October 16, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Yoga may be a 5,000 year old practice, but it has seemingly never been more popular. According to a report from the Global Wellness Institute titled “The Global Economy of Physical Activity,” the participation in “mindful movement” is growing around the world, and yoga is the leader of the pack. “In our frenetically paced, stressful, sleepless, and chronic-pain-plagued world, the demand for slower, mindful movement—which includes yoga, Pilates, tai chi, qigong, stretch, barre, Gyrotonic, etc.—is skyrocketing,” writes the report. There are 165 million people around the world who participate in the practice, making it a whopping $16.9 billion market. And the world, it seems, is onto something. You’d be hard-pressed to find any trainer who wouldn’t recommend integrating at least some yoga into your routine, whether you’re a runner, a Pilates lover, or into Crossfit. It’s got a laundry list of proven physical and mental benefits (increases strength, betters flexibility, reduces anxiety—seriously, the list goes on), plus can help you start your days feeling more focused or finish them off with an added level of zen. But even so, there are a whole lot of people out there still feel like yoga just isn’t their thing, or that they prefer other styles of working out to flowing on the mat. And to that, I say, “maybe you just haven’t tried the right kind yet.” So here are the best types of yoga for every type of fitness enthusiast, which might just turn you
Month: October 2019
Cancel your manicure: These at-home nail tips will keep your polish on longer than gels
October 16, 2019 at 09:59PM by CWC I would say the top things that make me really, incredibly upset are 1) an overly tardy Seamless order when I’m hangry, 2) people that walk slowly in my path, and 3) a chipped manicure. While the first two can be fixed by a simple snack or a maneuver around the person in your way, the third scenario is more of a longer-lasting bummer that sends me into a spiral of despair. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. The founder and CEO of LA-based nail salon Olive & June, Sarah Gibson Tuttle, blew my mind with her insider tricks on making a mani last much longer than the usual handful of days (you know, like your pedicure weirdly does). “Our biggest mani-saving trick is to apply a thin layer of top coat every third day,” says Tuttle. “This will really extend the life of your mani because it acts as a layer of defense against everything your hands are interacting with.” She shows me her seven day-old manicure that she did this trick on, and I swear it looked like they were freshly painted an hour before. Your cuticles also play a major role in keeping your manicure looking just-done. “Definitely apply a cuticle serum every day to hydrate the skin around your nails and your cuticles,” says Tuttle (Olive & June makes an easy-to-swipe-on serum for this for $16). “Not only will it make your mani look like you just stepped
How Sephora Became The Unlikely Leader Of Clean Beauty
October 16, 2019 at 08:24PM The story of how a little green seal started something big. Continue Reading… Author Alexandra Engler | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Now you can stargaze straight from your smartphone at an hour of the day
October 16, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC There are at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, according to The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (aka the one and only NASA). For the amateur stargazer, the night sky can be a playground for your imagination. And now, with a little curiosity—and yes, a decent amount of outdoor space—you can capture the stars and planets in a crisp, mesmerizing image on your smartphone. On Tuesday, Google introduced the Pixel 4 and its astrophotography feature, Night Sight 2.0: a brand-new way to take photos the kind of star-studded photos you see in the pages of National Geographic. In order to take full advantage of the new camera capability, you have to “travel away from the city lights, and start shooting 90 minutes or more after sunset.” Once you’ve found a dark spot, simply point your phone toward the sky as it rests on a steady surface, tap “capture,” and leave it be until the countdown timer says the image is ready. Then, go ahead—let your jaw drop. All Photos: Google While you’re making your camera roll that much more beautiful, awe-inspiring, and ‘grammable, you’ll also be surrounding yourself with nature when you otherwise might be indoors. Research has indicated that making time to frolic in nature (or, you know, sit down and ponder the enormity of the universe) comes with a wide range of health benefits. Spending time outside has been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stress, high
Not your average rubdown: Thai Massages both release tension and align your spirit
October 16, 2019 at 07:00PM by CWC About a month ago, while in Thailand with Airbnb Animal Experiences, I walked into a massage parlor. I had no idea what a Thai massage entails, and was solely focused on getting my muscles some TLC after hiking. Quickly I learned that Thai massages are pretty freaking intimate, not at all what I was expecting, and also—most importantly—fantastic for the body and mind to experience. It’s also not offered exclusively in Thailand. “Thai massage is a kind of dance with gentle stretches and movements that are continuously being engaged in between the muscle-tension release and activation of acupressure points along the Sip Sen lines,” says Thai massage practitioner Leslie Lyons, founder of One Mi Body in New York City. Below, learn about what, exactly, the Sip Sen are, along with all the other facets of how traditional Thai massage works and what to expect from your first session. With Thai massage, muscle tension is drawn from you “Most people who have ever had massage of any kind will be familiar with muscle-tension release,” says Lyons, who worked with doctors at Chiang Mai University for nearly four decades using massage as physical therapy. “This is laying on the muscles with pressure and then releasing or sometimes using body oil with a sliding technique.” With a Thai massage, though, there is no sliding along the body, save for some parts of the neck or feet. “The technique is a rhythmic flow of laying on the
