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Month: September 2019

City Vegetarians You and your body

Experts always say to eat seasonally—but what’s really in it for me?

4 min read

September 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC In theory, eating fruits and vegetables in season sounds like a worthy culinary aspiration. When I hear the phrase, I automatically picture Ina Garten buying freshly picked, organic strawberries at a farm stand, then going home and whipping up some sort of tart for Jeffrey. But when actually putting it into practice, the concept can feel straight-up intimidating. There are already so many things to think about at the grocery store, like choosing whether or not to go organic, reading the nutrition panel on the label, and assessing whether that label full of sneaky marketing claims. How important is it, really, to prioritize buying and eating in-season produce? Before we can answer that question, it’s important to define exactly what “eating seasonally” means. According to Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD—founder of BZ Nutrition in New York City—it’s about knowing when certain fruits and vegetables grow naturally in your climate, and then eating them only in those seasons. In the United States, this can vary widely from state to state, and many types of produce grow in more than one season. But, in general, fall and winter are prime time for things like sweet potatoes, cauliflower, citrus fruits, and pears. Spring and summer are when berries, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant are at their freshest and most flavorful. (The USDA Seasonal Produce Guide is a good point of reference for a more comprehensive list.) Shopping at a farmer’s market or subscribing to a CSA inherently lends

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You and your body

This smoothie recipe combines all of the buzzy ingredients right now—and it’s legit

2 min read

September 24, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Smoothies are a wellness goldmine because you can basically throw anything you have in your freezer into a blender and call that #health… or so you think. The flavor—and well, actual health benefits—are a little harder to define when you go the toss-in-whatever-you-want route. So, if you want an expert-level, nutrition-packed smoothie, you have to turn to an expert nutritionist. For an everyday superfood blend, celeb nutritionist, founder of Solluna, and New York Times bestselling author Kimberly Snyder goes for a refreshing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich recipe: her Cranberry Ginger Cherry Smoothie. “I believe that you can eat your way to radiant skin and renewed energy […] by focusing on nutrient-dense, mostly or all plant foods,” says Snyder. “I love the amazing power of antioxidants that cranberries offer. Cranberries are full of nutrients including flavonoids, fiber, and vitamin C. These can work synergistically together, and can help to maintain a healthy immune system.” As the focal point of the smoothie, Ocean Spray®️ Fresh Cranberries are a nutritional powerhouse, higher in antioxidants than most fruits and berries—outranking nearly every fruit and vegetable including strawberries, spinach, and cherries. “Cranberries have a tart taste, which pairs well with bold flavors like spicy ginger and sweet cherry,” she explains. The result? A flavor-packed sip that could help you beat the 3 p.m. exhaustion. “Later in the day, when I’m ready for a little energy to pick me up, I like to treat myself to a second smoothie like this

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Fashion Yoga You and your body

How to fake the Big Five personality trait that helps people stick to their fitness goals

4 min read

September 24, 2019 at 02:01AM by CWC Anytime I meet someone who breezes through life with a fully optimized, color-coded Google calendar, I turn green with envy. Of the Big Five personality traits (a quick-and-dirty psychological framework that helps you determine who you are), conscientiousness is the one I lack. My disorganization and taste for rule-breaking has made it difficult to make many habits sticks—especially when it comes to workout motivation. A new study published by the Psychological Science points a finger at why those lacking in the hard-to-spell “c” word may find it harder to convince themselves to make it to their sweat sesh. Over a 20-week period, researchers tracked the workout plans of 282 participants (who were mostly students). They found that those who ranked themselves highly on planfulness items such as “developing a clear plan when I have a goal is important to me,” ended up following through on their exercises more frequently than those who didn’t. Planfulness happens to be a key part of conscientiousness, according to Art Markman, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Even if you’re not born with it, you can still learn to fake workout motivation. No lie. “The best way to understand personality characteristics is to think about them as the default way, or the factory settings on your motivational systems,” explains Dr. Markman. “The idea is that most of us are motivated by different things and there’s a range of variations that’s normal for people.

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City You and your body

4 ways to boost your adaptability quotient, the more—wait for it—adaptable cousin of IQ

5 min read

September 24, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC The real world does not suffer those who can’t keep up—especially at work. There’s always something new to learn, new processes to master, and someone eager to take your spot if you’re not willing to excel at it. Surviving and thriving in just about any job requires you to not just be sharp, but also to be malleable. And it’s completely doable, so long as you raise your adaptability quotient (AQ). “It’s the ability to learn, adjust, and change to new situations or circumstances and still come out a success,” says career coach Maggie Mistal. “Those with high AQ are able to be of service in a variety of situations and may even thrive in times of change.” A high adaptability quotient comes into play when there are new forms of technology put in place, a priority shift that changes your expected output and routine, a raise in expectations, or truly any other tweak you’re meant to handle in stride. (If you don’t know your AQ, try a free online assessment, like this one.) And while the concept of an adaptability quotient is commonly applied in business-related situations, the measure offers value elsewhere in life, too. Being able to approach life as a cool-headed renaissance person will make all the curveballs thrown at you much easier to catch. So, what can you do if you have a particularly subterranean-level AQ? Like, maybe you’re an inflexible fixed sign, or you have a paralyzing fear

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You and your body

These skin-care tips hide the fact that you were just crying in a supply closet

5 min read

September 23, 2019 at 11:12PM by CWC Crying is completely natural—at home, during your commute, at the office—and there’s no shame in letting it out. I, for one, am a crier who doesn’t deny her sensitive nature. Crying is cathartic! And it has been shown to be good for your health, so why should I? I’m all about feeling my feelings. That said, crying isn’t exactly the most subtle activity, and maybe I don’t want to let everyone know that I was just sobbing in a supply closet because I just found out that a dog I follow on Instagram has died. The catharsis is great, but dealing with puffy eyes from crying is not. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for that. “Cold temperatures constrict blood vessels, preventing the flow of fluid into the tissues,” says Renée Rouleau, celebrity esthetician and founder of her eponymous skin care line. “This should help quickly diminish puffiness in the process.” To target your eyes, she says to use a bag of frozen peas, or even a frozen spoon. “The idea is that anything really cold will be beneficial.” For a puffy face, she says to do a cold water ice splash. “Fill up the bathroom sink with water and ice and splash the skin 10 times,” she says. “It will help to lower the skin’s internal temperature to reduce heat that causes redness, as well as improve puffiness.” Makeup artist Jenna Menard says that a nude liner on your waterline will also help

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