Slough's older residents enjoyed a day of bhangra, chair aerobics and yoga together last week - and they did not break a single Covid rule.

Thursday was International Day of Older Persons.

So four organisations - Slough Seniors, Apna Virsa, Men's Matters and the town's Asian Carers Group - got together to launch a day of online activities.

Elders were treated to a Bhangra session at 11am, seated chair aerobics/keep fit at 2pm and yoga at 5pm, all free of charge. And Slough Seniors Group hosted an additional class on Zoom for its members.

ALSO VIEWMaidenhead man to share 110,000 prize with his twin brother

Meanwhile, video addresses and personal stories were run on the Apna Virsa Facebook channel to cheer up seniors who had been shielding during the pandemic.

Pushpa Kharbanda, who is in her 80s and runs the Asian Carers Group, said: Ive known six people who have passed away during the pandemic for different reasons so you can imagine how difficult this year has been for the towns older population overall.

Therefore it was lovely to come together and share some happiness with friends online. I did a video message myself and it was an honour to pay tribute to friends and family whove supported me in the past months.

ALSO VIEWFood and facemasks for the vulnerable in Slough High Street

Founder of Slough Seniors, Vijay Gupta, who turned 80 shortly before the lockdown began in March, said: It was of course disappointing that we couldnt hold the event at a physical location this year, but we had to take the health and safety of our members more seriously than usual."

The celebration came days before the launch of Apna Virsas walking campaign, 30 Minutes for 30 Days, which encourages seniors aged 50 and over to walk for five days a week for six weeks running. Seniors who have walked the most steps will win a prize. Follow Apna Virsa on Facebook for updates.

In addition, Slough Seniors is resuming its keep fit programme, with a seated aerobics zoom session on Thursdays from 11am to 12pm.

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Slough's older residents' day of bhangra, aerobics and yoga - Slough and Windsor Observer

Health Tips: Exercise is very important to keep your body and mind healthy because if you do aerobic exercise regularly, then both your body and mind remain healthy. With which your brain is able to work well and you learn any task very easily. This includes exercises like running, swimming or cycling etc. This exercise helps in enhancing your thinking ability and memory. Apart from this, it is also useful in getting better sleep by eliminating your anxiety and stress. This has a positive effect on your mental health, so let us tell you today about the health benefits of aerobic exercise.

5 aerobic exercises to keep the brain healthy

-Walking -Tracking -Double -Cycling -Aerobics Classes

Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

1. Make the heart healthy You must do aerobic exercise to keep your heart, lungs and blood vessels healthy. If you do aerobic exercise regularly every day, then you are able to avoid cardiovascular diseases.

2. manages weight Aerobic exercise acts as a calorie burner. This is the best way to burn calories, which helps in losing weight. If you do aerobic exercise regularly, you can control your weight.

3. Control the level of blood sugar This exercise helps in keeping the level of blood sugar in your body under control. This diabetes keeps the blood sugar level of type 2 diabetes healthy. High blood sugar can damage blood vessels and cause heart disease. When you exercise, muscles also use glucose from the blood. In this case, exercising is very helpful for you.

4. Control blood pressure High blood pressure puts stress on blood vessels and the heart. This can have many serious consequences, such as the risk of heart attack or heart stroke. In this case, aerobic exercise can help maintain your blood pressure level.

5. Helpful in preventing heart stroke You get heart stroke when there is a problem in getting blood supply in one part of your brain. This can have serious and fatal consequences. If you do aerobic exercise regularly, you can reduce the risk of heart stroke by making the blood vessels and heart healthy.

Chanakya Niti: If you want to win the heart of the front, then never forget these things of Chanakya

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Health Tips: Aerobic exercise increases brain power, know its other benefits - Pledge Times

Ready to jump back in the water?

Starting this weekend, St. Paul Parks and Recreation will gradually reopen its Great River Water Park, an indoor pool and childrens area at the Oxford Community Center on Lexington Parkway, on a reservation-only basis.

