Yes, 1-pound weights CAN build muscle!If you use them the right way.
We don’t require heavy weight to stimulate muscle growth—it just makes the process faster and more efficient. Light weights tend to produce the biggest gains in beginners, those recovering from injury, or when working smaller muscle groups. For example, doing leg presses with one pound would take a long time to build quad strength, but using one-pound weights for shoulder work can absolutely make a difference.
5 Simple Tools for Dealing with Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be draining, and when you're dealing with it, it can feel like it will never end. The good news is that research continues to uncover simple tools that may help reduce chronic pain. Even better, many of these strategies cost nothing and carry very little risk. If you’re living with chronic pain, these techniques may be worth trying.
Squats & Back Pain
You’ve probably heard that you should lift with your legs, not your back, when picking up something heavy. Believe it or not, the research is actually mixed on how much that truly matters.
Fiber & Cholesterol
I’m officially getting old. I can tell because more conversations than I’d like to admit now involve fiber and cholesterol.
Tips for What to Expect & What to Ask About Your Upcoming Surgery
After a recent knee surgery, I learned a few things I wished I’d known beforehand. Here are some of my suggestions to prepare for an upcoming surgery.
Should I Join the Weighted Vest Craze?
All over social media you’ll find people advocating that before a walk or a workout, weshould don a weighted vest to help build muscle faster.
Chasing the Runner’s High: How to Make Exercise Feel Better
We’d probably all exercise more if everyone experienced a runner’s high. Recently, someone suggested to me that maybe the runner’s high is a myth altogether.
Mindful Eating February 2026
We pick February for our Mindful Eating Challenge because it’s the shortest month of the year. We are not ashamed to admit it.
Acupuncture & Exercise for Neuropathy
Years ago I went to a training with Ron Fletcher, famous to those of us who LOVE Pilates. He was a dancer who taught Pilates into his 90’s and trained under Joe Pilates.
