Frozen shoulders will eventually get better, but they can cause significant pain.
The British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS) is our discovery of the day or maybe the week or even the year (my life is not that exciting). The Freeze Shoulder Society exercises couldn't have come at a better time if you know what I'm talking about.
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Fitfluencer is a thing. A suitable influencer can be controversial. Method Man, however, is the real deal.
Obviously, if you've trained 100 pound dumbbells like it isn't a big deal, you are not a celebrity or a potential goldmine of search engine optimized websites.
But, aside, we salute Clifford Smith Jr., aka Method Man, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan collective who played cheese in The Wire, who starred in How High, for now being a bona fide fitfluencer.
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Should we teach resistance training instead of sensitivity training?
"If we do not keep the barbaric virtues, it will be of little use to win the civilized ones."
– Theodore Roosevelt
The First World War began in 1914. The glorious war, which was to be over by Christmas, turned into the bloodiest four years the world had ever seen (until then, anyway).
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Covid, travel restrictions, a regime change and now CrossFit athletes are being told to swim and paddle at the CrossFit games. Take a break, Willya.
Since Greg Glassman left CrossFit, the company has moved to Colorado, it has signed executives who actually executed, and it has got its community back into competition.
Of course, there's still David Castro, now the CrossFit Games Director, who seems to be enjoying the drama of the teasing reveal of workouts for competitors. On his Instagram page, Castro recently wrote: "Swimming – distance; long. And paddling; distance – even longer."
Continue reading
Fitfluencer is a thing. A suitable influencer can be the subject of discussion. Method Man, however, is the real deal.
Obviously, if you've trained 100 pound dumbbells like it isn't a big deal, you are not a celebrity or a potential goldmine of search engine optimized websites.
But, aside, we salute Clifford Smith Jr., aka Method Man, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan collective who played cheese in The Wire, who starred in How High, for now being a bona fide fitfluencer.
Continue reading
Covid, travel restrictions, a regime change and now CrossFit athletes are being told to swim and paddle at the CrossFit games. Take a break, Willya.
Since Greg Glassman left CrossFit, the company has moved to Colorado, it has signed executives who actually executed, and it has got its community back into competition.
Of course, there's still David Castro, now the CrossFit Games Director, who seems to be enjoying the drama of the teasing reveal of workouts for competitors. On his Instagram page, Castro recently wrote: "Swimming – distance; long. And paddling; distance – even longer."
Continue reading
TCL 20 Pro 5G
RRP $ 500.00
"TCL's screen expertise shines through in the TCL 20 Pro 5G, but the rest of the phone – from the camera to the software – does not meet the same standards and falls behind the competition."
advantages
Excellent screen for videos
Good gaming performance
disadvantage
Only 60Hz refresh rate
Unreliable software
No watertightness
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is designed like a phone that would have pushed a manufacturer's product range to the top a few years ago and would have cost four-digit numbers back then. While the 20 Pro 5G is also at the top of TCL's growing line of smartphones, it costs just $ 500.
That alone got me to try it out, and the more recommendations we can give at this price, the better. However, my weeks with the TCL 20 Pro 5G turned out to be a rollercoaster ride with a shaky start and persistent ups and downs, but it paid off enough to give it a try. The question is, did it completely do it? That's the way it is.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is definitely a piece of smartphone nostalgia, as we've seen phones that look like this before. It's 8.8mm thin and tapers to a relatively sharp point on either side of the slim screen with an aspect ratio of 20: 9. A polished section on the matte black glass back gives it character and repeats a design we saw earlier on the Huawei P30 Pro, but here the camera lenses are flush with the case.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It is not only reminiscent of Huawei's phone, but also older devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro, Oppo Find X2 Pro and various Samsung Galaxy phones including the Galaxy S8. Although the design is very pretty and the width makes it easy to hold and use with one hand, it has the same problems as the phones a few years ago – it's delicate, it absolutely slips off and the sides do it uncomfortable to handle. However, at 190 grams, it's lighter than many modern large phones.
