November 26, 2019 at 05:50PM by CWC The frozen food aisle of your local grocery store offers a lot more than mixed vegetables. It’s about to be your go-to section of the grocery store for all your breakfast needs, too. Registered dietitian and Real Nutrition founder Amy Shapiro, RDN, shares a grocery haul of breakfast items that get her stamp of approval. Each of these healthy frozen breakfasts is low in sugar, nutritious, and satiating, with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you full until lunch. Healthy frozen breakfasts to simplify your morning 1. KASHI 7-GRAIN FROZEN WAFFLES Kashi’s frozen waffles contain 7 grams of fiber per serving, sourced from whole wheat flour and oats. “I would recommend adding a tablespoon of any nut butter, a few slices of strawberries, and a sprinkle of chia or hemp seeds for a balanced and nutrient rich plant based breakfast,” Shapiro says. If you prefer a savory breakfast, she suggests topping a waffle with an egg and avocado slices. 2. SWEET EARTH FOODS BREAKFAST BURRITO Made with potatoes, tofu, and red bell peppers, Sweet Earth Foods’ breakfast packs 17 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and a healthy dose of vitamin C. “Overall, the numbers are very balanced and I could see someone feeling satisfied from this meal for at least a few hours,” Shapiro says, giving this breakfast burrito an a-okay. Her tip on making it even more satiating: eat it with a side of half an avocado for a
Month: November 2019
All the very best Black Friday and Cyber Monday fitness and activewear deals
November 26, 2019 at 03:15PM by CWC It definitely takes more motivation to work out during the winter months. Your alarm clock goes off when it’s still dark outside, making it that much harder to pull yourself out of your warm bed and make it to the gym in the morning. You know what helps? Some sweet new fitness swag. Make all your athleisure, fit tech, and home gym dreams come true by taking advantage of the deals happening this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (Okay, fine you can buy gifts for all your favorite people, too.) Scroll down to see where to get the best deals on gym equipment, apparel, and fit tech this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Photo: Getty Images/mapodile Apparel and sneakers Adidas: If all day long you dream about new Adidas sneaks, get ready: JCPenny is offering 25 percent off starting November 27 online and November 28 starting at 2pm in stores. Outdoor Voices: You can get 25 percent off Outdoor Voices—both in-stores and online by using the code THANKS25—from November 29 to December 2. Carbon38: You don’t need to wait until Black Friday to take advantage of Carbon38’s sale. You can currently get 30 percent off site-wide with the code THANKS30. Kohl’s: Starting November 25 online and November 28 at 5pm in stores, Kohl’s will have Nike products marked up to 30 percent off, Adidas products up to 40 percent off, and Under Armour products up to 35 percent off. The deals go until December
The winter skin-care hacks necessary for glowing through tundra-like weather
November 26, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC If you deal with dry, oily, combination, irritated, or hyper-pigmented skin (re: any and every skin type), winter is the season with a singular mission to steal your glow. Tips for winter skin care so you don’t turn into a zombie person? File under “desperately needed.” Luckily, holistic esthetician Shani Hillian came through with the goods at our latest Wellness Collective event with Athleta, sharing some much-needed (and appreciated!) seasonal advice so you can proudly take close-up selfies of your face year-round. One of the biggest misconceptions is that you shouldn’t exfoliate in winter—which is flat out not true, says Hillian. “A lot of people think they have dry skin, but it’s just dead,” she says. “It’s a matter of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.” In other words, be gentler with your method so you don’t irritate delicate spots—but still buff so you’re getting rid of the dead stuff. Next, keep a moisturizer close at all times so you can lock in hydration all day and night. If you’re not sure what to look for, Hillian recommends oils low on the comedogenic scale (ones that won’t clog your pores), with hemp seed oil being her ultimate fave. To add even more hydration to your life, try adding humidifiers to your bedroom, living room, or anywhere else you spend a lot of time. Lastly, if you use retinol, Hillian suggests decreasing the amount you slather it on to two times a
Stop itchy skin after showering with these 6 derm-approved tips