Beginning Saturday, Oct. 3, the indoor pool will offer lap swim and water aerobics initially, and then open swim and swimming lessons at a later date.

Visitors will be expected to abide by new health guidelines, and reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance. No, you cant use the water slides, drinking fountains, diving boards, sauna or shared pool equipment.

Guests will be required to wear cloth face coverings when not in the pool or on the deck, and maintain a six-foot distance from others not in their group at all times, including in locker rooms. Face coverings are not allowed in the water.

Reservations can be made by calling 651-642-0650 or online at stpaul.gov/greatriverwaterpark.

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St. Pauls Great River Water Park reopens this weekend for lap swim, water aerobics - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Katie Savage, owner of Counter Culture, said the courses they offer are a fun workout and inspire confidence. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Counter Culture offers unique, wide variety of workout classes

ASHLAND, Ky. An excited and happy shriek comes from the next room.

I think she just pulled off a trick for the first time, Katie Savage says upon hearing it from a class participant.

A group is practicing in the adjacent space at Counter Culture, which features an aerial cube, mounted from the ceiling, upon which participants perform aerobics on the rigging.

Savage, who opened the business in May on Roberts Drive, said it had a delayed start, following closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She began work on constructing the space, located in the rear of the building, which also hosts BloodMoon Goddesses Apothecary & Spiritual Services, shortly after Valentines Day.

We are a pole and circus fitness studio, she said, stating they offer classes in anything and everything having to do with what she calls strange fitness.

A unique business and studio for the region, Counter Culture offers courses in aerial silks, in which aerobics are performed from a hanging fabric, aerial yoga, aerial hoop, pole dancing and regular dance, as well as conditioning and strength building.

Katie Savage, owner of Counter Culture, says she has been taking part in circus arts and fitness since she first took a class in Lexington, Kentucky when she was 18. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

This fall, they also offered five-week courses in burlesque. Savage is a member of Cosmadolls, a local burlesque troupe, founded in 2013, which has performed at events such as Ironton Wizardfest and the Road Hawk Magazine Tattoo Show at the Ro-Na Theater.

She said she first got into circus arts when she was taking a pole fitness classes at age 18 in Lexington, Kentucky.

I took a class and fell in love and bought one and trained, Savage said.

Savage said, from there, she shadowed her instructor and taught her self through videos.

It was kind of a combination of both, she said of her learning.

Katie Savage is the owner of Counter Culture. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

She said business has been strong and most classes are booked.

They are offered in six-week sessions, with about 3-4 people each, so that each person has access to one of the spaces devices. Altogether, she says they teach about 10 classes a week.

She said the classes are open to those ages 18 and up and that they are body-positive and open to all types and skills levels, from beginners to advanced. Those wanting to sign up can do so online at https://bookwhen.com/counterculture.

Savage said, in addition to learning really cool tricks, one of the biggest benefits of aerial fitness is a full body workout that engages all the muscles.

It is a really fun workout, but it doesnt feel like a workout, she said.

She said one of her favorite things to see is the confidence it builds in those who enroll in the classes.

People come in and, at first, they dont feel so good, she said. But then you see their face light up when they try it.

Counter Culture is located at 5405 Roberts Dr., Suite 5 in Ashland. More information can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/countercultureashland/.

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High-flying fitness - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune

Happy freaking October, everyone. Congratulations, weve made it ten months through 2020 seven months essentially through a once in a lifetime pandemic. Good for you no seriously, good for you. It has been a hell of a challenging year, but eventually it has to end and get better.

There have been hundreds of think pieces on 2020, but this isnt going to turn into one of them. Just know that youre doing amazing, ok?

Now, onto the more lighthearted stuff I fucked up. I missed last weeks Take 5. It is what it is, Ive got no excuse. So, dear reader, forgive my mistake? I promise to make it up to you with these five songs below.

Maybe promise is too heavy handed, but you know, whatever. Onwards my noble steed.