There is a clear TPU case in the box and I felt the need to use it due to the sharp sides and slipperiness of the phone. A 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition, there's a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom of the phone and a single speaker too. The power and volume buttons are thin slivers of metal, plus there's a smart key on the left side of the phone that can be customized to perform actions like waking the Google Assistant, activating the camera, taking a screenshot, or the full Deactivate can perform. I was forced to disable it as I almost always accidentally pressed the button during normal use.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It's hard not to consider the TCL 20 Pro 5G "old" when placed next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 + as it shows how the design has changed since the time the 20 Pro 5G would have looked fresh. The Samsung cell phone is roughly the same size and weight, but is much more comfortable to hold, less slippery and arguably more stylish. Is old something bad? No, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is very pretty indeed, but it's a little frustrating that TCL failed to avoid the pitfalls of similar phones when the design was used in 2021.
My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone. I set up all of the test phones from scratch with my primary SIM card, but the first time with the 20 Pro 5G it was a disaster. I had problems with screen recognition of taps, auto brightness didn't work, I received almost no notifications, and my battery life was very poor. It got so bad I reset the phone and tried again, but nothing changed, so I stopped using it and asked TCL about incoming software updates.
I reset the phone a third time after waiting but didn't hear any software update news and, oddly enough, the phone has worked a lot better since then. I didn't apply any software updates outside of the reset / setup process. I test a lot of phones and have never come across them. I note because if you buy a TCL 20 Pro 5G and find that it isn't working properly, some resets can cure it.
My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone
The phone has Android 11 with the TCL v3.0 user interface which is relatively straightforward and is close to the vanilla Android experience you get with the Google Pixel series. However, the organization of apps in the app drawer is set to Category by default, which is less intuitive than alphabetical in my opinion, and there are various pre-installed apps as well as shortcut icons to services like setting up the smart key, locking the screen, and accessing the TCL support pages.
Notifications are more reliable than when you first started, but the phone tends to just stop showing them on the lock screen and not start again until you unlock the phone. I've also experienced some strange app instability with Outlook refusing to work on a cellular connection but apparently fine when connected to Wi-Fi.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Edge detection is not as good as it should be. For example, I still sometimes accidentally switch from one app to another when I swipe. On the positive side, the system is fast and I really like the different always-on-screen designs, especially the one with the time shown in red on the side of the display. It's so clear and legible, even from a distance. Although the TCL 20 Pro 5G is now working to the point that I can use it on a daily basis, it still has its problems, which, combined with my early experiences, doesn't give me much confidence in it.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution and HDR10 certification, but only with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Inside there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with 6 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage. TCL is a screen expert and we rate their TVs highly, so I had similarly high expectations for the TV on the 20 Pro 5G phone.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The phone's screen doesn't disappoint. TCL's NXTVISION display engine improves colors and contrasts very effectively. I put it next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 +, a phone that costs twice as much with a display that I think looks amazing, and the TCL 20 Pro 5G improves on it. When looking at Carfection's view of the Singer Porsche 911 DLS, the colors are richer and livelier and the shadows are dark, yet rich in detail. It's really beautiful, and it does really well with the iPhone 12 Pro's wonderfully natural palette too.
That's quite a feat for a $ 500 smartphone, so it's a real shame that TCL didn't choose a screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz or higher. This is a feature we see even on the cheapest phones currently available and also on the TCL 20 Pro's main competitor, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. I missed the nice fluid scrolling when using Twitter or Chrome which adds a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen's performance is also hurt by the single speaker, which is easily obscured by the hand and, unsurprisingly, lacks depth and bass.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I had no complaints about the speed of the Snapdragon 750G and enjoyed playing on the TCL 20 Pro 5G. I've played both Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact and found the phone very comfortable to hold in landscape mode. It didn't get hot either and the games ran smoothly. The nice contrast and colors of the screen make gaming one of the phone's strong points.