I started each morning dancing like I was in the club—and it was beyond freeing
October 16, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC In 2008, my 11th grade boyfriend turned to me in the middle of a high school dance and told me I was a terrible dancer. It was an off-handed comment that stopped me in my booty-shaking tracks, and has stuck with me ever since. It’s been in the back of my mind at every wedding, party, and nightclub that I’ve been to since, and has made me wildly self-conscious for over a decade—despite the fact that I really, really love to dance. Earlier this year, I actually signed up for a dance squad in the hopes of finally becoming a “good dancer,” but had a full-on panic attack on my way to the first rehearsal and quit without ever showing up. After that whole disaster (which left me $200 poorer for no good reason), I decided it was time to take extreme measures, and signed myself up to take 20 dance cardio classes in 30 days at New York City’s 305 Fitness. The workout is described as a “cardio dance party,” and I committed to doing it five mornings a week to see if it would make me a better dancer. Of course, this paled in comparison to our What the Wellness star Ella Dove, who managed to squeeze in three dance cardio classes in a single day: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYRG0gUGOvc] Club-inspired workouts, like 305, have become increasingly common in the last few years. There are at least five cardio dance studios within a
How To Reduce Your Chances Of Lower Back Pain, According To A DC
October 16, 2019 at 08:00AM The spine of a 30-something goes through a lot — here’s how to help protect it. Continue Reading… Author Krista Soriano | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
What a ‘healthy plate’ looks like in 6 different countries
October 16, 2019 at 03:30PM by CWC Welcome to Passport Nutrition. We’re mapping the flavors of the world one country at a time by speaking with people who wrap their careers around cuisine as well as those who simply savor an hour spent in the kitchen after work. You’ll find that a “healthy plate” isn’t one size—or country—fits all. Looking for some inspiration to switch up your avocado toast, or just curious how other people eat elsewhere in the world? Ordinary people living in all corners of the globe have different yet sometimes strikingly similar ideas of what an extraordinarily well-rounded diet looks like. From veggie stews and raw fish to vegan lattés and gluten-free pancakes, here’s what international food looks like for six people in Japan, France, India, Martinique, Ghana, and Canada call a “healthy” meal. All Graphics: Well+Good Creative India “For me, healthy eating is focusing on the foods that are closely attached to your roots and eating traditional, ancestral recipes,” says Shikha Tibarewala, a nutritionist, recipe curator, and diabetic educator in Mumbai. She notes the importance of fueling your body with complete and balanced meals, which means not obsessing over any one nutrient. A typical dinner includes millet flatbread, vegetables with cottage cheese, and Indian curry made with beans and vegetables. The pictured meal features black chana masala (curry made with black chickpeas), Dal chawal (spiced Indian lentils and rice), and kadhi (yogurt-based curry served with rice), paired with sliced cucumbers and millet flatbread, served alongside a
Naturopathica’s Founder Gets Real About “Clean” Beauty Ingredients
October 15, 2019 at 10:00AM The clean beauty movement is exploding, so mbg visited Barbara Close at her new Teaching Garden to talk about where this is all headed. Continue Reading… Author Krista Soriano | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
8 products your bathroom needs so you can have seriously great shower sex
October 16, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC The general consensus that shower sex isn’t good sex hurts my soul, because when done correctly, it’s so fun. The problem is few people are familiar with how to have shower sex in a way that lets them reap the steamy benefits of it. It’s about time we fix that. To be clear, though I’m clearly a fan of shower sex, I do understand why so many aren’t. Despite how effortless the act often looks in pop-culture references (i.e., making out and lathering each other up, giggling, and having all feet firmly planted on the tub floor), such is rarely the case in real life. “People may be against shower sex because it’s really hard, especially if what you’re going for is intercourse,” says Gigi Engle, certified sex coach, sexologist, and author of All The F*cking Mistakes: A Guide To Sex, Love, and Life. “You usually have to do it standing up, there’s very little lubrication, [and] it’s dangerous.” But that doesn’t mean we’re not continually trying to make it work. Because let’s face it: Showering with a partner is super hot. “You’re both wet, you’re slippery and soapy, the water is warm and inviting, not to mention, you’re naked,” Engle says. “People have never failed to have interest in it.” Unfortunately though, many simply haven’t optimized the experience, and the solution there is twofold: 1. Rethink the goal of the experience, and 2. Make sure you have the necessary tools and accessories