Julia Michaels Lie Like This

This is a classic case of artist who doesnt need our attention but we cant stop listening so youre gonna read about it in Substreams Take 5. What a song. Try not to listen once and start tapping your foot. Its easily catchy, and not overly-complicated. Some people think simple pop music isnt good not in this house, baby. Were already dying for more, and you should be, too.

glimmers For Me Its You (feat. Jack Wachtel)

The Atlanta-based pop-rock glimmer is a lot of fun. Vocalist Maggie Schneider has been kicking it in the music industry for a very long time; theres a few people that come to mind who truly deserve to reap the rewards of the grind, and Schneider is one o them. For Me Its You isnt necessarily a new song, as it first appeared acoustically on her debut EP, Insomniac, but it got re-imagined and re-released under glimmers. But, its a refreshing take on the acoustic track and the end result is pop-rock gem. Trust us.

Wallows Virtual Aerobics

When will I ever stop talking about Wallows and including them in these? Probably never. As long as theyre making music, Im in. Virtual Aerobics continues Wallows dominate run on the indie genre, and while it doesnt stray too much from their developed sound, why would it? Sometimes forced change is worse than just doing that you love. That sentence wasnt meant to be as deep as it turned out, but here we are. Virtual Aerobics is a nice, consistently beating indie/alt song, and if youve liked Wallows before, youll love it. If you havent liked their stuff so far, you might not, but couldnt we all use an excuse to watch Dylan Minnette and co. do aerobics?

The Snuts Always

Banger. After. Banger. Its just what Scotlands The Snuts do best. I first heard of the band last year with their single Maybe California, and knew that they were gonna be a fun band to keep an eye on. While Always is a bit of a different sound for the band, The Snuts pull it off well. What is it in the water that makes bands from the U.K. so consistently good at making alternative/indie/rock? Theres gotta be something that we simply are missing. Maybe its the haggis in Scotland. Someone find out for us.

Hotel Etiquette Sex Questions

At least a few times a week I go outside and stare at the sky and yell, God, why did you take Pentimento away from us? Its a bold strategy for me as a non-believer, but I mean, anything is worth a shot, right? I would forgive 2020 for all its done and potentially convert into a believer for a Pentimento reunion. We may not get that save for the one-off show and a new song last year but luckily weve got the next best thing: a new project! Hotel Etiquette is Pentimentos Mike Hansens newest project, and its probably the best thing were gonna get. They dropped an EP, Sex Questions, earlier this year which includes the title-track making a lyrical reference to Pentimento and this past Friday dropped a split EP with Fake Space. If you like more aggressive alt-rock, then Hotel Etiquette will be for you. Then promptly work your way back through Pentimentos catalogue as 2015s I, No Longer is the best Jimmy Eat World record not written by Jimmy Eat World. An endless amount of thank yous to Substream veteran Joel Funk for making me aware of this project.

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Take 5: The songs you need to know this week: (October 5th, 2020) - Substream Magazine

WELLINGTON Elyse Beras relationship with Zumba did not start out well.

The Wellington residents first try at the fitness class, which combines aerobics and Latin dance, fell flat. The instructor just wasnt engaging.

Then Beras found Jamie Tizol.

More: Annual Wellington Holiday Parade called off over coronavirus concerns

The effervescent Zumba instructor drew Beras into the high-energy workouts something Tizol continues to do with new students, now in a virtual format using the Zoom video conferencing platform, prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

She makes every individual feel, You can do it with me, and Im going to show you how, Beras said.

Tizol has earned praise from her students at the Wellington Community Center, with people heaping acclaim on the 43-year-old instructor for her engaging personality and skill as an instructor.

More: Wellington honors service groups as 'backbone' of weekly food distribution

But something else about Tizols virtual classes is getting the attention of Wellington residents.

When Tizol moved from her physical classroom at the community center to a virtual classroom using the Zoom video conferencing platform, it opened up an opportunity for her dedicated students, like Beras, to share the classes with friends and family around the country.

