Cameron Diaz gives a happy sigh. Im really excited, she says to her friend Katherine Power. On the table are two bottles of their new wine, Avaline, launched just last month.We were mad for a while, Diaz adds. You were a little bit more mad than I was. You had some real anger.

Anger? About wine?

When Diaz and Power decided to make their own wine, they discovered theres more to it than fermented grape juice. No transparency, no labelling, says Power, so shocked by what she found thatshe threw out all her wine.

The pair, speaking on Instagram, say they became determined to make a clean, chemical-free wine and are now, according to their publicist, on a mission to bring transparency to the wine industry.

Theyre not the only ones. Out of nowhere has come Good Clean Wine, which pairs with a healthy lifestyle; the Wonderful Wine Company, which offers wellness without deprivation; and Scout & Cellar, a multilevel-marketing company that boasts of its clean-crafted wine and intends to disrupt the wine industry and do better for the planet, among others.

Dr Creina Stockley sighs when she hears this over Zoom. Ive been in the industry for close to 30 years, and this comes up periodically, just under different names minimal intervention is one she remembers.Its a marketing exercise.

A pharmacologist and lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Stockley is a world authority on wine additives and processing aids, the heart of this issue.

Unlike the food industry, winemakers dont have to list ingredients. This has opened a door for opportunists, who profit by claiming that other wineries fill their wines with noxious chemicals (they dont).

The clean-wine companies are chasing a lucrative prize a piece of the 45 billionwellness market. A Scout & Cellar recruitment video notes that 68 per cent of consumers will pay more for products if theyre free of ingredients perceived as bad; disparaging the competition is good marketing. Its also working; the company reportedly made 16 millionin 2018, its first year.

Strangely, for companies committed to ripping the lid off the wine industry, the clean-wine gang is pretty quiet about where their own wines come from, and most declined to be interviewed. Where many wineries love giving encyclopaedic detail about the hill where their grapes are grown, for example, the Wonderful Wine Company simply says its white comes from France.

People are very interested in origin stories, says Brian Smith, chief executive of Winc Wines, which launched the Wonderful Wine Co in May, but the modern consumer is looking for, How does this fit into my life?

Winc Wines, which Smith founded with Geoff McFarlane, is one of the United Statesmost sophisticated online direct-wine businesses. Asked how Wonderful Wines offer wellness without deprivation, Smith says they use organic grapes wherever possible and dont manipulate their wines.

Which is an interesting claim, because wine doesnt make itself. If you drop Vitis vinifera grapes in a tub and leave them, they ferment, but what youll get is vinegar or cloudy, sour wine. Winemaking is both art and science, and, over centuries, winemakers have learned to prevent taints and spoilage, from using sulphur dioxide as an antibacterial and antioxidantto dropping egg whites into the wine to remove harsh-tasting tannins, a process known as fining.

Yet only 40 years agoa wine could be good one year and horrible the next. Since thenan explosion of microbiology, chemistry and viticulture research has driven a quality revolution.

Todays winemakers have an array of yeasts, antimicrobials and fining agents to choose from. Some function as ingredients that go into the wine, like extra acidity to perk up grapes from warm regions. Others are processing aids, mostly used to take things out of the wine.

Some have terrifying names, like polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (or PVPP, for short), but its the same binding agent found in aspirin tablets. Its sometimes used to reduce colour, to achieve pale pink ross. Such aids are legally defined and heavily regulated, and they dont stay in the wine.

But all this research has also allowed commercial winemakers to create bland, homogeneous wines that taste the same each year, regardless of vintage variation. In the US, some mass-market red wines have grape concentrate added the best known of which is Mega Purple to give extra colour and sweetness. Its illegal to add concentrate in the EU, where nothing can be added that changes the essential nature of a wine.

Many wine lovers are appalled by such practices, which render terroir the origin, or sense of place redundant.The backlash has led to a new category: natural wines. These are made by the nothing added, nothing taken away principle, usually from organic grapes.

But between natural and mass-market wines lies a vast and varied world. Just because winemaking tools exist doesnt mean people use them wineries dont spend money on things they dont need, and artisanal winemakers, in particular, pride themselves on their hands-off approach.