November 26, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Showering is an art form. No really. You’re washing your hair and scrubbing your body clean. You’re trying not to ruin your fancy products in there. You’re implementing all the dermatologist-recommended hacks that promise silky skin. And, heck, maybe you’re even getting busy with your boo. There’s a lot that goes down in the shower, for sure. But sometimes, no matter what you think you’re doing right, the result isn’t the so-fresh-and-so-clean feeling you expected. Case in point: For some folks, stepping out of the shower equals itchy skin. If this is one of the shower-time woes you struggle with, the good news is that itchy skin after showering is actually pretty common, and in most cases, easy to fix. Here are some of the things that might be causing the itchy post-shower feeling and some pro tips on how to make it stop once and for all. What are the causes of itchy skin after a shower? Your skin is dry: According to Josh Axe, DNM, CNS, DC, founder of Ancient Nutrition and DrAxe.com, dry skin is one of the most common reasons people get itchy skin after a shower. The dryness can be due to a number of things including very cold or dry temperatures, indoor heating that reduces moisture in the air, or washing your skin a little too often. You’re taking too hot of a shower: In this world, there are two types of showerers. You have those who prefer comfortable,
This is your brain on toxic relationships—which are, indeed, super-addictive
November 26, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Maybe the toxic relationship you can’t quit is the old friend with exhausting drama, whose texts you always answer. Or, perhaps it’s the person you’re kind-of-sort-of dating, who feels like your soul mate (when they’re not ignoring your texts for three days straight). Or is it that cousin who emotionally Jekyll-and-Hydes you, treating you like a sibling one second and demanding that you be left out of Grandma’s will the next? No matter the specifics of your toxic relationship(s), the basic song and dance is pretty standard for everyone: This person brings chaos and pain into your life, and you know you should break away. But even when you try, you get drawn back into their unpredictable sphere of bad behavior again and again, and you can’t explain why. While factors like guilt and low self-esteem certainly play into a difficulty in building boundaries and sticking to them regarding these types of relationships, there’s another big-deal reason so many of us struggle to leave a toxic relationship: We’re subconsciously hooked on their very unpredictability. It’s not that healthy relationships are totally predictable, but generally, you know what to expect as a result of a straightforward action or event. If you’re having trouble with your manager, your friend will give you sage advice; if you’re hungry and don’t feel like cooking, your partner will order your favorite pizza; if you’re home for the holidays, your cousin will show everyone photos of your terrible 1999
Is your gym sesh affecting your immunity? Here’s how to avoid workout-induced burnout
November 26, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC If you’ve ever been told to “sweat it out” while working through the stages of a nasty cold, you have the right to give them a solid “no thanks” followed by a hefty dose of real-talk. That’s because—says Vishal Patel, director of product development at Nuun—the idea that doing an hour of HIIT will cure you of the latest seasonal virus is a myth. In fact, it could be having the opposite effect. “High intensity workouts require higher-than-normal rates of breathing, which can impair immune cell function and can put additional stress on the body,” says Patel. “The added stress, in combination with the potential of nutrients’ delicacies such as vitamin D and antioxidants, can leave your body in a vulnerable spot when trying to defend against a cough or cold.” That’s why athletes often cough or get a cold after heavy training periods, according to Patel. So rather than waiting for your immune system to kick into high gear during a sweat session, try a gentler method. That’s exactly what Nuun Immunity—a blend of antioxidant-rich vitamin C and echinacea and anti-inflammatory turmeric and vitamin D aimed to help support your overall immune health—was created for. Bonus: You don’t need to wait for that first throat tickle to start defending against seasonal colds. “It can be used as a daily preventative by taking one to two tablets per day, or when you’re feeling something coming on, it’s safe to consume upwards of six
Is a protein shake for breakfast genuinely a good idea, or am I just being lazy?