Its helped them connect, stay in touch and see each other in a fun setting each week, Beras said.

She could get a person thats dying up to dance, she said.

More: Chiari malformation: Wellington woman's journey inspires her to advocacy

Tizol joined Wellingtons slate of community center instructors in 2016. She teaches four virtual classes: Zumba, Zumba Gold for people age 55 and older, Zumba Gold chair for people who may not be as mobile, and Zumba Toning, which incorporates a small amount of weight.

Moving from in-person classes to Zoom was seamless for Tizol, said Jenifer Brito, Wellingtons Community Services specialist, who organizes and directs senior programs.

Were so lucky to have her, Brito said.

With 20 to 35 people per class, Tizol still finds a way to make each class personal for her students, Brito said.

More: Coronavirus has made cancer treatment even lonelier. Here's how you can help.

She really loves what she does, and it really shines through, she said.

Wellington has received a flood of calls from grateful students over the past few weeks, Brito said.

Shes bringing family members together during this time, she said. Thats special.

For Tizol, each class is a gift.

I look forward to it every day, to see their smiling faces, she said.

More: Former Wellington resident pens 'guidebook' on breast cancer fight

Tizol began teaching Zumba about 15 years ago while living in Virginia. Growing up, she had a passion for dancing and music, and when a friend introduced her to the lively workouts, she fell in love.

When she and her family moved from Virginia to Wellington six years ago, she had to start fresh with a new group of students.

It was fate that she met Mary Ann Thompson, a Zumba fanatic who lived nearby and knew of a local gym that needed a Zumba instructor.

Now 70, Thompson remains a loyal attendee of Tizols classes. She was thrilled when the courses resumed after pausing in March because of the pandemic.

Its just been wonderful, Thompson said.

In videos on her YouTube channel and Facebook page Zumba with Jamie Tizols energy practically radiates through the screen.

Her personality pops as her ponytail swings to the beat. Tizol never breaks hersmile something her students note in their descriptions of her when asked what makes Tizol such an effective Zumba instructor.

She has one of those welcoming and engaging personalities, Thompson said.

She makes you feel just as good and healthy and energetic as if you were 19, Beras said.

As Tizol leads her students through stretches, her pit bull mix, Sasha, frequently makes an appearance. In one recent Zumba Gold Chair class, Sasha insisted on trying repeatedly to get Tizol to throw a tennis ball.

Shes become our mascot, Tizol said, laughing.

While the virtual classes allow her students to remain connected to their friends and family around the country, theyve done the same for her.

Tizols mother lives outside the area and joins classes, she said.

But the classes also allow Tizol to see the faces of the sisterhood of health-conscious students shes grown in her time leading courses at the community center.

I love it, she said, adding, And I love seeing new faces.

Her classes are for everyone, she said. New students shouldnt be afraid theyll miss a few steps here or there. It could take two or three classes to pick things up, she said.

Most important is I just want you to keep moving and just having a good time, Tizol said.

That movement over the years has been a benefit both mentally and physically for Tizols students. In addition to the solid friendships that have been built in her classes, Beras is among those whose health has improved. For Beras, it came with improved bone density.

I want to grow to be 100 years old with Jamie, Beras said. Its wonderful. I dont want this to stop.

Virtual Zumba

Want to attend one of Tizol's classes? For a full course schedule and more information, go to http://www.wellingtonfl.gov/virtualrecreation.

kwebb@pbpost.com

@kristinawebb

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Zumba via Zoom: Wellington virtual fitness classes a hit thanks to instructor - Palm Beach Post

With the percentage of people in the United States increasing for overweight and obese individuals, there are a few that will try to lose weight. Hopefully these individuals will start a program to lose weight before the problems that seem to follow overweight and obese people set in. Once problems like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure occur, the weight loss program needs special care.

The three basic methods to lose weight involves exercise and diet. One method is diet alone, another is exercise alone, and the third is a combination of diet and exercise. Each has a benefit as well as a few problems trying to follow one or the other of the programs.

