October 04, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC With so many great serums on the market filled with it-ingredients that you’ve just gotta have for your routine, it’s hard to resist going gaga over them all… like a child pining for every doll in the toy store. Beauty shelves are minefields of options, and it makes it far too easy to empty your wallet in pursuit of a healthy complexion. So what’s a girl to do? With a seemingly infinite number of skin-care serums out there to choose from, there are more affordable—and effective—options than ever. Formulators have nailed how to pack actives like vitamin C, retinol and niacinamide into products that everyone can manage to snag for themselves without breaking the bank. The Ordinary has been dutifully offering potent skin-care serums since 2016, with not one bottle running past $29 (and for what it’s worth, that single $29 serum is double the cost of the rest of the line). Over the past year or so, even more wallet-friendly skin-care brands have infiltrated the shelves: There’s Versed, a solution-oriented collection you can get at Target; The Inkey List, a London-based beauty brand where nothing costs over $15; Sweet Chef, a spin-off line from buzzy K-beauty brand Glow Recipe that’s sold at Target and makes nutrient-dense serums for much less than its sister brand; and Ghost Democracy, a derm-backed skin-care line offering the most coveted ingredients at more cost-effective prices than most. Drugstore staple brands like Neutrogena and Olay have even caught
Day: October 4, 2019
I tried the most over-the-top workout class in New York City and have some thoughts
October 04, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yNSf7aMBGc] It’s the classic Friday night conundrum: do you hit the gym after work, or blow off your workout to go get drinks with your friends? Well, thanks to Grit Boxing—the New York City fitness concept created by none other by Pitbull (the singer) and Tony Robbins (the motivational speaker)—you now don’t have to choose between the two, because they’ve got both under one roof. There’s nothing like chasing your treadmill sesh with an electrolyte-packed margarita, huh? In the latest episode of What the Wellness, senior video producer Ella Dove stops by the studio to see if it lives up to the hype. While the adorable studio pup (a boxer named “Gritty,” natch), a glitter punching bag, and a liquor selection might have you thinking you’re in for an easy workout, she quickly discovered that it’s anything but. The 50-minute class is truly unlike anything you’ve ever seen or experienced before. It cycles through different modalities including boxing, running, and weightlifting, and by the end of the first round (there are two and a half, ICYWW), you’ll be crushed. “You’re so busy trying to be focused on what you’re doing and making sure you’re following the cues that you don’t realize how hard you’re working,” Dove says of her experience in the gym. “And then when I was sprinting, I got to the point where I felt like I couldn’t go any faster, and couldn’t go any harder.” Now that’s my kind of
These genius tips from top dietitians make a bowl of oatmeal so much more delicious
October 04, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC For many healthy eaters, part of the their seasonal transition involves trading iced green smoothies for warm bowls of oatmeal. The nutritional benefits of the original healthy breakfast are impossible to deny: oatmeal is full of fiber (with about four grams per one cup cooked) and antioxidants. Here’s the thing though: most easy oatmeal breakfast recipes aren’t all that exciting. (Hey, we were all thinking it.) We asked healthy eating experts to name the easiest ways to make a bowl of oatmeal more interesting while reaping even more health benefits. Their ideas are sure to make it into your breakfast rotation all year long. 5 easy oatmeal breakfast recipes that are as interesting as they are healthy 1. Add an egg on top Whole In One author and registered dietitian Ellie Krieger, RD, likes adding extra protein to her bowl by adding an egg on top. “I love to make savory oatmeal bowls in the morning—or for lunch,” she says. “Just cook oats in water or milk, top with a fried egg, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, some chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper, and sea salt. You could even add some prosciutto if you are feeling racy.” Follow her guidance and your oatmeal will be full of flavor. 2. use it as a cruncy topper Another oatmeal hack Krieger has it to convert it into granola by cooking it in the oven at 300°F, separating it out into little clumps on parchment-lined paper.