Stockley says, in any case, that modern wine needs less intervention than in the past, partly because winemakers have learned to make things smarter and better, but mostly because of improved grape growing. Some winemaking aids are no longer permitted; until 1997, animal blood could be used for fining. Ferrocyanide, which Scout & Cellar claims is a common additive in commercial wines, was a processing aid thats no longer legal.

So why not list ingredients? Dr Ignacio Snchez Recarte, secretary general of the Comit Europen des Entreprises Vins, which represents the EUs wine sector, says its because wine isnt made by an industrial process. While, say, a commercial bakery works to a strict, unchanging recipe, winemaking decisions change each vintage. Asking a small winery to update labels every year would impose an economic burden.

If you have anything in the wine with potential allergenic effects, you are obliged to indicate that on the label, however, and he adds that the wine sector understands modern consumers want transparency. Legislative change is under way in the EU.

I expect that by the end of 2022 there will be labels on wine, he says, adding that they will be either traditional labels or elabels. They will list ingredients, not processing aids nor will they show if the producer used pesticides.

Now youre opening up a can of worms, says Jamie Goode PhD, wine writer and author of wine textbooks. You cant grow grapes from Vitis vinifera without spraying eight to 14 times a year. The problem is mildew and then, at the end of the growing season, rot.

One of wines paradoxes is that the most prized, expensive grapes come from regions prone to fungal diseases, which can only be treated with commercial pesticides or, for organic growers, applications of copper sulphate.

Its all about the concentration, says Goode, adding: There are strict regulations concerning their use and concerning residue levels that are permitted. Wine is one of the most regulated and safe products there is.

Promising ultraviolet-light therapies are being trialled that may eliminate pesticides forever, but, for the moment, there is another potential way to avoid them. Its to farm in drier, warmer areas with less disease pressure, like Languedoc, in southern France birthplace of the Wonderful Wines white.

There are plenty of warm regions producing grapes at lower cost. California also has a grape glut right now, and theres more wine in tanks than many wineries know what to do with. Some use the best for themselves, then quietly sell the rest to whats known as the bulk wine market, where everything from commodity grapes to certified organic wines are sold.

Wineries also use their excess to make on-demand wines for buyers. In a twist, these exclusive wines often come from big wineries; despite being thoroughly conventional, they can even be marketed as minimal intervention or clean, because these are meaningless terms.

< p>Its a type of wine known as private label, which can be highly profitable because the seller doesnt have vineyards or wineries to maintain. Most winemakers talk obsessively about their land and heritage (try and stop them), so if these details are missing or vague, the wine could be private label, although some mass-market brands also omit this information.

Diaz and Powers Avaline, for example, is silent on who makes it. Then theres Scout & Cellars $25 (21) Gallivant chardonnay, whose web copy says its made by a fifth-generation family winery founded in Monterey in 1883, but not which one. In contrast, consider the $18 (15) Wente Vineyards Morning Fog chardonnay, which has a downloadable technical sheet explaining the region, soils and winemaking. Coincidentally, its also made by a fifth-generation family winery founded in 1883 in Monterey.

Unfortunately, all wine, however its made, contains a dangerous chemical: alcohol. No matter how sustainably the grapes are grown nor how consciously its made, there is no wine that wont deliver a hangover if you drink too much.

Wine is not a wellness potion. Its a snapshot of time, a manifestation of the place and the people who made it, which works a special magic when paired with friends and food.

When it comes to clean wine, the only thing being cleaned is your wallet. Guardian

Felicity Carter is editor-in-chief of Meiningers Wine Business International magazine

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Is Cameron Diazs clean wine as revolutionary as she thinks? - The Irish Times

Stress is ubiquitous it affects all of us one way or another. Low-level stress that you can easily overcome is usually not bad for you. In fact, it can even be good for you. Stress can motivate you, improve your athletic performance, and help you adapt to your environment.