The most common is to try and diet to lose weight. Eating fewer calories means taking in less food, or limiting food choices. One problem with the diet alone program is that the weight loss is from both fat and muscle which can be misleading when you check the scale for weight loss. Not all the weight loss is from fat. The second problem with dieting alone is that when you take in less food, the basic metabolism slows down. The metabolism is how much energy is used to carry you through the 24-hour day. The only way to continue to lose weight is to eat less food. With less food, less muscle mass, slower metabolism, and some fat loss, the persons energy becomes less and more problems arise. The fact that individuals that try the diet alone method to lose weight have an 85 percent failure rate.

One other point to mention with the diet alone method is the selection of food the person chooses. For instance, a gram of fat has 9 calories, a gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, a gram of protein has 4 calories, and any alcohol has 7 calories per ounce. Labels can be misleading in terms of serving size and how it is listed on the container. You need to look at the total calories of fat and compare it with the total calories of a serving. A good example is looking at the 1 percent fat milk label. The 1 percent is for the volume of fat in the serving, not the percentage of fat in a serving.

With the exercise only program a person has a variety of choices. Should you do strength training such a lifting weights, or try aerobic programs such a walking, running, swimming, or bicycle riding. Then the choice of how intense should the program be needs to be selected. Run fast, run slow, walk, or ride a bike. Should I lift heavy weights or stick with lighter weights? An example of a program of strength training will show that a gain of one pound of muscle will increase your BMR (basic metabolic rate or how fast you burn calories) by 10 15 percent. Comparing that with the diet alone program where your BMR slows down, and burns food more slowly, the difference in weight loss can be significant.

The end result of calories burned from running three miles is about the same whether you run fast or slow. If you run a 6 minute pace for 18 minutes, or a 10 minute pace for 30 minutes, the end result is very close to the same. Some physiologists recommend duration over speed. One point to counter that recommendation is that a faster pace increases the heart rate and muscle involvement and will take longer to slow down to a normal rate. Some physiologists state that a good strength workout can elevate the BMR for up to 24 hours after a workout. The one major point is that any movement program works to burn calories and the choice becomes which program the person will follow.

The third choice of combining diet and exercise programs seems to work best. While the diet may slow the BMR, the exercise program will increase the BMR, and make the result an equal benefit. The other benefit is that with diet alone both fat and muscle is lost. With the addition of an exercise program most of the weight loss is fat alone because of the gain in muscle. The choice between aerobics versus a strength program finds that they benefit each other. The increase in aerobic capacity helps the person work out longer, and the increase in strength helps the person run farther and faster. For the senior citizen, one of the major causes of injury is falling. The increase in strength goes a long way in preventing falls and the resistance also increases bone strength. As the saying goes, Variety is the spice of life. My favorite advice to people is, just move and things will take care of themselves.

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Losing weight through dieting, exercising or combination methods - San Marcos Daily Record

Shihan Michael Cindis recently opened Pan African Shotokan Karate Federation Dojo in Selcourt held a seminar on Saturday morning. Cindi previously operated as the chief instructor at the Kwa-Thema Shotokan Dojo at Kenneth Masikela Secondary School The dojo was moved to Selcourt after the hard lockdown meant they could no longer use the school premises. The dojo boasts six black belt fighters, but is eager to get as many new karatekas as possible.

Also read: Karateka presteer by jaarlikse funksie

On Saturday, seasoned and newly recruited karatekas were shown the ways of sensei Abdul Dawoods special shotokan. Dawood comes from East London and is well known for his focus on technique and discipline. Students lined up and were given warm-up drills before Dawood showed them new moves. Brave volunteers stood up in front to spar with Dawood where they quickly learned his unique techniques and moves. Later in the afternoon, the karatekas were given a Tai Chi lesson by Dawood.