The 4,500 mAh battery offers two days of moderate use, but it doesn't like it when you squeeze the phone even a little harder, especially when you want to take advantage of the screen. After normal usage plus an hour of gameplay, some YouTube, and a video call, the battery would have dropped to 20% by the end of the first day. Charging is done with an included 18W charger, which takes a slow two hours to fully charge the phone.
The phone's screen doesn't disappoint
It has a sub-6-5G connection that works with T-Mobile, but compatibility with AT&T is limited to 4G LTE due to the bands supported by the phone. The WiFi connection has a shorter range than other phones, but the call quality was good.
There are four cameras on the back of the TCL 20 Pro 5G. The 48 megapixel main camera has a f / 1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and is supported by a 16 MP wide angle camera, a 2 MP depth camera and a 5 MP macro camera when you put the phone in the USA buy macro camera has 2 megapixels. You can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second and take selfies with the 32 MP hole punch camera at the top of the screen.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
For general everyday use, the camera is acceptable, but don't expect it to compete with or be particularly inspired by the Google Pixel 4a or Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. What is clear is that if you want to take a decent sharable photo, stick with using the main camera for stills. The problem is an inconsistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, with the main camera remaining neutral in terms of colors and exposure, while the wide-angle camera over-saturates, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.
Low-light indoor shots with the camera's night mode are average and don't expose a lot of details, the macro camera (here the 2MP version) is awkward to use as it doesn't have autofocus, and even if you set the distance just right, photos are still not very inspiring. The 2x zoom setting in the camera app accesses a digital zoom and videos look washed out in normal outdoor lighting.
You pay $ 500 for the TCL 20 Pro 5G and it can be purchased through Amazon. In the UK it costs £ 499 and is available through retailers such as Argos. There are two color options, Marine Blue or Moondust Gray (seen in our photos), but only a 256GB storage option is available.
This isn't TCL's first smartphone, but it still feels like TCL hasn't quite gotten going. The screen is the best part of the phone that is the company's specialty, but the rest is broken down into positives and negatives. It gets the design and usability of the software right, but mistakes and inconsistencies destroy my confidence in them. The main camera takes good photos, but wide-angle and video performance lag far behind the competition.
The battery is fine with light usage, but efficiency suffers as you use the phone more intensively, which suggests it needs improvement. While I like the overall design of the phone, many will not like the curved screen and its imprecise touch detection, as well as the sharp sides. This makes the TCL 20 Pro 5G difficult to recommend, especially since there is stiff competition at both higher and lower prices.
Yes. We recommend the $ 500 Samsung Galaxy A52 5G with a 90Hz screen, a pretty design that is more durable due to an IP water resistance rating, the same processor, an attractive screen, and longer software support. The $ 500 Google Pixel 4a 5G is another option with even better software and support, as well as a better camera.
When 5G isn't a necessity, you can spend less and still get a great phone. The $ 350 Google Pixel 4a is still a solid buy, albeit showing its age, as is the much newer OnePlus Nord CE for $ 420 / £ 299 if you live outside the US, and if you want an Apple phone, the $ 400 iPhone SE should be a top consideration too.
TCL intends to provide two Android version updates and two year security updates for the 20 Pro 5G. That is sufficient, but it stands behind what Samsung offers with the Galaxy A52 5G and behind Apple's support for the iPhone series. The phone is made of glass and has no IP water resistance, so you need to be careful with it. The software update schedule and lack of durability mean that after two years you will likely be ready to upgrade.
No. While the screen on the TCL 20 Pro 5G is impressive, the battery life is not very long, it is slow to charge, it is less durable than some of its competitors, and I have concerns about the reliability of the software.
Editor's recommendations
Should we teach hardness training instead of sensitivity training?
"If we do not keep the barbaric virtues, it will be of little use to win the civilized ones."
– Theodore Roosevelt
The First World War began in 1914. The glorious war, which was to be over by Christmas, turned into the bloodiest four years the world had ever seen (until then, anyway).
