When it comes to next-level sneakers, Nike always seems to be on the cutting edge, and today is no exception. The athletic brand just announced its latest development, the new Nike Epic React Flyknit ($150), a running shoe that saw 17,000 miles of testing.

The result: a runner that is lightweight, durable, soft, and provides energy return.  According to the press team over at Nike, “It's ideal for distance workouts, recovery runs, and progression runs. It will be particularly appreciated by the everyday runner who wants their run to feel more enjoyable.” Basically, if you have a foot and you love to run, this shoe will put a smile on your face.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to get your hands on the Nike Epic React Flyknit until February 22 (I know, I know); however, I scored a pair ahead of the release date and have literally done some of the legwork for you.

My first encounter with the Nike Epic React Flyknit was in early November 2017—for about 10 minutes. As Nike employees watched, I stepped onto a treadmill in the brand’s NYC headquarters and ran for a little over a mile. Afterward, I typed a note on my phone that said “Light. Nice feel. I like. Familiar.” So these six words were literally my first reaction to this new silhouette.

Fast forward two months, when I got my very own pair of the new Nike running shoes, and was able to spend some more time and miles in them—both on the treadmill and around the running trails of Central Park. Now my opinion is a bit more informed. Here are my thoughts:

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The look

They are sleek and streamlined, but still look cool enough to turn heads. I find it a little weird that the midsole extends beyond the heel—but I only notice that when I am sitting with my legs crossed. On a personal note, I prefer the navy colorway to the white.

The feel

They are super comfy without being overly soft. Stepping into them is like pulling on your favorite pair of slippers. The weaving of the Flyknit upper feels tighter and sturdier than other Nike models I’ve worn, but still has enough give so that your foot won’t feel restricted. The shape and cut of the collar of the shoe worried me at first, because I thought I might experience rubbing, which would led me to retire these babies early. Luckily, there was no rubbing. In fact, it kind of just felt like I was wearing a low-cut sock.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Runner's Knee–Even If You're Not a Runner

The details

There are perforations along the front top portion of the shoe, making it super breathable. The temperature during my outside runs has hovered around the low 40s, and my feet were never freezing, so I’d say that they are suitable for chilly days. That beefy midsole, which is made of the new Nike-only proprietary technology React Foam, is what all the hoopla over this new release is about. 

This foam, which took more than 400 combinations of chemistry and processing to develop, is what makes you feel lighter and frankly faster on your feet. Also, the midsole and outsole are kind of one in the same here. The only distinguishing factor, in my opinion, are the pieces of clear rubber that are affixed to the forefoot and heel that add much-needed traction and make the shoe more durable.

The bottom line

I would be remiss if I didn’t note that this shoe reminds me of both the Brooks Levitate and the Adidas Ultra Boost  running shoes, two runners that are currently in heavy rotation for me. The Nike Epic React Flyknit feels noticeably lighter on my feet than these other two styles though, which is a big selling point for me. But, it isn’t as springy and responsive as the Brooks Levitate, nor is it as much of a lifestyle crossover kick as the Adidas Ultra Boost. 

That said, I think the Nike Epic React Flyknit is a good solid addition to the running space, and I am looking forward to continuing to pound the pavement in them over the next couple of months.

"You can do anything for 20 seconds." You might have heard that line in a workout class or on Daily Burn 365, when a trainer wants you to focus on an exercise, drive through the burn and push past what you think are your limits. Well, there’s a reason they want you to go short but hard. You only need to push at your max effort for 20 seconds to conquer a Tabata— a training technique founded by scientists back in the late 90s. Research still says this method improves your VO2 max and offers mega cardio benefits, not to it mention blasts calories fast.

Tabata workouts—a form of HIIT—specifically involve putting in 20 seconds of serious work, then resting for 10 seconds. You repeat this work-to-rest ratio for eight rounds. (Yes, that means you can get a solid workout in just four minutes.) Better yet, you can incorporate almost any exercise into a Tabata format (as long as you’re going at an intense effort), and you don’t need weights or a lot of space.