Also read: Springs karatekas bring home a handful of medals

Tai Chi is a non-contact form of karate and focuses more on health benefits then self defence. In addition, the dojo offers women self-defence classes, childrens classes, Koshiki, karate, Kududo (weapons) and aerobics. Cindi wants his students to know as many forms of karate as possible to unlock their full potential. Anyone of all ages and experience are encouraged to join the dojo. For more information, contact Cindi on 073 212 9444. To register for aerobics classes, contact Ruth Nkosi on 078 613 4463.

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Seasoned and new karatekas taught Tai-Chi - Springs Advertiser

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I'm going to keep it real: the mainstream image of "fit" is too narrow. Literally. We still live in a world where being perfectly thin and toned with a six pack is the pinnacle. And while fitness should be accessible to everybody, most of these images don't represent every body. They largely leave out people of different sizes, genders, abilities, races, ages, and other identities. The push to achieve this fit ideal can overly-dominate gym culture, causing many to feel excluded from the community, to harshly judge themselves and others, ignore their body's boundaries, or avoid the gym altogether (just to name some potential harms).

Thankfully, there are many gyms looking to create more inclusive spaces so that anyone who walks through their door feels welcomed. But since "inclusivity" is such a buzz word nowadays, it can be tough to decipher which organizations are actively mindful in the mission or simply putting up a rainbow flag for show. To help navigate, its important to be clear on what inclusive means.

"For me an inclusive fitness space means having trainers who respect and honor pronouns and educate themselves on how body and gender dysphoria can show up in each individual, says Ilya Parker, P.T.A., C.M.E.S, a social justice advocate and the owner of Decolonizing Fitness. It means having practitioners to provide safe and supportive environments where all clients feel cared for and respected. It also means creating an environment of accountability.

One good example of gauging an organizations sense of accountability is seeing diversity among their leadership and reading whats written in their policies, says Chrissy King, a strength coach and creator of the Body Liberation Project. I think its really important to have a clear anti-racism and diversity inclusion policy, she says. Setting up the understanding of the community agreements for people that are coming into the space as members or staff matters a lot.

There are also a lot of other factors these gyms consider when it comes to creating a more inclusive environment such as having gender-neutral bathrooms and equipment for people with disabilities, King adds. However, its vital to be aware that even when gyms make the effort to build more welcoming environments, there's no way to guarantee that every person will feel completely safe and supported. So it's good to have options to explore which communities are best for your body, mind, and spirit.

To narrow your search, Ive found 20 incredible fitness organizations who are dedicated to inclusion and flipping the fit script. Heres to celebrating all bodies and all the ways they like to move!

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1 Radically Fit Oakland

Location: Oakland, CA

This Bay Area gym is focused on providing offerings for "all queer, trans, POC, big bodied, and fat identified folx and their allies, regardless of experience or ability." Radically Fit currently has online classes such as Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Body Alignment, Embodied Dance, strength and conditioning for BBQ's (Black and Brown Queers). They also offer sliding scale memberships.

2 The Fit In

Location: Brooklyn, NY

The Fit In is all about community and treating everyone like family. This Black-owned space features many BIPOC women instructors who specialize in Pilates, HIIT, and other modalities. My favorite part about their classes is the music. Prepare to get down to Beyonc, some Afro pop, or 90s hip hop when you hit your squats.

3 Everybody Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles

Everybody Los Angeles has nearly everything, including an outdoor gym patio with battle ropes, weights, stationary bikes, and more. They have a wide variety of online classes, too, like Pilates, yoga, dance aerobics, and strengthening. They have sliding scale memberships, which is in alignment with their mission to create affordable, accessible, and adaptive fitness offerings for all.

4 Nonnormative Body Club

Location: Philadelphia

Founded by certified personal trainer, Asher Freeman, the intention of this group is to is "to remind people that our bodies belong to us, and we have every right to inhabit, nourish, and celebrate them as they are." They offer virtual personal training and virtual group classes such as: Mobility Mondays and bodyweight circuit training. There are also trans wellness resources as well as a database of other home workout offerings by BIPOC, trans, fat, and disabled trainers.

