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Month: November 2018

2019 Health City Relaxation

Relationships are the single biggest contributor to a happy and fulfilling life

3 min read

November 30, 2018 at 07:02AM When you’re a cute little grandma sitting on your porch someday—obviously still rocking high-waisted leggings with a matcha latte in hand—which parts of your long and awesome life do you think will have made you feel the happiest and most fulfilled? Probably not hitting a certain number of Insta followers or all those times you ditched friends to put in extra-long hours at work, right? The truth is, the single biggest contributor to well-being has been identified, and it’s much simpler. For a study of 75 years out of Harvard, researchers collected data on the well-being of two groups: 268 Harvard graduates from the classes of 1939 to 1944, and 456 men from inner-city neighborhoods in Boston. Over the years, researchers analyzed which aspects of the participants’ early lives best predicted being healthy and fulfilled down the line (using methods like brain scans and self-reported surveys). The main result? Making time for the important people in their lives is beneficial. “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Robert Waldinger, MD, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The study shows having love in your life—whether that’s with a significant other or great friends—makes you healthier both physically and mentally. It also provides you with trust and openness because you know someone always has your back, and you can feel comfortable and relaxed when you’re around them. In comparison, lonelier participants who didn’t have

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2019 Health Fashion

An exhaustive list everything I’ve said (and done) to leave a bad date early

6 min read

November 30, 2018 at 05:30AM If you believe Sex and the City at face value, you probably think New York City is the greatest place ever to date. After all, options are endless, with the vast majority of people being both eligible and desirable. And all you have to do to take advantage is just walk out onto the street and bump into ’em for a good, ole meet-cute. LOL. As someone who has spent nearly the majority of her dating years in this human-dense town, let me tell you: The situation is less so Carrie and Big (or Aidan or Berger or Alexander Petrovsky) than it is a horrific iteration of Jumanji. After being burnt enough times via bad dates that weren’t just boring but also drained me of my precious time, finances, and joy, I decided to never go into one of these situations exposed, schedually speaking, ever again. I refused to spend even one more minute anxiously clock-watching through gritted teeth as my companion waxed poetic about ventriloquism—seriously. Enter: My trusty arsenal of exit strategies. After being burnt enough times via bad dates that weren’t just boring but also drained me of my precious time, finances, and joy, I decided to never go into one exposed, schedually speaking, ever again. Enter: My trusty arsenal of exit strategies. The best exit strategies are the ones initiated before the date even starts. For example, while making plans, I’ll usually plant a vague, noncommittal seed like, “Yeah that should work, though I may

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2019 Health Fashion

The only pairs of cozy socks you’ll need this winter

3 min read

November 30, 2018 at 04:54AM At the moment, my sock drawer is a mess, probably due in part to the bomb-cyclone blizzard and all of the other frigid days I had to get through last winter. This year is going to be different, though. I’m going to stock up on the warmest cozy socks I can find. And they’re going to be cute. Boring, itchy wool socks need not apply. Sure, it might sound silly, but I truly believe that my life will be better if I can sort out my socks. It’s a feeling I’m only more certain of after speaking to Randy Goldberg, co-founder of the socially responsible sock company Bombas. “A good pair of socks is the bedrock of hygge season,” he tells me. “The foundation. Where it all starts.” It’s hard to argue with this logic if you’ve ever had cold, wet feet. Thankfully, a lot of brands have really stepped up their sock game this season. L.L. Bean, a mainstay in many sock drawers, has partnered with Darn Tough to design an exclusive sock (produced proudly in New England) packed with all the natural benefits of merino wool. Bombas is also big on using the fiber for its socks because “merino is a natural moisture-wicking fabric ensuring your feet stay dry all day,” Goldberg explains. Aside from material upgrades, simple changes such as adding cushion and comfort, without bulk, and removing the seaming across the toes are capable of making socks even cozier. Before they

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2019 Health

This is the most important relationship you’re probably not thinking about

5 min read

November 30, 2018 at 03:30AM Everyone has relationships, from romantic pairings to workplace friends. But there’s one that deserves more attention, says Well+Good Council member Kelsey Patel. Here, the reiki master and wellness coach explores the important relationship that doesn’t get the attention it should. While this may not be the sexiest, most exciting, or most satisfying relationship in your life, I would say it is actually the most important and the most reciprocal one. It’s the relationship that most people, including myself, want to believe they’re really concerned about—but in actuality, they also ignore the problems and hope that some passionate, smart, and innovative people are taking care of those issues. The relationship I’m talking about is our earth—and the energy and action we put out that it naturally returns to us. I know that reading about this relationship can seem boring or, conversely, scary and anxiety-ridden. But before you click away, just stay for a few sentences. I decided to write about this topic because I’m not an expert. But I’ve heard many experts talk about the environment, and even after hearing some very dire statistics, I still found myself back in line at Starbucks or the grocery store with single-use plastic. I’d notice how lazy I was about recycling and how incredibly wasteful I was by getting rid of clothes after a few uses. (Did you know that producing one cotton T-shirt takes around 715 gallons of water? That is almost three years’ worth of drinking water!) Photo:

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2019 Health

Cardio weightlifting can save you *major* time in the gym—and who doesn’t want that?

4 min read

November 30, 2018 at 03:00AM Pretty much all my life, my workouts have stayed relatively the same: run for about three miles, then throw in some impromptu strength training at the end. Of course, I’ve been to countless boutique fitness classes over the years (from cycling to HIIT to Pilates to yoga), but the real meat and potatoes of my personal fitness regimen has been all about logging time and miles on the treadmill, day in and day out. So, my mind was blown when celebrity trainer Ngo Okafor put everything I knew about cardio to the test. Upon entering his Iconoclast Fitness studio in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood, I was ready to be thrown into the lion’s den, so to speak. I got right down to business with 20 goblet squats using a kettlebell—not starting on a cardio machine like I’m so used to doing. More weights were lifted, some intense ab work was done, and then came the cardio round. Okafor’s weapon of choice for me? The bike. It was only three minutes long, and consisted of one minute of speed (over 100 RPMs), one minute of high resistance while standing up, and then another of speed. That’s it. Sure, it was still really challenging and I was totally out of breath, to be fair—but only for three minutes. “While used in conjunction with lifting weights, a three-minute cardio burst is the ideal length of time to a spike in the client’s heart rate without completely exhausting them.” —Ngo Okafor

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