Continue reading
It is common for a client's skin to have a combination of skin problems. You can see changes in texture, redness, loss of elasticity, or dry, flaky skin. If you're wondering how to repair and protect skin that is tender and dry, we have a Repair & Protect facial treatment plan to replenish your clients' skin barrier.
Start by cleaning your client's skin to remove any blemishes, dirt, or makeup build-up. The Coconut Milk Cleanser is formulated for dry skin and contains coconut milk, calendula oil, virgin coconut oil and a BioComplex. These natural ingredients protect and maintain the appearance of the skin during the BioComplex minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Another option that works for all skin types is the gentle Stone Crop Gel Wash. With chamomile, stone crop and shea butter, this cleanser provides moisture and minimizes the appearance of blemishes.
Our Stone Crop Hydrating Mist was developed for the appearance of uneven skin textures. It contains stone fruit juice, lavender, and jasmine to help increase the skin's moisture levels. Moisture is the key to improving the texture of the skin, leaving the skin looking radiant and moisturized.
If your client has sunburned skin, skip the exfoliating and extraction step. Otherwise, perform extractions as needed. For a peeling, apply the Rosehip & Maize Exfoliating Masque in a ratio of 1: 1 mixed with water. Leave the mask on for five to seven minutes before removing it with a warm, damp cloth. Rose hip moisturizes and improves the complexion, while cornmeal and salicylic acid gently remove dead skin. In this step you can offer an additional lip peeling with the Citrus Enzyme Lip Exfoliator. Apply a thin layer of scrub to the lip and leave it on for five minutes. Remove with a damp sponge, then blot with a tissue or clean towel.
If your client's skin is suffering from environmental stress, the soothing face and body hydrator with rose hip and lemongrass is recommended to soothe dry skin. No massage is required. It contains rose hip and aloe to moisturize and revitalize the appearance of the skin. This hydrator contains a Natural repair complex is extracted from rose hips and rosemary to protect the skin from the drying effects of environmental stress.
Apply the masks after extractions with a facial massage or simply as a leave-on mask. For oily skin, apply the moisturizing Stone Crop Masque to minimize greasiness and improve uneven skin tone. Honey, lemon and stone fruits provide moisturizing effects to smooth the complexion. Emulsify a small amount of the mask in your hand with a few drops of water and apply the face mask to the entire face and, if desired, the neck and décolleté area. Let it dry for five to ten minutes before removing and rinsing it with a lukewarm cloth to make sure the skin is clean.
Apply the Yellow Sweet Clover Anti-Redness Masque to dry or normal skin following the same steps as the above mask. With jojoba oil and sweet clover, this is a gentle product made from biodynamic® ingredients from Demeter International Certified Biodynamic® farms.
Now is a good opportunity for you to offer your customer an additional treatment for the neck, décolleté as well as hand and foot treatment. Apply the moisturizing Rose Hip & Lemongrass Soothing Hydrator or Apricot Body Oil. Massage in and allow to take effect.
If your customer is afraid of puffy eyes, you can perform an additional eye treatment with the cucumber eye gel. Cucumber, shea butter, and bearberry work together to rejuvenate the appearance of the skin and minimize puffiness in this sensitive area.
It's time your client felt relaxed and calm with a facial massage. Mix the rose hip and lemongrass repair balm with a few drops of either the Facial Recovery Oil or the Rosehip Triple C + E Firming Oil. Emulsify, apply and massage in for five to seven minutes. Carefully remove the excess product with a warm, damp cloth.
Instead of massaging the sunburned skin, apply the rose hip and lemongrass repair balm lightly and top it off with a mist of the Stone Crop Hydrating Mist.
If the area under the eyes has very dark circles, you can apply an additional eye treatment with the Wild Plum Eye Cream to lighten the area.
Regardless of the skin type of your customer, combine the Calm Skin Arnica Booster Serum and the Stone Crop Serum and apply a layer to the skin and let it take effect.