5 joyn

Location: Online

joyn has a bunch of body positive classes that not only look like a ton of fun, you can do them in the comfort of your home. They have kickboxing, yoga, dance, meditation, and more. If you want to try what they have to offer, some of their classes are free. I don't know about you, but have my eye on "Intro to Waacking."

6 Autonomy Movement

Location: Austin, TX

This wellness initiative is a size-inclusive, body-positive fitness studio. It was founded by Kim Gould, a licensed therapist who specializes in eating disorders and body image issues. In their classes, the instructors are trained in autonomy-specific motivational language to teach in a mindful way. Autonomy Movement also offers personal training, mental health counseling, and intuitive movement resources.

7 Body Image for Justice

Location: Jamaica Plain, MA

Justice Roe Williams started BI4J to gather the LGBTQIA community together to support the health and well-being of its members. Williams hosts workshops and is currently teaching bodybuilding and strength classes.

8 13th Flow

Location: Chicago

13th Flow is run by some of the most intelligent, socially-minded, coaches in the midwest: former pro CrossFit athlete and social worker, Elisabeth Akinwale and longtime strength and conditioning coach Kevin Brathwaithe. Their gym is focused on functional training with fluidity by meeting each individual where they are at, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Right now, 13th Flow has online programming for $13 a month and online classes.

9 Decolonizing Fitness

Location: Online

Decolonizing Fitness is not a gym, but an incredible resource for people to find queer and trans affirming spaces. They also provide tons of information for coaches, trainers, gym owners, and other people who are interested in unlearning toxic fitness culture.

10 Strive and Uplift

Location: Seattle, WA and Boulder, CO

Strive and Uplift is a strength and conditioning community that is focused on working with individuals at all fitness levels. They are dedicated to using non-gendered language while actively taking feedback from members to shape the values of the gym culture. Strive and Uplift has a variety of courses from bodyweight flows to kettlebell training. They also offer a sliding scale program for memberships.

11 Women's Strength Coalition

Location: Online

The Women's Strength Coalition has been a force in the powerlifting community by pushing for the creation of spaces where everyone can #SharethePlatform. They've hosted fundraising powerlifting meets all over the country to give to social-justice oriented nonprofits, and even started a woman-owned gym called Strength for All in NYC. They are currently not offering any classes, however, their website has a decent directory of affiliate gyms who are aligned with WSC's mission.

12 Dean Crossfit

Location: Brooklyn, NY

This Black-owned box is passionate about health and wellness as well as social justice. Unlike a lot of CrossFit gyms, they offer classes at different levels so that athletes at various fitness degrees can participate in a way they are most comfortable. They have a beautiful outdoor space, as well as a highly-equipped indoor facility. If you're more interested in working out in your living room, then Dean CrossFit also has something for you, too.

13 Push Fitness

Location: Salem, OR

This studio is for the moms! The instructors at PUSH specialize in prenatal and postnatal fitness, all the while celebrating this beautiful phase in life. They currently offer personal training, strength, Kinstretch classes, and more.

14 The Underbelly

Location: Online

The Underbelly was founded by the renowned Jessamyn Stanley, a yoga teacher and body positivity advocate. Here you can select from countless flows taught by Stanley herself, and it only costs $9.99 a month!

15 BLAQUE

Location: NYC

BLAQUE is seeking to create a boutique fitness space that is welcoming to all, but centers around the BIPOC experience. While they are not offering classes at the moment (you can only join their waitlist), their Instagram features plenty of movement tips, health and culture conversations, as well as beautiful pictures Black and Brown people living their best lives.

16 DANCE CHURCH

Location: Online

When I tried DANCE CHURCH for the first time, I felt like at child at play. Their guided improvisation dance classes are a space where you can truly let go and be who you are all the while breaking a sweat. It's pure jubilee. Join in.

17 the be.come project

Location: Online

The people of the be.come project believe that you should workout because you love your body, not because you're trying to fix that or shed this. This online program is "a body-neutral, I-can-do-it, go-on-and-love-yourself approach to boutique fitness in an accessible 25-minute routine." Each week, you practice the same routine so you can master the movements and enhance your mind/body connection. You can join for $35 a month.

