Gretchen Reynolds

New Mexico

Health columnist focusing on exercise science and fitness

Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, English Literature and Political Science

Gretchen Reynolds is the author of the "Your Move" column for The Washington Post. Reynolds is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about the science of exercise and health for more than 15 years, first at the New York Times and now at The Post. Reynolds joined The Post after 16 years writing for the New York Times, where she created the popular "Phys Ed" column, which focused on exercise advice and the science of movement. One of her best-known stories was about a hotel-room workout developed by two exercise scientists. She dubbed it "the scientific 7-minute workout," and it beca
Latest from Gretchen Reynolds

The 93-year-old rower fascinated readers. What questions do you have for him?

Join us for a live chat on Thursday at 12 p.m. Eastern time with Your Move columnist Gretchen Reynolds and the nonagenarian’s grandson.

January 25, 2024

At 93, he’s as fit as a 40-year-old. His body offers lessons on aging.

The human body maintains the ability to adapt to exercise at any age, showing that it’s never too late to start a fitness program.

January 16, 2024

How well are you aging? How to discover your ‘fitness’ age.

A few simple health measures can estimate your “fitness age” -- whether your body is biologically older — or younger — than your chronological age.

January 10, 2024

Are you fit for your age? Try our New Year’s tuneup to find out.

We asked exercise experts for easy ways to test fitness for balance, mobility, grip strength, stamina and more.

January 1, 2024

Try this low-impact winter workout for busy people

This simple scientific workout includes just three exercises and can fit into anyone’s holiday schedule.

December 20, 2023

The many, many reasons space travel is bad for the human body

Humans evolved in conditions of plentiful gravity and relatively little radiation. Space is the reverse — and it upends almost every system inside of us.

December 12, 2023

Our 7 best tips to build an exercise habit

These seven tips offer some surprisingly simple and practical ways to establish exercise habits that stick.

December 12, 2023

It’s never too late to lift weights: Older bodies can still build muscle

The new study of resistance exercise and the elderly found that even people in their 80s and 90s — who had never lifted weights before — showed significant gains

November 29, 2023

How exercise can curb your Thanksgiving appetite

High-intensity exercise can dull your appetite for a few hours. But regular moderate exercise can make you hungrier.

November 22, 2023

The modern golf swing is powerful but can hurt your back. Here’s how to prevent injuries.

Try these stretches, reduce practice swings, strength train and warm up to keep both your back and handicap in good shape.

October 18, 2023