An important step in repairing your client's skin is moisturizing. For dry skin types, use the ultra-rich rose hip and lemongrass repair balm. This product is often recommended here as it improves the skin tone, texture, and appearance of dry skin. For oily skin types, apply the Rosehip & Lemongrass Soothing Hydrator for Face & Body. Normal skin types can use both products. For extremely sensitive skin, add a few drops of the Rosehip Triple C + E Firming Oil and apply gently.
Apply a thin layer of Marine Flower Peptide Eye Cream or Bearberry Eye Repair Cream to the eye area. Use gentle mixing agitation until the product is absorbed and allow it to act.
To protect against sun damage, apply a moisturizer with a sun protection factor and leave it on. The Red Currant Protective Moisturizer SPF 40 is ideal for combination skin and normal skin. It contains zinc oxide, a natural mineral that forms a physical barrier and protects the skin from sun damage. Also formulated with Youth Shield Antioxidant Complex (Red currant, elderflower, magnolia bark) this sun protection minimizes the appearance of signs of aging.
For normal, hyperpigmented skin, apply the Bright Skin Moisturizer SPF 40, which combats the appearance of dark spots and provides sun protection. You can use Tropical Vanilla Day Cream SPF 40 for all skin types. With a relaxing, tropical vanilla scent, this sunscreen contains shea butter and aloe that moisturize the skin while providing sun protection. Finally, apply Sun Defense Minerals SPF 30 for an additional sun care step on all skin types.
End this treatment by protecting your client's lips with the Citrus Lip Balm or the Rosehip & Lemongrass Lip Balm SPF 15. To add color, mix some powder makeup into the balm, for example No.4 or No.5 sun protection minerals.
What skin care treatment ideas do you have for clients with dry skin? Let us know in the comments below or on social media! You can also browse our full range of professional products that use the best natural, organic and biodynamic ingredients. And for more award-winning training, find out how to become an Eminence Organics Spa Affiliate.
"You'll fall in love with the Luxe's minimalist look as it chases everything in the background."
advantages
Minimalist design makes it subtle
Sharp looking AMOLED display
Exceptional battery life
It's hard for me to believe it's been five long years since I last checked a Fitbit. It seemed like ages ago, but I suppose the reason I stopped trying them was because smartwatches were growing in popularity – which showed me that they too were more than capable of tracking health data.
One of the early Fitbits I fell in love with was the Flex because it was discreet and didn't attract as much attention as a smartwatch, which is probably the same reason that made me choose the company's newest tracker, the Luxe, pulls out. There's no doubt about the need for a fashionable design, but the Luxe competes at a time when smartwatches have evolved significantly to effectively cover more than a standard fitness tracker's functionality.
When I look at my wrist, there is a permanent untanned part from the Apple Watch that once adorned the spot. It is reminiscent of the overwhelming nature of some smartwatch designs. With the Fitbit Luxe in its place, however, I forget the sweetness of the minimalist look. I chose the black / graphite-colored stainless steel version of the Luxe, which is a refreshing change. The black rubber band has a subtle contrast to the graphite stainless steel chassis.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
While my special color version of the Luxe prefers a more neutral tone, which I appreciate because it stays subtle and doesn't stand out like other smartwatches, Fitbit offers it in two other colorful combinations – orchid / platinum stainless steel and moon white / soft gold stainless steel.
And finally, there is the Fitbit Luxe Special Edition, which features a gold Parker link bracelet made of stainless steel in favor of the standard elastic band. Sure, it has a nifty look that effectively masks the tracker to make it look more like a piece of jewelry. While I wouldn't aim for it, I know it can appeal to individuals who don't want to openly flaunt a piece of tech gear on them.
