Want to get in shape for summer, but not sure where to start? The Start TODAY app is here to help! From fitness challenges to meal plans to daily inspiration — the new wellness app from TODAY has it all!
The app’s “Chief Motivation Officer” is a man who has inspired TODAY fans for decades — Al Roker. He’s joined by Stephanie Mansour, TODAY Fitness Contributor, and a team of best-in-class personal trainers and dietitians to help you make your health goals a reality with step-by-step routines and workouts, meal plans, expert advice and more.
There are three main pillars in the app to help you reach your goals:
- Fitness
- Nutrition
- Inspiration
Here’s what to know, plus how to sign up and get started!
Fitness in the Start TODAY app
Our fitness experts have created 7-day, 14-day and month-long challenges across 12 disciplines to fit any type of lifestyle and schedule.
“Over the last eight years, we’ve been creating workout challenges with TODAY.com and the TODAY show and using a fine-toothed comb to see what our viewers love and what they want more of,” Mansour said. “Our viewers and Start TODAY members have told us that they love walking, walking workouts, accessible strength training routines, workouts with modifications, stretch routines to help reduce pain and increase flexibility, as well as using simple equipment like a yoga mat, dumbbells, or resistance bands.”
The Start TODAY app customizes the categories to match your interests, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced. They also are tailored so that they do not require a ton of space — you can do them at the gym, at home or even outside.
Join our June 30-Day Strength & Mobility for Walkers Challenge, which is designed to improve balance and stability, hip mobility, flexibility, lower-body strength and core strength — all with the goal of improving your walking form and speed and reducing risk of injury to help you get the most out of your walking routine.
“The good news is this won’t only improve your walking or running form and speed, but also your overall fitness and functional movement in daily life. Plus, cross training increases adherence to an exercise routine, reduces your risk of injury, and keeps your workouts more entertaining,” Mansour explains.
A big focus is to take the guesswork out of your daily workout and avoid boredom to keep you on track for your fitness goals. Many of the challenges include guided audio walking workouts with Al, Stephanie and other trainers.
The fitness workouts and challenges on the app are across all the following categories:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Mobility
- Walking
- Barre
- Dance cardio
- Strength
- Resistance bands
- Core
- Flexibility
- Cardio
- HIIT
- Chair workouts
Back in March, personal trainer Lacee Green, known as The Curvy Girl Trainer on social media, led her 31-Day Bust a Mood Challenge and challenged everyone to shift their habits every day in just 5 minutes.
“It’s all about fitness for everybody and every body,” Green said. “Finding the joy and dropping the judgment. It’s just starting where you are, loving who you are right where you are as you work on who you’re becoming.
“When you think about 10 years from now, you’re not going to be thinking about a number on a scale or a pant size,” she continued. “You’re going to be thinking about, ‘I’m so grateful that I put the habits in place to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle with movement that feels good.’ Whenever fitness is fun, that means you’re doing it right.”
Meal plans on the Start TODAY app
Led by registered dietitian and TODAY nutrition editor Natalie Rizzo, the Start TODAY app takes the frustration out of healthy eating by doing the work for you.
Proper nutrition is key to reaching your health goals. “Fitness is a crucial part of a health journey, but it’s impossible to reach all your health goals without a well-balanced diet full of healthy foods. As a matter of fact, nutrition plays a pivotal role in your fitness journey. Food supplies energy for exercise and helps the muscles recover and grow stronger after a workout,” Rizzo explains.
The meal plans are broken down into five categories based on individual goals:
- Budget-friendly
- Heart-healthy
- Quick and easy
- Mediterranean diet
- Weight loss
Each week, Rizzo analyzes hundreds of recipes to bring you the ones that will best fit your plan and take the guesswork out of healthy eating.
“For example, for the heart-healthy plan, as a dietitian I know that you want to look for things high in fiber, high in omega-3s and ingredients like potassium, so I go through the recipes to find those types of ingredients.”
The meals in the quick and easy plan can be on the table in 30-minutes or less, while the budget-friendly plans may include potatoes, ground beef or canned beans that are relatively inexpensive.
Each week’s plan includes three breakfasts, four lunches, and seven dinners to give you variety while keeping things manageable. Additionally, each recipe comes with a brief explanation of why it’s included and the health benefits it provides. Each weekly meal plan comes with a shopping list to make healthy eating even easier.
“My nutrition knowledge is put into these meal plans so people don’t have to do this research themselves,” Rizzo said.
Inspiration on the Start TODAY app
Of course, you might need some words of wisdom to help you fit that workout in or eat that healthy meal on a day when everything feels like a struggle.
Our inspiring personal trainers, meditation experts and dietitians will share some ways to get up and moving when you’re stuck in a rut. And Al Roker has you covered with daily inspiration and advice about how he’s stayed on track during tough times.
Another important component of the app is helping you build healthy habits with daily prompts to take small actions that can add up to big improvements over time.
Whether it’s taking a deep, cleansing breath, starting the day with a smoothie or drinking more water, these simple goals can give your day a boost.
And then when you’ve ticked off your daily workouts and healthy habit prompts, you’ll be rewarded with badges that celebrate your achievements and help you see how far you’ve come!
For the monthly workout plan, including daily strength, mobility and stretching routines —plus meal plans, walking podcasts and inspiration — download the Start TODAY app now!
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