Workout app on the watch again to mark down that I was done, like I always do. To my surprise, the Peloton app actually overrode it; the Workout app had stopped tracking my indoor cycle session as soon as the Peloton app took over. That made me nervous because I was afraid that the workout wouldn't be reflected in my Apple Health daily summary or Activity Rings, but when I opened that up on my phone, there they were: Two "indoor cycle" workouts under Sessions. Where they'd normally have the green Apple Workout logo next to them, they had the Peloton logo. They were tracked and categorized just like an indoor cycle session I would normally monitor using my watch. They counted toward the Move and Exercise portions of my Activity Rings and all. I opened my nutrition-tracking app to make sure the burned calories hadn't been double-entered. They hadn't! The Peloton App succeeds where other apps have failed: It doesn't make tracking your movement across various apps and devices a convoluted mess. Finally, I opened the Peloton app to look at the summary of my workouts. They usually include estimates of your burned calories and output, plus which muscles you worked and how long you were at it, but now, they included more detailed breakdowns of how long I spent in each heart rate zone and provided more information on my total output. What is the benefit of linking these devices?Like I said, the Peloton app tracked the same things my Apple Watch would track on its own using the Workout function: My heart rate, my burned calories, and the duration of my workout. So, you might wonder, what's the point of linking the bike (or Peloton Tread or Row) to the watch at all? There are a few benefits that are evident here. First, it was convenient to see my heart rate and power zone reflected on the Peloton screen. I didn't have to glance down at my wrist to see my heart rate like I usually do; I could stay focused on the screen, which is important for safety, and pace myself in real time to make sure I stayed in the zone I wanted to be in. Second, linking the Apple Watch and Peloton device enables you to see something called you "strive score." This is a personal metric that helps you understand and visualize how hard you worked during a class or ride, and it's based on a combination of your heart rate and how long you spent in each of Peloton's seven "power zones." (Lower zones correspond with a lower heart rate and higher zones correspond with a higher one.) Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Be warned: You have to toggle on the strive score separately, which I didn't know at first, so my 10-minute ride doesn't have one, but my Lanebreak level does. Doing this is simple: From that same More menu in your profile, hit Settings and scroll all the way to the bottom. Toggle on Track and Display Strive Score and then choose whether in-class participants can see it or not. I was annoyed that the only strive score I got for the day was a measly 2.2 on my five-minute cooldown, but that only inspires me to, well, strive for a higher one tomorrow. Overall, there is no downside to linking your Apple Watch and Peloton device, which isn't always true when it comes to other fitness apps. In fact, you can get even more comprehensive workout data by doing it and I, for one, think it's awesome.