Sick of planks? Sharpen your workout with ‘body saws’
October 04, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC I’m part of the very tiny percentage of people who actually enjoy planks. It’s not like I want to marry them or anything, but compared to something like burpees (which I avoid at all costs), they’re pretty great. But even I know holding that position forever can get a little old, and that’s exactly where body saws come in. Body saws turn your body into, well, a saw as you’re moving forward and backward during the exercise. “If you’re tired of building up your plank time, the body saw exercise is a great progression of the exercise,” says Julia Brown, founding Los Angeles trainer at Dogpound. “During the movement, you’re creating a massive contraction in your abs. It’s great for anyone looking to improve their core strength. Plus, as you increase your core strength, you’ll also improve your balance, posture, and overall stability, which will leave you at a lower risk of injury.” To get the core-blasting benefits of body saws at home, follow the instructions below. You might not go back to regular planks ever again. How to do a body saw plank Find a place where you can slide your feet. Start in plank position with your back flat and elbows under your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes, hamstrings, and quads Use your elbows to push your body back, making sure to maintain your proper plank position with a flat back the entire time. If your back starts to arch or sag,
A therapist’s 6 red flags that you’re over-committing yourself to others
October 04, 2019 at 07:30PM by CWC The looming presence of burnout culture has forced many folks to take a good, hard look at their priorities. Jettisoning things that no longer serve your life doesn’t happen overnight, though. It’s all-too-easy to fall into old patterns of booking happy hour five minutes after the end of Pilates class. For those moments, Beth Pilcher, MSW, LISW-CP, a therapist has a litmus test to determine whether you’re over-committing. “In a world where we are constantly being pressured to do more, it can be hard to give yourself permission to say no to new commitments when your plate is already full,” she writes in a recent Instagram caption. “This is especially true if you tend to be the people-pleasing type.” View this post on Instagram As someone who has been notorious for over-committing myself in the past, I’ve become pretty familiar with some of my own signs that I’m starting to take on too much. In a world where we are constantly being pressured to do more, it can be hard to give yourself permission to say no to new commitments when your plate is already full. This is especially true if you tend to be the people-pleasing type. But burn out is real, and when we overcommit ourselves, we truly can’t show up in our lives the way we’d like. Everything starts to suffer. Remember that you are allowed to say no. You are allowed to take something off of your
Want To Make Your Bathroom A Little Bit More Sustainable? Watch This
October 04, 2019 at 10:00AM Want To Make Your Bathroom A Little Bit More Sustainable? Watch This Continue Reading… Author Krista Soriano | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Real question: Is it possible to have unadulterated fun as an adult?
October 04, 2019 at 07:00PM by CWC Think back to your elementary school playground. If it was anything like mine, it was a case study in how to have fun in a pure and free way, completely devoid of any self-conscious thoughts. On the blacktop of my alma mater, a group of gym-class heroes played kickball with World Cup-level intensity. In front of the school, the popular girls jumped rope and practiced their older sisters’ cheerleading routines until their voices were raspy. Yet another adventurous clique would flip and leap from the monkey bars, while across the street, the less athletically inclined kids (AKA me) would lose themselves in some elaborate game of make believe. The through line here is that we were all having joyful, thrilling fun. As I’ve grown up though, the very concept of fun has fallen victim to adulteration, a word whose very definition implies the act of corrupting something to make it impure. Basically, I’m confused about fun: how to do it, what it should feel like, and whether or not it’s even possible for adults. On the whole, it’s safe to say that when we talk about adult revelry, the mood is usually a bit more… well, serious than it is when watching kids at play. Society has conditioned us to believe that adulthood means “acting your age” and adopting a calmer, more contained demeanor in order to fit in—even when you’re enjoying yourself. It’s hard for many people to break free of that construct
‘I’m an endocrinologist, and these are the 4 things I do for my hormone health’