So, still thinking you have no time to squeeze in a workout? Put this total-body Tabata workout, courtesy of Daily Burn 365 trainer Prince Brathwaite, to the test today. You won’t even have to leave your living room.

RELATED: 9 Ways to Find Workout Motivation (Every Damn Day)

Your 8-Minute Total-Body Tabata Workout

Meet your new time-saving, body-burning, calorie-scorching workout. In true Tabata form, you’ll do the two exercises below for 20 seconds each, resting for 10 seconds in between. Repeat for eight rounds, alternating moves, so you hit a total of eight minutes. Do this whenever you can fit it in, and get ready to get fit.

RELATED: Design Your Own HIIT Workout with This Perfect Formula

RELATED: 3 Cardio Workouts Under 20 Minutes 

1. Ickey Shuffler

How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart (a). Quickly drive your knees up to your chest as you move toward your right side. Pump your arms so opposite arm comes up with opposite leg (b). After three steps, pause for a second, then drive off your toes and take three steps in the other direction (c). Continue powering through for 20 seconds.

RELATED: 3 Fat-Blasting HIIT Workouts to Try Now

2. Squat + Crawl Out + Push-Up

How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart (a). Push your hips back and drive your butt down to perform a squat (b). Without standing back up, place your hands on the ground and walk them forward so you hit a high plank (c). Perform a push-up, with your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles (d). Walk your hands back in toward your feet, then stand up (e). Repeat.

You’ve been doing everything right: loading up on greens, lifting weights, and going easy on the wine and late-night snacks. But whenever you step on the scale, the same digits stare back at you—or worse, the number is higher than it was last time. WTF?

Before you get too worked up, the scale doesn’t tell the whole story—and you know this! Fortunately there are other ways to gauge your progress: As you get healthier, a few subtle mind-body clues begin to surface. Read on to learn what to look for. If you can check any of the boxes below, it’s a safe bet you’re on the right track (even if the scale claims otherwise).

Your junk food cravings have mellowed out

Once you’ve adapted to a cleaner diet, your hankerings for sugar and processed foods should get less intense (and may even go away completely), says Mark Hyman, MD, director of the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. “You can absolutely train your body to crave healthy foods instead,” he says. In other words, jonesing for edamame is an excellent sign you’ve made headway.

Test your taste buds: Make a list of five foods you once craved; then after two weeks, note whether you crave them anymore. The shift can happen very quickly, says Dr. Hyman, who wrote The Blood Sugar Solution: 10-Day Detox Diet. “If you load up on plant foods, healthy fats, and protein with every meal, you will find that eventually you won’t want the junk.”

RELATED: 9 Before-and-After Photos That Show Weight Is Just a Number

You’re reaching for heftier dumbbells

So you finally started lifting—or doing body-weight workouts—to build fat-burning muscle. Here’s some encouraging news: You may notice progress stat. For some people, it takes just a few weeks to see improvements in strength. “This is often referred to as beginner’s gains,” says Kourtney Thomas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist based in St. Louis. (After that, progress may slow, but it should still happen over time.)

Track your gains: As a general rule, if your regimen includes progressive overload (meaning you gradually make your muscles work harder over time, by adding weight or tension) you should be able to lift weight that is 7 to 10 percent heavier—or do endurance strength moves (such as planks) for longer—after every 14 days or so. Try using specific exercises (think bicep curls and a squat hold) as "benchmarks," and testing yourself every two weeks or so. But keep in mind that fitness progress isn’t always linear, Thomas notes. “Other general clues like having more energy for workouts, and better balance and coordination are valuable indicators too,” she says.

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You’ve never felt more rested

“Exercise has been proven to not only boost your daytime energy, but your sleep quality, too,” says Marci Goolsby, MD, a physician in the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Researchers have found that when people with insomnia get on a long-term exercise program, they tend to doze off quicker, snooze longer, and sleep more deeply than before they started working out. (Just don’t bang out a HITT routine right before bed, Dr. Goolsby warns, because that might actually keep you up.)

Collect some data: Use a sleep tracker device for a few weeks. “It can give you some general feedback,” says Dr. Goolsby, such as how long it takes you to drift off, and how long (roughly) you spend in REM sleep (the deepest stage). Once you start noticing positive changes, you may be motivated to hit the hay earlier, she adds.

