Skip to Content

Work

Torch’d by Isaac


At least in these parts, the covid-19 (as in weight gain) is real. Turns out that no amount of jogging can stave off the effects of unlimited carbs and wine. If you, too, are feeling like it’s time to call in reinforcements, help is here in the form of Torch’d by Issac, a 50-ish-minute workout that goes down on founder Isaac Calpito’s Instagram—@isaacboots—every day at 11 a.m. In an ideal world, you’ll have hand, wrist, and ankle weights, plus an exercise band, but I found it sufficiently challenging without those extras. Comprising leg lifts, an inhumane amount of planks, and ab and arm series, it’s a full-body workout that will leave you parched and, yes, Torch’d. Thanks to Isaac’s infectious personality and inspired playlist, his merciless burn is over before you know it. Your body will thank you. (instagram.com) —Ashley Baker

Watch

The Mole Agent


“How good is your memory?” is a Chilean private investigator’s go-to interview question with prospective agents, all of whom are in the 80-to-90 age range. Maite Alberdi’s charming documentary, a Sundance selection, is set in a Santiago nursing home and follows Sergio, the 83-year-old man hired by the investigator as a mole agent to scout out possible abuse inside the facility. What could otherwise have been a sad depiction of aging is humorous and poignant in the hands of Alberdi, who makes good-natured fun of old age—Sergio learns to record what he sees using a pair of 007-style glasses, for instance—while highlighting the wisdom we often forget comes with it. ($5, amazon.com) —Julia Vitale

Listen

SmartLess


Longtime friends Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes launched their new podcast, SmartLess, during lockdown, using laughter as their unifier. “We thought, Why not ask a bunch of smart and talented people questions about the world instead of constantly bothering our spouses?,” Hayes has said about the thinking behind the show. What makes SmartLess unique is that each week one host chooses a guest, whose identity remains a secret to the others until the recording begins. With new episodes airing every Monday, it’s a simple setup, but the resulting conversations—including the likes of Will Ferrell, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kamala Harris, and Seth Rogen—are authentic and unrehearsed. (podcasts.apple.com) —Bridget Arsenault

Drink

LifeStraw Universal


A native New Yorker, I’m a proud drinker of tap water. But the LifeStraw Universal—an adaptable filter for almost all popular brands of refillable bottles—has stopped me from purchasing plastic when I can’t access a sink. Great for hiking and traveling—any situation that might involve something non-potable, really—I’ve heard that it also greatly improves the taste of everyday tap by extracting pollutants from bacteria to chlorine. LifeStraw is also committed to bringing filtered water worldwide: each purchase guarantees one year’s worth of safe drinking water for a child. ($35, lifestraw.com) —Clementine Ford

Issue No. 63
September 26, 2020
Loading issue contents …
Issue No. 63
September 26, 2020