Training, nutrition, and overall well-being aren’t new to me. I started lifting weights 35 years ago in my parents’ basement with a simple bench and a set of sand-filled plates. Back then, as an overweight kid working to make weight for football, I became fascinated by nutrition. Fitness magazines were my only guide, but they set me on a path that eventually led to earning a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and becoming a registered dietitian.
Decades later, the wellness landscape has grown exponentially with new research, protocols, and tools emerging constantly. Just a few months ago, I attended Eudemonia, a health summit where experts, practitioners, and companies gathered to share insights and innovations. It was exciting to see which strategies were grounded in science and practical enough to carry forward into daily life. Many of these approaches are ones I’m bringing with me into 2026.
Of course, the basics and consistency still matter most. I still train the way I did decades ago, but I’ve refined my approach based on evolving science and what works best for me. I remain curious and open to new ideas, but as a scientist, I stay grounded and skeptical of trends that come and go. With that in mind, here are five tools I’m taking with me into 2026.
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Sauna Bathing
This “new-ish” trend in the US is nothing new at all. “Sauna bathing,” as it’s called, is thousands of years old and particularly popular in Scandinavian and Nordic countries. And while the backdrop at my gym isn’t quite that of the Matterhorn in Switzerland, like it was years ago when my wife and I sat in a sauna looking at the snow-covered mountain, the benefits are still measurable.
Sauna bathing is definitely more than a bro fad, with data suggesting reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, and reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Some data suggests it can improve the quality of your sleep, but at the very least, the calming nature of it in the evening to wind down is a win-win.
In fact, we use and love the sauna in our gym so much that we bought one for our house. But you don’t need to, if you have regular access to one at a gym or another facility. For us, it was getting a little too popular at our gym, which crowded the space, sometimes making it unavailable. At other times, some people’s own personal habits or routines made it less than desirable (I mean, do we need to shave our heads in a public sauna or wring out our bathing suits on the floor?). I digress.
After much searching and measuring our space, we landed on and invested in a sauna from SISU Sauna, a company based in Cleveland, Ohio, making handmade Finnish-style saunas in the US. There are many to choose from, but this worked for us and has been a perfect daily ritual bringing calm, quiet, and heat to our daily lives. Even our kids love it, and we all benefit from the quiet, ritualistic end to our days in there, where we spend 20ish minutes at around 180 degrees, most days of the week.
Outdoor Movement
As mentioned, I’ve been a gym rat for decades. I love the clanging and banging of weights, the environment…all of it. But there’s something to be said about being outdoors. No fluorescent lights and in nature. Because of this, I work out outdoors at least once per week and meet up with a neighbor to benefit from all of this. We have all sorts of outdoor training tools that we’ve built up over time—sandbags, sand medicine balls, sand kettlebells, jump ropes, and more.
The birds chirping, the sun rising, and often we can see our own breath or steam coming off our heads–all part of the allure, along with the camaraderie. Given that data shows being outside in nature reduces stress, I’ll take all of it. And it’s simply a different pattern of movement than what you can do with a traditional barbell, dumbbell, or machine.
All in on Sleep
Sleep is certainly foundational to our well-being. From our daily energy to long-term health changes in our cardiovascular and mental health, how much and how well we sleep matters. While I’ve always tried to get in my eight hours, there’s one thing I often ignored when it came to my sleep habits: the temperature.
“When it comes to variables under your control for sleep, we all think about light, but studies show that properly managing temperature levels in the bedroom can have an even greater impact on your sleep,” says W. Chris Winter, MD, neurologist, sleep scientist, and host of the Sleep Unplugged Podcast.
Turning the thermostat way down in the summer months is not the most cost-effective solution, so we found a different option. Enter the Chilipad Dock Pro, a tool that goes over your mattress and controls the temperature of your mattress itself. Plus, it can be split for couples who sleep at different temperatures. Some sleep hot, some sleep cold, but having that control over the situation to better manage sleep has made a world of difference in my own (and my wife’s) sleep quality.
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Invested in an Indoor Home Gym Solution
OK, I get it, this might sound unexpected. I’ve always enjoyed outdoor workouts and the energy of a public gym, but the Tonal 2 genuinely surprised me. After testing it at the Eudemonia event, I saw how easily it fits into a home setup, even making lifting more accessible for others in the household.
The machine automatically adjusts weight based on performance, offers guided programs tailored to different goals, and provides several hundred pounds of resistance—enough for most experienced lifters. While I’m not giving up my public gym or outdoor sessions, it’s become a go-to when time is tight, the weather isn’t ideal, or I just need a quick, effective session. The built-in coaching and progress tracking simplify workouts and take the guesswork out of strength training.
Mobility Mornings
One thing I’ve struggled with is mobility. Like many, I usually spend 30 to 45 minutes training, but then shortchange stretching and mobility work. And it crept up on me.
“Mobility training helps improve range of motion and control over that range, allowing you to get more out of your exercises and general activities of daily living. It can encompass stretching but also takes your muscles through a full range of motion,” adds Sean Hyson, CSCS of FitnessDistilled.com.
My routine is nothing fancy or time-consuming; it’s a simple cat cow move, cobra pose, neck rolls, hip stretches, and more. I then sit on the ground, cross-legged for 10ish minutes to drink my coffee, check my email, read a few pages, whatever I’m doing in the morning before our girls wake up.
I never want to be in the position where I can’t sit comfortably on the ground (or get back up). After starting this and doing this daily for the last month or so, I already noticed some improvements around how I felt when I get out of bed, my movements, and quickness felt better on the tennis courts and in the gym.
I used to commonly wake up with a very tight lower back before I got moving, but this has had an immediate effect on that, and I’ve simply felt more agile and quick with other simple activities of daily living. My mobility routine doesn’t take long and has now become a part of my ritual, just like drinking my cup of coffee in the AM.
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