Why the most magical way to see a Greek Island is to run to the top of it

July 09, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC “I think that’s a unicorn.” That’s what I said to the others with me, as we approached the mountain peak on Hydra island, off the mainland of Greece. We were panting and sweaty and tired, so stopping to take a picture of what was probably a white donkey and was most definitely not a unicorn was a welcome break from the grueling uphill run we were on. We took in the view: In addition to the majestic white donkey-unicorn, the port of the city of Hydra was visible way, way below, speckled in boats and tourists, and there was the vast blue of the Aegean Sea. And then we continued running. It was 2015, and I was visiting Hydra island with my two closest friends. One of them, Jackie, enjoys running as much as I do, so we spent our first two mornings lacing up and heading from the house where we were staying, around the neighborhood, through the port, then up the island’s main mountain to a certain height. At breakfast after our second run, our waiter said he’d seen us running past the cafe both days. He asked if he could take us to the very top on a run, noting he’s a professional trail runner. In retrospect, the choice skewed risky (he was a stranger!), but trusting him blindly ended up being the best dumb decision I’d never be so naïve enough to make again. ad_intervals[‘403654_div-gpt-ad-6934292-3’] = setInterval(function () {

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Sarah Michelle Gellar’s favorite workout will get you as strong as Buffy

July 09, 2019 at 02:01AM by CWC Because I’ve (shamefully) never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and yet I am about to speak enthusiastically about Sarah Michelle Gellar’s workout), I decided to take a crash course by cueing up a montage of the hit show’s opening credits on YouTube. I learned that Buffy Summers (Gellar) is the dictionary definition of a badass. Buffy slays indeed. And if her workout of choice is any indication, she treats her real-life workout sessions a lot like kicking demon booty. Gellar tells Well+Good that her exercise of choice is Platefit, a 27-minute high-intensity interval training workout performed on a device called a Power Plate, which claims to “challenge you, strengthen you, and renew you” by moving in three directions at once (left to right, front to back, up and down). “The vibration activates your muscle reflexes, and during our workout classes, muscles are contracting 30 to 40 times per second,” says the website. Basically, the machine creates an instability that’s not dissimilar from the one you may experience on a Pilates reformer. Feeling slightly off balance means your muscles really have to get to work. ad_intervals[‘406419_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘406419_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Currently, the studio has three California locations, offering classes at $17 a pop (not obscene in the world of boutique fitness world). Platefit also offers sessions that target specific body parts, deep stretch options, barre and dance versions, and even bootcamps. Gellar’s go-to is considered “vibration training,”

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What does female desire look like? The author of ‘Three Women’ spent 10 years finding out

July 08, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC The story of female sexuality is often told in sweeping generalizations. Orgasms? They’re complicated. Desire? Hey, it’s fine—so long as you don’t wear it too overtly (slut). Not in the mood? Welp, consider pretending you are. These oversimplifications highlight why Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women (released July 9) is such a triumph: It is very specific. The featured three women’s stories add up to an unabridged tale of what it means to desire, love, and lust as someone who identifies as a woman. Photo: Amazon Our characters are Maggie, Lina, and Sloane—three real people leading very different lives in different United States locales, and over the course of 10 years, Taddeo interviewed, shadowed, and befriended each of them. We meet Maggie as a 17-year-old high school student who eventually goes public with her high school affair with her English teacher. Lina, a mother of two, begins cheating on her husband after he refuses to kiss her. And Sloane is a successful restauranteur whose husband chooses other men for her to sleep with while he watches. ad_intervals[‘405758_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘405758_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Not every scenario in Three Women is relatable, per se (in fact, Maggie, Lina, and Sloane are white and heterosexual, which leaves out a whole lot of experiences). But the emotional world of each is told in strokes that are precise—not broad. In a time when Big Bush Energy is reigniting our commitment to putting our own

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It’s chard season—here are 8 ways to eat it that go way beyond steaming

July 08, 2019 at 04:01PM by CWC I rarely eat chard. Not because I don’t like it, but I’ve just never been sure how to prepare it properly. I regularly use spinach, kale, and other greens in my dishes, but most chard recipes call for steaming—and, TBH, even the stunning rainbow variety no longer looks appetizing once it’s turned into a pile of soggy mush. You’ve probably spotted Swiss chard, red chard, or rainbow chard at the farmers’ market or grocery store, but it certainly doesn’t get as much attention as other produce. With crunchy, slightly-sweet, celery-like stalks, and big veiny leaves, the plant is often said to taste similar to beet greens or spinach—just not as bitter. And no where near as earthy as kale. For anyone who’s still trying to add more veggies into their diet, it’s a tamer way to do so that still brings on the benefits. Chard is the definition of a superfood. It contains high amounts of vitamins K, A, C, and E, magnesium, iron, and potassium. And according to Tufts University, its impressive nutrition stats also give it plenty of health benefits. It helps regulate your blood sugar levels, prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, improve digestion, boost the immune system, and even fight off cancer—no biggie. So how do you go about making it at home? Start with these tasty recipes. ad_intervals[‘406326_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘406326_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); 8 delicious chard recipes that taste like summer

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