But long-term or excessive stress can have a profoundly negative effect on your health and even reduce your lifespan. Research shows that stress reduces testosterone levels, which may be one reason why stress is strongly linked with weight gain, poor sleep, and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Getting your stress under control is one of the most important ways to achieve a healthy, satisfying life. In this article, Ill dive into exactly what stress is and what it is doing to your health, testosterone, and sex life. Then Ill explain exactly how to beat it.

We throw the term around all the time, but what exactly is stress?

Stress is a feeling of psychological strain or pressure. It occurs from our own perception of an event or stressor as threatening or challenging to us. To be clear, stress is not the actual events or stressors in your life. Your response to those stressors is what triggers your feeling of stress.

Psychologists sometimes classify stressors into four types (1):

1. Ambient stressors, like noise in a cafe or traffic.2. Hassles or micro stressors, like not being able to find your keys.3. Major life events, like getting fired, getting married, or having a child.4. Crises or catastrophes, like a natural disaster.

These have different effects on your overall well-being, but even hassles or micro stressors, when they are constant, can create levels of stress that ultimately affect our health.

Stress has a massive physiological effect on our bodies. When we feel stress, our brain sends out a signal to our body and activates a fight or flight response. Our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases and our body releases a number of hormones and chemicals to get us ready to react such as adrenaline, endorphins, and cortisol.

This response is useful if were encountering a situation where we really do need to fight or get away. Athletes, soldiers in combat, or even firefighters benefit from this reaction to stressful situations.

But for most of us, this bodily response is unnecessary. And, when stress is chronic, occurring over a long period of time, these effects can be toxic and dangerous to our health. The amount of stress that you have, and your stress resiliency, can even predict how long you will live.

Risk of Disease

One of the most worrying effects of stress on our health is its relationship to disease; research shows that chronic, severe stress vastly increases a persons risk for several chronic health conditions.

For example, theres significant evidence that stress increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and hypertension as well as diabetes and certain types of cancer (2, 3, 4). Stress is also clearly associated with mental illness, including depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety (5, 6).

Immune Function

Studies have shown that stress clearly reduces immune function and can cause a person to be more susceptible to illnesses like colds. Scientists have suggested that stress can affect immune system function at the cellular level, changing the bodys chemical immune response.

Poor Lifestyle Habits

The way that we cope with stress may also have an impact on our health. When individuals cope with stress by consuming excessive alcohol, smoking, or binge-eating, the result is poorer health. Stress can cause some people to engage in unhealthy habits as a way to cope with the psychological discomfort.

Stress has such a powerful effect on us in part because its psychological. It affects the hormonal balance in our body, but it also affects our mental health. Both aspects can impact sexual function and performance.

Stress has been shown to directly affect testosterone levels. When youre stressed, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. And high cortisol levels crush your testosterone.

Research has found a clear association between high cortisol levels and low levels of testosterone. The lowered testosterone levels caused by stress, in turn, leads to low energy, weight gain, loss of mental focus, and loss of sexual function.

And stress is one of the most common causes of ED. Sexual function depends on the complex interaction between physiological and psychological factors. Besides reducing testosterone levels, which contribute to erectile dysfunction, it can also affect the psychological processes associated with sexual arousal.

Finding ways to effectively cope with stress is an essential part of creating a healthy lifestyle, achieving optimal testosterone levels, and supporting a fulfilling sex life. But how?

Develop Stress Resiliency

This is one of the most important things that you can do to reduce stress: develop ways to cope effectively with stress and create stress resiliency.

Stress resiliency refers to your ability to respond to and cope with the stressors that you face in everyday life. Creating resilience to stress can help you experience it less often, for less time, and thus reduce the negative health effects.

To develop stress resiliency, try the following:

1. Start to think of stress as an opportunity for growth. Ask yourself: What is the stressor? Why am I stressed about it? Where can I feel the stress in my body? What can I do right now to cope and calm myself down? What can I learn to grow from it?

2. Develop healthy coping habits. These include exercise, meditation, breathing techniques, hobbies you enjoy, and even sex.

3. Sleep! Sleep is critical for optimal health, but especially when it comes to stress resilience. Good quality sleep allows your body to heal and recover. And good quality sleep lowers cortisol.

4. Get social support. Engaging with the important people in your life is one of the most effective ways to cope with stress. Even giving social support can improve your stress.

