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Month: December 2018

2019 Health Fashion Relaxation

6 stretches to do before bed for a better night’s sleep

4 min read

December 02, 2018 at 01:00PM As any wellness junkie—or, you know, human with internet access—knows, a solid bedtime routine is a #majorkey to success. And while you may have your pre-lights-out regimen down to an art (ILYSM, journaling and meditation), there’s one thing worth adding to your nighttime to-do list for the sake of better sleep: A series of evening stretches. “Stretching should be an important part of your evening routine,” explains international yogi Claire Grieve. “Regular stretching helps to melt away daily tension, stress and worry. Stretching your hips is particularly useful for clearing the emotional junk from the day. Stretching in a passive, restorative way will prime your body for sleep by helping you to enter a state of relaxation.” Cycling through a few cat-cows to start your morning may be second nature, but adding a bendy element in the evening can help you chill out while also releasing some of the daytime tension from your body. “Stretching at the end of the day should be more restorative than at other times of day when maybe you would engage in a more active stretch,” says Grieve. “The important thing is to listen to your body. What your body needs will be different from day to day, so take this time to really tune into what your body is telling you.” Meanwhile, stretching also boosts major gains for your brain as well. “While stretching, endorphins are released in the brain which can help improve your mood along with feelings

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2019 Health

The 30-second shower hack for adding instant shine to your hair

2 min read

December 02, 2018 at 10:31AM When I got my hair done last night (gotta dye those gray hairs!), the woman shampooing my strands went through the whole lovely shebang of a scalp massage and full, salon-level cleanse. And then she asked: “Would you like me to now rinse with cold water?” Cold water is something I avoid at all costs when showering, but I went with it because, well, she’s the professional. It turns out, there’s a serious perk to changing up the temperature in your tap. “Rinsing your hair with cold water seals the hair cuticle, and acts as an ‘anti-inflammatory’ in a sense,” says Edward Tricomi, co-founder and master stylist at Warren Tricomi salon.  And okay, okay, a strand of hair can’t be inflamed the same way that skin can, but sealing the cuticle can add max shine by helping the shingle-like layer lay flat. It can just be kinda hard to execute in the shower if you’re not into cold showers (despite their benefits)—you have to be a contortionist, arching your back like crazy to just get your hair without freezing your body, or I guess you can kneel upside down and use the bath faucet.  The good news is that you can reap the benefit from your blow dryer too. “When using cold air from a blow dryer, the cold air not only freezes down the hair, but helps it stay in place,” says Tricomi. “Both methods result in a healthy, beautiful shine.” When my freshly

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2019 Health Relaxation

Looking for cupping therapy in Chicago? Here are 5 places to try

3 min read

December 02, 2018 at 07:00AM Like acupuncture before it, cupping therapy is becoming a buzzy healing practice that’s gone from being an under-the-radar treatment to mainstream obsession as of late. (You can thank celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and pro athletes like Michael Phelps for introducing popular culture to the ancient practice.) But before you lie down on a table and let someone dot your back with perfectly round suction marks, there are a few things you should know. First off, cupping therapy is a modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that’s been used for thousands of years in not only ancient Chinese civilizations but also ancient Egypt. At this point, due to the lack of scientific research, cupping therapy benefits are largely based on anecdotal evidence. But those that swear by the ancient practice credit it with improving blood flow, helping with athletic performance and recovery, stretching muscles and tissues, reducing inflammation, and even calming the nervous system. Cupping therapy typically involves vacuum sealing cups made out of glass, plastic, bamboo, or silicone on pressure and trigger points by using heat. It’s technically called dry cupping (the most-popular type at most places), but you can also find flash and wet cupping sessions, too. Although the healing method leaves behind marks that look like bruises, the treatment is usually considered to be painless and revitalizing. It’s targeted at deep tissue relaxation similar to the way you’d use a foam roller or Theragun. As interest in cupping therapy increases, it’s becoming easier and easier to find

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2019 Health Vegetarians

Not your Bubbe’s latkes: 9 healthier takes on the Hanukkah classic

5 min read

December 02, 2018 at 06:15AM Latkes are easily one of the best holiday foods, period. Potatoes + pancakes = iconic. But considering that they’re traditionally fried in lots and lots of oil…they’re not exactly the healthiest thing to eat for 8 nights in a row. To get your healthy latke fix this Hanukkah, Beth Warren, MS, RDN, CDN, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl, suggests baking your latkes instead of deep-frying them. “To do so, simply drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top and bake them in the oven,” she says. If you choose to fry them, Warren recommends switching to a more heart-healthy oil like avocado oil. “It doesn’t negate the calories from the oil, but gives you more healthful benefits than other oils do.” And use less of it, because wouldn’t you be paying true (healthy) homage to the miracle the holiday celebrates if you could get one day’s worth of oil to last through 8 days of cooking? Another way to give them a healthy twist: Ditch the tater. “The classic versions of latkes are potatoes that are fried, so an easy way to make latkes healthier is to substitute the potato with a non-starchy vegetable like zucchini or cauliflower,” Warren says. Hungry yet? Below, Warren shares her tried-and-true healthy latke recipe—and eight more healthy foodies share theirs. You can thank us when your grandma insists you have seconds. Keep reading for nine healthy latke recipes to make this Hanukkah. Photo:

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