November 26, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Whether you’re on your way to a brain-boosting yoga class or don’t have time to make some healthy breakfast tacos, a protein shake for breakfast can be a convenient on-the-go option. After all, protein is a key nutrient to saying full after a meal. But given that it’s so easy and portable…there has to be some kind of catch, right? How healthy is it? “Protein shakes can be healthy at any time of day,” says Sonya Angelone, RDN and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Protein gets the digestive juices or proteases started in the stomach,” she says, which can potentially help kick-start your digestion for the day. (Always a good thing in the a.m.) Plus, experts generally tend to like starting the day with a bit of protein to help stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you fuller for longer. However, not all protein shakes are necessarily a good idea, Angelone adds. “What makes it healthy or not isn’t so much about when it is consumed but exactly what is being consumed,” she says. For example, some protein shakes could cause some gastrointestinal issues. “Protein can [often] come from the liquid base like soy milk, dairy milk or other beverages. Many non-dairy beverages have very little protein and often contain thickeners which could be problematic for some people leading to gas and bloating,” she says. Others might have issues digesting certain kinds of protein powder commonly used in these shakes,
The people with the best gut health share this one thing in common
November 26, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC When your gut isn’t happy about what you ate for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it makes its feelings known. There’s an overwhelming amount of information out there about what to do—and what to avoid—to care for your digestive tract. But Tim Spector, MD, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London and author of The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat, knows how to improve gut health naturally with a small but mighty tweak to your diet. On a recent episode of the Deliciously Ella podcast, Dr. Spector points to a study a 2018 study published by the American Society for Microbiology. After looking at 11,000 people’s gut microbes and their corresponding eating questionnaires, the team of researchers learned an invaluable lesson about gut health. “It turned out that people who had the healthiest guts, which is generally the most diverse guts, were the people eating more than 30 different types of plant in a week,” says Dr. Spector. At first blush, a triple-digit quantity of plants sounds like a lot, but Dr. Spector explains that it’s easier than you think. “People forget what a plant is. A plant can be a nut, a seed, a grain. It can be an herb, a spice. So it’s actually not that hard as long as you don’t have the same thing every day. That diversity was much more important than if you were vegan or vegetarian or meat-eater,” he says. So if you eat
Slow wave sleep is the under-the-radar stage that’s key for muscle recovery
November 26, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC It seems society has reached peak-tracking; now we can track our steps, skin health, periods, fertility, and so much more. With new devices popping up all the time, and the old guard updating with new functions and focuses, we have the ability to learn more about habits we didn’t even know could help us live more happily and healthfully. So, when I learned about slow wave sleep (SWS), the (not as well known as it should be) third stage of sleep that’s key for fitness recovery I was intrigued, to say the least. I came upon this reality in using the Whoop Strap, a buzzy tracker that measures the body’s strain, sleep, and recovery in precise detail, I learned that when I hit the hay, a whole lot more happens internally than I ever realized. In this case, it’s that slow wave sleep quality not only affects how I feel the next day, but also how I perform (on a fitness and a cognitive level). SWS is the stage when “the body produces 95 percent of its daily supply of growth hormones,” Whoop’s site reports. And, especially because I hadn’t heard of this stage of sleep prior to using the tracker, learning that it’s just as essential as its popular sleep-stage cousin REM particularly blew my mind. Why slow wave sleep matters “When we fall asleep, we enter and re-enter various stages, each marked by different brainwaves and different things physiologically that are happening,”
Adidas and Prada have teamed up to create the chicest dang sneakers we’ve ever seen
November 25, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC Raise your hand if you’ve ever stayed up late at night to wonder, “what would the chicest sneaker of all time look like” (… maybe that’s just me?). Well, Adidas and Prada have teamed up to give you the answer, which is: all white, and hella stylish. The Internet has been abuzz with news of the partnership for weeks, and on Tuesday the brands gave sneaker-heads a sneak peak of the shoes they’ll be able to shop. And, holy moly—they are gorgeous (as if we expected anything less). The two iconic brands joined together to create an all-white take on the Adidas Superstar, dubbed the Prada Superstar (price has yet to be confirmed but is rumored to be around $350), which is being described by the duo as “evolved from its sports and subcultural roots into modern luxury.” The drool-worthy sneakers are made with Prada’s full-grain leather, and emblazoned with the word “Prada” across the back quadrant. For an added element of “holy shit these sneakers are cool,” there are only going to be 700 of them produced—and each pair is stamped with the edition number. They look like the Rolls Royce of stylish sneakers, and are equally as rare and wonderful. Basically, they’re the kind of sneakers you can only wear if you’ve got a car service to take you everywhere (… because these pearly whites definitely do not mix with New York City street sludge), and deserve a nightly cleaning with a