5. Focus on eating good quality food. The foods you eat can directly promote or reduce inflammation in your body, and thus affect cortisol production.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to beat back stressors (15). Research shows that people who exercise consistently are better able to develop stress resilience and reduce the health consequence of stress (16).

Meditation

Research is increasingly finding the benefits of meditation on everything from cognitive health to physical energy levels. Meditation also turns out to be an effective way to cope with life stressors, even if you do it for just five to ten minutes a day.

The benefits of meditation include:

Stress reduction Better sleep Feeling relaxed Better focus and attention More positive mood Reductions in depression and anxiety.

Everyone experiences stress. If stress becomes chronic, and you lose your ability to cope with it, stress can crush your health, leading to weight gain, low testosterone levels, poor energy, and increased risk of erectile dysfunction.

But, when you have effective coping mechanisms and view stress as helpful not harmful, you can overcome it and rise to the occasion. Learning to beat stress will help you boost your immune system, lose weight, feel healthier, and enjoy the benefits of higher testosterone.

1. Wheaton, B., & Montazer, S. (2010). Stressors, stress, and distress. A handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems, 171-199.

2. Dimsdale, J. E. (2008). Psychological stress and cardiovascular disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 51(13), 1237-1246.

3. Harris, M. L., Oldmeadow, C., Hure, A., Luu, J., Loxton, D., & Attia, J. (2017). Stress increases the risk of type 2 diabetes onset in women: A 12-year longitudinal study using causal modelling. PloS one, 12(2), e0172126.

4. Mo
reno-Smith, M., Lutgendorf, S. K., & Sood, A. K. (2010). Impact of stress on cancer metastasis. Future Oncology, 6(12), 1863-1881.

5. Bartolomucci, A., & Leopardi, R. (2009). Stress and depression: preclinical research and clinical implications. PloS one, 4(1), e4265.

6. Corcoran, C., Mujica-Parodi, L., Yale, S., Leitman, D., & Malaspina, D. (2002). Could stress cause psychosis in individuals vulnerable to schizophrenia?. CNS Spectrums, 7(1), 33.

7. Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological Bulletin, 130(4), 601.

8. Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, D. P., Rabin, B. S., & Gwaltney, J. M. (1997). Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. JAMA, 277(24), 1940-1944.

9. Steptoe, A., Wardle, J., Pollard, T. M., Canaan, L., & Davies, G. J. (1996). Stress, social support and health-related behavior: a study of smoking, alcohol consumption and physical exercise. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 41(2), 171-180.

10. Mulligan, C. J. (2016). Early environments, stress, and the epigenetics of human health. Annual Review of Anthropology, 45, 233-249.

11. Glad, C. A., Andersson-Assarsson, J. C., Berglund, P., Bergthorsdottir, R., Ragnarsson, O., & Johannsson, G. (2017). Reduced DNA methylation and psychopathology following endogenous hypercortisolisma genome-wide study. Nature: Scientific Reports, 7, 44445.

12. Wein, H. (2010). Stress Hormone Causes Epigenetic Changes. NIH Research Matters. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/stress-hormone-causes-epigenetic-changes

13. Rubinow, D. R., Roca, C. A., Schmidt, P. J., Danaceau, M. A., Putnam, K., Cizza, G., & Nieman, L. (2005). Testosterone suppression of CRH-stimulated cortisol in men. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(10), 1906-1912.

14. Rosen, R. C. (2001). Psychogenic erectile dysfunction: classification and management. Urologic Clinics of North America, 28(2), 269-278.

15. Bond, D. S., Lyle, R. M., Tappe, M. K., Seehafer, R. S., & DZurilla, T. J. (2002). Moderate aerobic exercise, Tai Chi, and social problem-solving ability in relation to psychological stress. International Journal of Stress Management, 9(4), 329-343.

16. Hsu, Y. C., Tsai, S. F., Yu, L., Chuang, J. I., Wu, F. S., Jen, C. J., & Kuo, Y. M. (2016). Long-term moderate exercise accelerates the recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses. Stress, 19(1), 125-132.