RELATED: 6 Weird Things That May Help You Sleep Better

Your appetite has changed

If your get-fit plan has you turned you into a gym rat, you may not be as hungry as usual—or, you may be famished. Exercise can actually have both effects: Some people experience a drop in appetite, while others crave more food.

If your end goal is a slimmer waist, feeling ravenous can be frustrating. But you may actually need more food to keep burning calories, says Thomas: “You might have to increase what you are eating to fuel your body through your exercise routine.”

Assess your eating habits: In a notebook or with voice recordings in your smartphone, keep tabs on your hunger levels and rough calorie intake. If you do notice you’re eating more since you’ve started crushing your workouts in full-on beast mode, that okay, says Dr. Hyman. “Just make sure you’re adding real, whole foods,” he says. “Eight hundred calories from an avocado is going to do dramatically different things to your body than 800 calories coming from gummy bears.”

RELATED: How to Control Your Hunger Hormones to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Your jeans fit differently

“Focusing on how your clothing feels is a good gauge for most people,” says Thomas, "as long as you recognize that sizing is a messed up mind game and are able to not worry about that." But don’t expect your pants to get looser necessarily; you may actually fill them out a bit better. This is what happens to Dr. Goolsby (who describes herself as not naturally muscular) when she starts a new workout. “If I start doing Spin, for example, all of a sudden I’m starting to notice my pants feel a bit tighter as I’m building my quads. It’s not because I’m gaining weight, I’m putting on muscle.”

Do a mirror check: If you want visual evidence of how your body is changing, consider snapping pics of yourself wearing the same outfit (and at the same time of day) every so often. (Note: If this habit becomes obsessive or makes you feel discouraged, it’s not worth doing.) Even just taking a mental note of how you feel physically in your clothes when you get dressed in the morning is fine.

Should you toss your scale?

The number on the scale is not worth fixating on—but that doesn’t mean weighing yourself is a complete waste, says May Tom, RD, an in-house dietitian at Cal-a-Vie Health Spa in Vista, California. “Having objective data to look at can help move people toward change,” she says. Research backs her up: Two recent studies have reaffirmed that people who step on the scale regularly tend to lose more weight than those who weigh themselves less frequently or not at all.

So how often should you weigh in? Once a week at most, says Tom. “That’s my usual recommendation if people feel like [the scale] keeps them on track and accountable,” she explains. “Any more than that and you can become frustrated if you don’t see progress.”

To prevent or alleviate tight shoulders, try these three key stretches, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Passive stretch
Stand in a doorway, facing the frame, and bend left arm 90 degrees to touch the frame. Rotate torso to right without moving legs. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.

Crossover arm stretch
Gently pull right arm across chest, just below chin, as far as possible without causing pain. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.

Forward Flex
Lie on back with legs straight. Use left arm to lift right arm overhead until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold for 15 seconds and slowly lower to start position. Relax and repeat on other side.

Life Time, a national gym chain, has removed cable news channels from the televisions in all of their 130 locations.

The company announced on Jan. 4 that they would no longer have CNN, FOX or MSNBC available on the large televisions in the cardio and fitness areas, as part of their “desire to uphold a positive, healthy way of life environment,” a spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

Life Time says the change came after “many member requests over time.”

“We made the decision to remove cable news channels from the large TV screens in the cardio and fitness floor areas at the start of 2018,” they explained in a statement. “This was based on many member requests received over time across the country, and in keeping with our overall healthy way of life philosophy and commitment to provide family oriented environments free of polarizing or politically charged content.”

However, Life Time adds, gym patrons can still watch cable news channels on the small screens attached to individual cardio machines, available at most of their gyms, or on personal devices using the gym’s Wi-Fi.

The announcement came with mixed feelings from gym-goers, with some supporting the decision to reduce the “constant barrage of negativity” from cable news, and others calling it “censorship.”

Six days after the announcement, the Life Time representative emphasized that they “certainly are not against news delivered accurately and respectfully, and we intend to continue to have appropriate news channels on some of our large screens.”