Want a full-body workout? The machine you need has been in your gym all along.

Shoulders down, back straight, abs tight, Fola Awosika instructed during a Foundations class at RowVigor in Arlington, the area’s first pop-up rowing studio. Then: “You want your legs to do the bulk of the work.”

Wait, what? “Your legs are the strongest part,” he explained, despite the commonly held belief that rowing is all about the upper body. In fact, rowing engages 86 percent of muscles, an English Institute of Sport study found.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/want-a-full-body-workout-the-machine-you-need-has-been-in-your-gym-all-along/2016/11/09/636bbbae-a084-11e6-a44d-cc2898cfab06_story.html?utm_term=.1c4c45d1325e

Big history in little Clifton, Va.

Virginia was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, but an area in the northern part of the state became a place for the Union Army to rest and refuel. Later, in 1902, that area became the town of Clifton.

Today Clifton is a popular destination for foodies, history buffs and nature lovers. You can cover a day’s meals and years of history during a stroll along the quarter-square-mile town’s Main Street.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/big-history-in-little-clifton-va/2016/11/30/30c6a814-a5f0-11e6-8fc0-7be8f848c492_story.html?utm_term=.0639c92d8f33

Apps can help you increase the impact of your workouts with HIIT

The workout du jour is high-intensity interval training, and this is one format that might be here to stay. It requires only a few minutes of (really) hard work to cover all the major muscle groups.

HIIT, as it’s called, alternates short periods of all-out activity with even briefer breaks. Just how short is short? Typically 20 to 30 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of recovery — spiking metabolism and tricking your body into thinking it rested.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/apps-can-help-you-increase-the-impact-of-your-workouts-with-hiit/2016/08/31/70df0ab8-54ec-11e6-bbf5-957ad17b4385_story.html

Parents invent a social network app for children

Ah, parenthood. It’s an umbrella term for so many jobs: scheduler, social secretary, chauffeur. ... But in the digital age, can some of those tasks be outsourced to an app? That was the original idea behind KidMix, an app Lisa and Clay Goldberg of Maryland launched in May). The couple started developing a way to let youngsters plan play dates, which evolved into creating a social network for children.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/parents-invent-a-social-network-app-for-children/2016/09/28/0dbd4bd2-6498-11e6-8b27-bb8ba39497a2_story.html

Hotels Partner with Big-Name Chefs to Elevate Both Their Brands

It used to be that hotel restaurants served food that was underwhelming and overpriced. But in recent years, renowned chefs have been attaching themselves to the dining choices at similarly renowned hotels. Now, hotels new and old are cooking up ways to get a known name in the galley.

http://washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14237:hotels-partner-with-big-name-chefs-to-elevate-both-their-brands&catid=1549:october-2016&Itemid=428

Mark My Gourd: 18 Local Pumpkin Patches and Festivals to Pick-Your-Own

‘Tis the season for ghosts, ghouls, goblins and, of course pumpkins. It seems the latter is everywhere, pervading coffees, pies, even cereal. (Have you been to Trader Joe’s lately?!) Perennial pumpkin fun abounds around the D.C. region. Farms transform into playgrounds full of fall frills, such as hayrides, giant slides and pick-your-own future jack-o-lantern. Whether you’re looking for straight pumpkin pickin’ off the vine or something with activities to kill a day with, there’s a farm or festival to meet all tastes.

http://redtri.com/dc/local-pumpkin-patches-to-pick-your-own/#

Can an app replace a personal trainer?

Fitness apps designed to serve as surrogate personal trainers are a dime a dozen — except, of course, for those that cost $29.99 per year. That price is steep in the app world but is much better than a trainer’s hourly rate of $50 or more.

Such cost savings are a big reason people are turning to apps that show videos, pictures and diagrams of weightlifting moves, yoga poses, running techniques and cycling routines. Another is time. With an app, there’s no worrying about scheduling appointments; the trainer is right there in your pocket, ready whenever you are. Another benefit is that apps can be less intimidating than human trainers.

“If it does anything to get you off the couch or get you motivated and get you moving in some way, shape or form, then I think that’s a pro to an app,” said Isiah Munoz, personal training manager at Vida Fitness.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/can-an-app-replace-a-personal-trainer/2016/07/06/87121020-2457-11e6-9e7f-57890b612299_story.html