17. Yassin, A. A., & Doros, G. (2013). Testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men results in sustained and clinically meaningful weight loss. Clinical Obesity, 3(3-4), 73-83.

18. Craig, B. W., Brown, R., & Everhart, J. (1989). Effects of progressive resistance training on growth hormone and testosterone levels in young and elderly subjects. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 49(2), 159-169.

19. Osterberg, E. C., Bernie, A. M., & Ramasamy, R. (2014). Risks of testosterone replacement therapy in men. Indian journal of urology: IJU: journal of the Urological Society of India, 30(1), 2.

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Here's What Stress Is Doing to Your Health and Testosterone - The Good Men Project

A man can't stop working.

A man can't stop working.

Photo: Kaisersosa67/Getty Images/iStockphoto

A man can't stop working.

A man can't stop working.

Dear Abby: Overworked husband likes his choices

DEAR ABBY: I have a wonderful husband of almost 20 years and two teenage children. My husband is incredibly hardworking in his stressful career and has provided a very comfortable life for us. The trouble is, he puts work ahead of any self-care. He works most waking hours, doesn't eat well, exercises rarely, is overweight the list goes on. When I ask/encourage/nag him to make positive lifestyle choices, he reminds me of the life insurance he has and turns it around on me and says I am stressing him.

Abby, I love my husband, and I worry that this will cut his life and our life together short. Can you help?

Beside myself with worry

DEAR BESIDE YOURSELF: I wish I could wave a magic wand and make your husband receptive to what you are trying to do for him. But until he's ready to address these issues and do something about them, nothing will change.

If he enjoys his career and takes pride in the fact that you and your children are and will be provided for, then he's living the life he has chosen for himself. This does not mean you must give up entirely suggesting healthy lifestyle choices, but perhaps do it a little less often and in terms of activities he might enjoy.

DEAR ABBY: After a long and successful life, my uncle recently passed away. His wife is my mother's sister. During one of our phone calls, she told me she and my cousins had written his obituary and that it would be published soon. To my shock and dismay, I located the obituary and discovered that my sister and I were not mentioned as his niece and nephew. I am still terribly hurt. Why would they do this?

My sister and I grew up spending every major holiday and birthday with my uncle. The obituary did include his other niece and nephew who live on the opposite side of the country and kept in touch only with an occasional phone call and holiday card. I included my cousins in my parents' and sister's obituaries, all of whom have passed in the last few years.

I feel that I must address this with them, but I don't want to add to the pain they are going through while they mourn their loss. I now dread attending the memorial because I'm worried friends of our family may bring it up, and I won't know what to say.

Hurt nephew in Illinois

DEAR NEPHEW: Even when a death is expected, many people go into a state of shock, which interferes with their ability to sequence facts. It is entirely possible that the obituary was written when your aunt and cousins weren't thinking straight, which is why you were omitted. If someone brings it up at the memorial which I doubt will happen rather than nurse hurt feelings, I hope you will point out that the family, including you, is grieving. Period.

DEAR ABBY: How do you politely ask a neighbor to mow his lawn at reasonable times of the day? Mine seems to be doing it three days a week and always when we want to enjoy our backyard.

Trying to relax

DEAR TRYING: If you are on speaking terms with this neighbor, explain that the noise from his lawnmower interferes with your ability to enjoy your backyard and ask POLITELY if he could schedule it at another hour of the day. If he is a good neighbor, he should be willing to accommodate you.

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Dear Abby: Overworked husband likes his choices - Manistee News Advocate

MEADVILLE, Pa. (PRWEB) August 04, 2020

My God, Its Cancer: My epic journey with a late-stage terminal cancer, sustained by outrageous faith for healing through grace: a strong testimony of Gods powerful healing grace in the life of a man who constantly faces the darkness and the loss of hope. My God, Its Cancer: My epic journey with a late-stage terminal cancer, sustained by outrageous faith for healing through grace is the creation of published author Courtney A. Mullings, a former telecommunications consultant and devout Christian. He is traveling on an intense hope-filled, faith-based journey as he copes with the effects of his cancer.