The crown jewel of the Luxe is without question the beautiful AMOLED display. It's tiny, probably less than an inch diagonal by my estimate, but that doesn't change its vivid colors, sharp detail, and precise touch responses. Its size perfectly suits its purpose: a fitness tracker that records information in the background – all while looking and staying discreet on the wrist.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
In order to become familiar with the operation of the touchscreen, no large investments are required, as you are heavily dependent on the typical swiping movements of other smartwatches. It's pretty responsive and I enjoy some of the little touches like how the screen automatically turns on when you lift the Luxe towards you, as well as covering the display with your palm to quickly turn it off.
This is my first time using a Fitbit with a color screen and it's an upgrade I'm happy with. While I was intrigued by the glitz and the larger size of other fitness tracker displays (the Samsung Gear Fit comes to mind), I find the more humble nature and smaller size of the Luxe's AMOLED display equally compelling.
As with other modern fitness trackers, the Luxe offers all relevant health statistics on the device itself without having to check this on a smartphone. It's convenient to say the least, but there are some “light” smartwatch functions available to you – like setting timers and alarms, starting exercise routines, and receiving notifications. The latter actually allows you to choose which apps you want to receive notifications from, which is handy so you don't get bombarded with irrelevant things all the time.
On the app side, the Fitbit app is just as rich in information and detail as it was when I last used it. Anything that Luxe is chasing breaks open the app. I am particularly impressed with its sleep tracking which gives me a sleep score similar to that of Sleep Number beds.
However, I'm still a little shocked that the Luxe can mislead me into taking steps when in fact I just moved my hand from side to side. This isn't an issue that's limited to Fitbit trackers only, but I thought it was somehow fixed by now. I really don't think it matters anything in my experience, but I can clearly see how the persecution can be skewed if you do this frequently.
As you would expect, the Fitbit Luxe works similarly to other fitness trackers. That means it tracks steps, resting / active heart rate, your sleep, and your exercises. All of this is fantastic, something I expect from any fitness tracker these days. However, it lacks one critical feature that I think could add a little more usefulness to its arsenal.
I forget the sweetness of the minimalist look.
I'm talking about an integrated mobile payment solution. In that case, it would have been Fitbit Pay, something available on its other smartwatch-like trackers. Personally, I have relied heavily on mobile payment solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay, even more so when there are situations where I don't happen to have my phone with me. Fitbit Pay would have given the Luxe enormous added value, but unfortunately it is missing.
Fitbit's rating of up to 5 days is still better than most smartwatches. Take the Apple Watch I used, for example, which requires nightly charges. Amazingly, the Luxe managed to surpass Fitbit's ambitious claims by standing almost 7 full days before a charge. To reduce battery consumption, I only set notifications for text messages and a mobile game that I play religiously. As much as I loathe proprietary chargers, I understand the reasons behind them, so take extra care not to lose this with the Luxe.
I still have a sweet spot for the Fitbit Flex. It was the beginning of the fitness tracker, and like them, the Luxe brings back some of that nostalgia. In fact, the Luxe seems to me to be the modern upgrade from the little old tracker I fell in love with many years ago.
The price isn't too shabby either. At $ 150, the Luxe isn't overly expensive compared to the Apple Watch SE's $ 279 startup cost. While I crave more feature, fitness trackers like this one have the advantage of focusing on the primary fitness stuff above everything else.
Functionally, most smartwatches can be better alternatives if they are relatively cheap in price. The Mobvoi TicWatch E3 and Apple Watch SE come to mind, but the tradeoff for superior utility is that the battery life is nowhere near that of the Luxe.
Alternatively, the Fitbit Charge 4 would be a similar offering to the Luxe, but with a lower price point and support for Fitbit Pay.
Fitbit designed the Luxe to be waterproof up to 50 m, so occasional showering or hand washing doesn't matter. The elastic can wear out over time, but luckily, it's easy to replace.
Fitbit offers a one-year limited warranty that covers other defects that may occur.
Yes, if you really love its minimalist design. It currently tracks almost all major health metrics, but will also get oxygen saturation monitoring in a future update.
Editor's recommendations