October 04, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Hormones, unfortunately, get a pretty bad rap. While of that reputation is earned (hello, menstrual mood swings and ho-hum sex drive), the truth is your hormones have a huge impact on your overall health, so keeping their function in tip-top shape is essential to your well-being. “The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produce hormones that help regulate metabolism, development, sexual function, reproduction, sleep and even mood,” says Yasmin Akhunji, MD, an Arizona-based endocrinologist with Paloma Health. “When these glands are not producing the right amount of hormones, diseases can develop and affect many different aspects of your life.” It’s true: Whether it is endocrine-disrupting chemicals (which can be found in everything ranging from food to the air to cosmetics) or a lack of sleep, the health of your hormones can be affected by a number of things. Which is why you’ll want to listen closely as Dr. Akhunji weighs in on the things she does every day to help promote a natural, healthy hormone balance. 1. Set sleep goals—and follow through on them There’s a reason why practically every expert goes on and on about getting a good night’s sleep—it’s crucial for all aspects of your health, including the endocrine system. The release of hormones from your pituitary gland (the “master endocrine organ” in the brain), is “markedly” influenced by sleep, says Dr. Akhunji. “Several studies have been done that examine the impact of the hormone, metabolism, and immune function
If vegetables had Coca-Cola’s ad agency, we’d all be addicted to them, too
October 04, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC Every time I stroll through the cereal aisle at the grocery store I hear a familiar tune in my head: “Hearts, stars, and horseshoes, clovers and blue moons, unicorns, rainbows, and tasty red balloons!” It’s catchy, sure, but a new study published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that the breakfast Leprechaun is also using a clever marketing strategy to convince you to add a box of cereal to your cart. When it comes to selecting what we buy and what we pass by, researchers found that healthy food labels with marketing driven by taste rather than healthiness wins over the consumer. To reach this conclusion, academics from Stanford University partnered with Menus of Change University Research Collaborative—a network of U.S. universities dedicated to promoting healthy and sustainable eating for college students—to study how labeling foods influences decision-making in the cafeteria. After tracking 140,000 decisions made about 71 vegetable dishes either labeled with taste-focused, health-focused, or neutral labels, researchers found that the taste reigned supreme. In fact, cafeteria-goers put veggies on their plates 29 percent more often when the labeling focused on flavor than when it stressed the health of the vegetable. With more research, the Stanford team also learned that vegetables sold as delectable had to actually follow through on that promise. Otherwise, students abandoned the healthy foods on their plates. “This is radically different from our current cultural approach to healthy eating.” —Alia Crum, PhD Alia Crum, PhD, an assistant professor
3 fail-proof ways to remove your makeup so that every last bit is gone
October 04, 2019 at 05:22PM by CWC Over the last few years, the double cleanse has become about as popular as leopard midi skirts or posting pictures of yourself as an old person to Instagram—nearly everyone has gotten involved. Thanks to K-Beauty, we know now that if we wear makeup, sometimes we need more than one pass with a cleanser to get rid of all the stuff chilling in our pores. While choosing which cleanser to use for that second part is determined by skin type, making the decision of which makeup remover to use for step one isn’t so clear. “You need to start off with a clean slate before you put on to anything else,” says K-Beauty expert Charlotte Cho, the brains behind Soko Glam and Then I Met You. Thanks to skin-care technology, there are a whole lot of options out there that will help you get rid of the remnants of your lipstick, foundation, and mascara to create a clean slate before you wash your complexion. There’s micellar water, cleansing oil, and of course good old-fashioned makeup remover, all of which do the job just fine. But which one are you supposed to reach for? The pros, it seems, have some opinions—and spoiler alert, but one method reigns supreme. Photo: Getty/Dougal Waters How to get off every kind of makeup imaginable Cleansing oil: Surprisingly enough, cleansing oil is actually the best makeup-removing option for most skin types. “Cleansing oils often contain vitamins C and E, which