Mullings shares, Life is not fair! Imagine going steadfastly through life, enjoying a healthy lifestyle, playing by the rules and obeying the Word of God, only to be blindsided by a terminal cancer diagnosis in the prime of your life.

In My God, Its Cancer, Courtney Mullings shares the inspiring story of the medical, emotional and spiritual struggles encountered on his journey with what science defines as an incurable cancer. His exceptional life moments with the disease are encapsulated and documented to reveal episodes of struggles with guilt and unworthiness, and how he coped with the multiple failures and setbacks through his faith.

Travel with him to experience how he continuously sought God as his refuge and remained fervently faithful that he would receive complete healing through Gods grace. Courtneys faith gave him indomitable strength. Learn how his outrageous faith reinforces the concept of transcendental hope beyond what can be seen or reasoned through our natural senses, but as he has experienced from God.

By telling his story, he hopes to inspire, motivate and reach the many people who want to believe there is hope for their individual situations, but may be challenged by the realities of current circumstances. His story will help you to appreciate that life will inevitably present daunting challenges, but you have a choice in how you respond. God provides us with unlimited solutions through grace to address all of lifes challenges. What level of faith are you willing to invest in God for your best outcome?

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Courtney A. Mullingss new book is a profound and personal life story designed to share and inspire people with hope in the events of challenges. Here, the author aims to encourage the readers to appreciate the goodness and blessedness of life amidst the struggles.

View a synopsis of My God, Its Cancer: My epic journey with a late-stage terminal cancer, sustained by outrageous faith for healing through grace on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase My God, Its Cancer: My epic journey with a late-stage terminal cancer, sustained by outrageous faith for healing through grace at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about My God, Its Cancer: My epic journey with a late-stage terminal cancer, sustained by outrageous faith for healing through grace, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.

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Courtney A. Mullings's newly released My God, It's Cancer brings an inspiring journey of seeking God along the struggles of dealing with cancer - PR...

By Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RDN, LDN and Marissa Schwam BSmail@floridanewsline.com

Wanting to obtain a healthy lifestyle has become quite popular over the last decades; however, there is a lot of misleading information that people have been utilizing in order to obtain their goal of becoming healthier. There are countless fad diets that promise quick fixes, rapid weight loss, and even detoxification. The truth is, obtaining a healthy lifestyle doesnt mean you need to restrict food groups or starve yourself to lose weight. Its all about how you build your plate. Every plate we make is a building block for a healthier lifestyle, so it is important that we include all food groups as a part of our meals and snacks. Here are some easy steps to help you build your plate and obtain the goal of a healthier you.

1. Aim to make half of your plate full of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients that support healthy functioning of your brain, cells, skin, and everything in between. Try to include all different colors such as orange, red, purple, white and green.

2. Dont forget whole grains. Try to make at least half of your grains whole. Whole grains are a great source of B vitamins and natural fiber, which helps reduce cholesterol and helps keep you regular. Try some ancient whole grains including barley, bulgur, quinoa, sorghum, or wild rice.

3. Protein should take up the last quarter of your plate. Choosing lean or plant proteins will help you reduce your intake of saturated fat, which has been shown to increase your risk for heart disease and strokes. Lean or plant proteins include chicken, turkey, nuts, beans, tofu, and even some cuts of beef such as flank or strip steak.

4. Switch it up by trying to add in some new foods to your regular routine. Keep mealtime fun by picking out foods you or your family have never tried before like chia seeds, lentils, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, or edamame.

5. Dont ignore your cravings. If you have a sweet tooth, you can always satisfy this craving in a healthy way. You can always do fresh fruit parfait with whipped topping, yogurt or some mini white chocolate morsels. If you like hot desserts, then you can try baking apples or peaches.

Excerpt from:
Nutrition Check: Want to feel great? It's all in the plate! - Florida NewsLine

I'm not gonna lie, once lockdown hit I traded-in dumbbells for Doritos. And slowly but surely, I watched those lockdown el-bees stack-up on the scale. I never thought I'd say this, but I really do miss the gym. It was a tough adjustment going from working out 3-5 days a week at the gym to suddenly, um, well... not. Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I was a total gym rat B.Q. (before quarantine). My world has never revolved around fitness, but I'm all about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You see, I'm a content creator so I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk writing and editing various projects. The gym was a place where I could get up, get out, throw on a juicy true-crime podcast, and sweat my stress away. Without it, I felt I had really fallen out of my fitness flow but after trying out some sessions on Men's Health's new app, All Out Studio, I'm convinced that I won't be going back to the gym.

