Mandy Oaklander | September 16, 2026

You’ve probably heard that strength training is one of the best anti-agers. It shores up your bones and joints, and it can even ease pain and lengthen your life.

What you might not know is how to start. Strength training sounds intimidating and agonizing, but in her new piece for TIME, Sarah Klein discovered it doesn’t have to be. Personal trainers told her the five moves everyone should start with—and they’re all surprisingly doable.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Go ahead, hype yourself up
How to postpone your tears
Pollution and your health

QUICK CHAT

Post-it psychology

I didn't expect an interview about coping mantras to leave me contemplating the psychological power of the humble Post-it note. But that's what happened when I talked to therapist Joanna Hardis, author of Just Do Nothing: A Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way.

Hardis loves Post-its so much they're featured on the cover of her book—and she thinks these tiny squares of paper can be surprisingly useful when you're trying to change your behavior. Naturally, I needed to know more. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Richard Drury—Getty Images

Why do you love Post-it notes so much?

They’re really useful for cueing yourself. When we’re trying to change behavior, we have to retrain the brain, and Post-its are helpful visual reminders you can put anywhere in your environment. They’re unobtrusive, but they give your brain some of the structure it needs to do what you want it to do—because otherwise, we’re just not going to remember.

Where should we put them?

Put them where you tend to get overwhelmed or where the behavior actually happens. It could be in your office, in your car, or near your computer. If you’re really anxious, your mind can go blank, so you want the reminder somewhere you’ll actually see it when you need it.

What should we write on them?

It could be a cue for something you want to remember or change. You can even write yourself a little hype note. I write them for my kids. The point is to give your brain a visual reminder instead of assuming you’ll remember something at exactly the moment you need it.

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TIME TO TALK

How to stop yourself from crying when it’s not a good time

Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Anna Orlova via Canva)

First your eyes sting. Then your throat tightens—and suddenly, you’re trying not to cry during a performance review or doctor’s appointment. Tears rarely consult your calendar. While you can’t always stop them, psychologists say it’s possible to turn down the intensity and postpone the emotional release until you’re somewhere safer.

Catch it at the first eye-sting

Your best chance is to act before the tears start rolling. Try an extended exhale: Breathe in normally, then let the air out as slowly as you can. Give your brain something boring to focus on, too. Plant both feet on the floor and silently notice neutral details: The carpet is gray. The chair feels cool. I can hear the air conditioner. That can interrupt the panic of Oh no, everyone can tell I’m about to cry—which only makes the tears harder to contain.

Say, “Give me a minute”

Sometimes the tears come anyway. Briefly naming what’s happening can feel better than staging an elaborate cover-up. Try: “Give me a minute,” or “Could you bear with me for a moment?” Once you’ve collected yourself, resist apologizing; crying is a human response, not a social offense. “Thank you for bearing with me” works just fine.

Consider returning to the feeling later. Postponing an emotion can be useful. Suppressing it is not.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

As the Trump Administration repeals carbon pollution rules for power plants, Simmone Shah reports for TIME on the decades of science showing that such pollution has toxic effects on the health of humans and the planet.
A U.S. pediatrician working with Doctors Without Borders gives an on-the-ground perspective on the current Ebola outbreak’s effects on children, in a story by Durrie Bouscaren at NPR.
Today, TIME and Statista released the World's Top HealthTech Companies of 2026, which are using digital technologies to make health care more effective and accessible.

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