18 solcana fitness

Location: Minneapolis

The three pillars of Solcana Fitness are: joyful health, community, and accountability. It's a functional training gym that is queer-friendly and social justice oriented. One of the latest online workshops is focused on helping people break away from harmful diet culture and embracing the awesomeness of your own body. Check out their page for virtual offerings and in-person classes.

19 Pop Gym

Location: NYC

Pop Gym is centered on empowering people not just in fitness but in their daily lives. They offer various types of programming at little to no cost such as yoga, self-defense, and deescalation workshops. They also have a bunch of health and wellness resources for the LGBTQIA community such as a directory of friendly facilities to train and exercise.

20 GumboFit

Location: Chicago

If you're a runner in Chi-town, you want to check this group out. The Nike-sponsored team of running enthusiasts are empowering BIPOC of all levels on the track, the trails, and the streets. The other cool thing about GumboFit is that they have their own media brand dedicated to exploring culture and politics within the Black diaspora. If you're curious about running with them, here's the good news: it doesn't cost anything to sign up.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of peoples interests online, whether thats playing Dungeons & Dragons over Zoom or taking virtual workout classes. But at least one of these interests, online chess, dates back at least 1,000 years. Why is playing chess online so popular?

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Chess is a deceptively simple gameeasy to learn, but hard to master, as one adage goeswhere each player has 16 pieces. These are eight pawns, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and a king and queen. The board has 64 squares, like a checkerboard, and is easy to refer to using a classic grid notation system used in maps and even the game Battleship: A, B, C, ... along one axis and 1, 2, 3, ... along the other.

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What this all means is that in order to play a game of chess online, you can work with two players who each have a complete chess set and send moves in word form. Even for the pawns, which are identical, players say knights pawn, bishops pawn, and so forth. That means the earliest online chess players were able to do the same thing: noting moves using grid notation and relative terms for their pieces.

Many of the most masterful chess games require very few moves, compared with how amateurs tend to play. High-level chess players think many steps ahead and can often telescope what their opponents will decide to do. And since each piece has a restriction, like pawns that can only move one square unless its their first move and take other pieces only diagonally, chess is a popular subject for study by game theorists, statisticians, combinatoricians, and more.

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The mathematical nature of the moves has made chess a popular thing to program, and chess-playing artificial intelligence has advanced beyond human players in key ways. A computer first beat a human in 1996, and after a few high-profile incidents, chess tournaments are kept very secure to prevent any kind of computer-aided cheating. Chess engines can run in tandem and give insights as viewers watch major chess matches online.

For a long time, people playing chess online in predecessor systems like bulletin boards could exchange short strings of characters that indicated their moves. You can do this with just lettersK for king, Q for queen, and so forthwith N for knight, since K is already in use.

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But online chess players, at least, have had another option since at least 1995, when documentation from Unicode confirms the chess pieces were part of the character set likely from the very first version of Unicode. Like card suits, logic and math notation, and certain map and public safety symbols, the people who designed computer fonts knew users were likely to need these special characters to put into newspaper chess columns, for example, or for the actual printing of maps without separate typesetting.

Today, that means almost any online chess arena can introduce full notation with all pieces represented in their real grid. That means games can be pretty low-techno one needs plug-ins or rendered artwork, and exchanging moves is only a few technical steps past sending them back and forth in emails or even the mail. And when much of online chess takes the form of speed matches played in 3 or even 1 minute (!), the less technical overhead, the better.

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If you want to wade into online chess, check out Chess.com for both games and a ton of lessons and help as you get started. The Free Internet Chess Server dates back decades, with browser games and an option to download their app. And Lichess, which is "just" 10 years old, is an open-source chess platform that hosts a million games a day.

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Chess Online: How to Play and Win Chess | Chess Tips & Strategies - Popular Mechanics