There are a ton of different fitness apps out there, and yes, Ive tried quite a few from the gimmicky, make me look like [insert superhero name here] in 60 days to the overpriced (and underwhelming) trendy fitness apps Ive been there, done that. And they are either too expensive or they just really didnt hold my interest. Alas, I decided to give All Out Studio a shot.

The app gives you access to an entire library of premium workouts and fitness programs designed by experts and developed by Men's Health, Women's Health, Runner's World, and Prevention. It's divided into different sections so you can choose to "Go Hard," "Go Light," or even "Go All Out."

It also allows you to browse programs curated through specific brands like Men's Health, Runner's World, Women's Health, Cosmo, and Prevention. And these aren't just one-off classes they've got full-blown programs that are structured to provide proven results. It's like having your pick of personal trainers right at your fingertips. You can tailor the experience to fit your #bodygoals. While skimming the app for the first time, some of the programs that stuck out to me were:

While I was all about the clutch buffet of content, I'm the type of person that's all about the price tag. There are two subscription routes you can take both of which come with a free one-week trial. Option one allows you to go month-to-month for $14.99/month equaling out to less than 50 cents per day.

Option two is an annual subscription for $89.99. Let's break down that annual figure, shall we? At $89.99/year, that's approximately $7.50/month, and TBH I spent more than that on my coffee and breakfast sandwich this morning. But wait, if we break that number down even further, $7.50/month comes down to approximately 25 cents per day. Um, excuse me. What?! I've met gumballs more expensive than that.

For most of the sessions, it appears that a mat and dumbbells will do the trick so a fully equipped at-home gym isn't necessary. Theres no need here to splurge on expensive pieces of exercise equipment thatll probably end up becoming a dusty catch-all for your dirty clothes.

The app is available for download on iOS and Android, but it can also be streamed via Apple TV, Roku, or Fire TV which I liked because you can watch it on the big screen and really immerse yourself in the class. Plus, it's a rather seamless transition from your phone to TV so if you start a class on one device, you can easily pick up right where you left off on the other.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Aronson

Now that I had done all the preliminary leg work [pun sorta intended], it was time to stop procrastinating and actually get to working-out. Since the gyms have been closed for a few months now, I was a little anxious to really get back into it, so I decided to start out light and ease my way back into beast mode I hate that I just said that, but you get the idea.

I quickly discovered that the app provides a wide selection of quality fitness content at a bargain bin price.

Peep the app in the video below.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

I decided to check-out "Anarchy 10" in the Men's Health section and did a chest & back session with Andy Speer. There are four videos under this program each hovering around the 10-minute mark and they're designed to give you brief yet intense workouts. I knew the following day my chest was going to feel it, and, yeah, I was right. Speer came, conquered, and delivered with his "little" ten-minute session. It was a good way to get my feet wet.

What next?

As a consequence for the mass intake of pizza and wine I have consumed during this lockdown, I decided that a program called All Out HIIT sounded like the proper punishment. And it was. The program consists of six videos that focus on 15-minute high-intensity interval training workouts that combine cardio conditioning and a strength workout in one. For the total-body session, jumping jacks, burpees, squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks were all present.

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After dipping my toe into a few of the offerings, I decided I wanted to fully commit to a program, so I landed on Six Week Sweat. There are ten classes led by Sean Garner. Each one lasts about 30-minutes, and I must say, the program lives up to its name. By the end of a session, I am usually drenched and totally feeling it. There is also a handy workout guide that breaks-down the classes into an actionable schedule. Lets just say, Mr. Garner is now my new trainer, and I fully intend to see the full six-week program through.

(Stream 200+ workouts today at All Out Studio)

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I Tried 'All Out' for Two Weeks and I'm Canceling My Gym Membership - Men's Health