January 22, 2020 at 11:26PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWnmow8atw] “A wakeup call.” That’s what What the Wellness host Ella Dove dubbed her heart rate monitor in our latest episode. We called it in our 2020 trends: This year, more than ever before, your health will be in the palm of your hands (and on your wrist). Thanks to new innovations in wearable technology, we can now track everything from our sleep to our menstrual cycles. But though our wearables have leveled up from run-of-the-mill step counters (I mean, you can now use your FitBit to pay for your coffee), the OG metric that they set out to track from the beginning—your heart rate—is still the most important one of all. To show us why, Dove tested an Apple Watch ($399) over the course of a month—and during three very different fitness classes—to see what it would tell her about her fitness levels. But why is this intel worth keeping track of, in your workouts and beyond? “In general, your heart rate gives you an overall picture of your health and wellbeing, and tells you how good your cardiovascular fitness is,” says cardiologist Jennifer Haythe, MD. And one metric worth watching, in addition to your maximum and average hart rate, is your heart rate variability. Heart rate variability (or “HRV”) measures the specific changes, in milliseconds, in the time between two successive heart beats. “People whose heart rates are faster are gong to have a lower HRV, because their hearts will
Day: January 22, 2020
The best-selling foundations at Sephora all have one thing in common
January 22, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC With brands like Glossier taking a minimalist approach to makeup, we’re seeing the “no makeup makeup look” take over. And while some are loving BB creams and CC creams, others couldn’t imagine using just a barely-there foundation. Some of us prefer a little more coverage, and that’s okay. People turn to the beauty industry to look and feel like the best versions of themselves, and if you get that wearing a fuller-coverage foundation, you’re in good company—medium-to-full coverage foundations dominate Sephora’s best sellers. Whether you’re looking to better cover blemishes or dark spots, need your makeup to last all night long, or just love a fierce finish, a foundation with more coverage is your friend. The top medium-to-full coverage foundations to buy at Sephora 1. Fenty Beauty PRO FILT’R SOFT MATTE LONGWEAR FOUNDATION, $35 With 50 shades, this matte foundation rocked the beauty world in 2018. This long-lasting foundation is made with climate-adaptive technology to help it stand up against sweat and humidity. Because of it’s buildable medium-to-full coverage formula, one Well+Good editor says it can make your skin feel more radiant on a good day, but also give you maximum coverage when you need it. 2. Armani Beauty LUMINOUS SILK FOUNDATION, $64 This buildable medium coverage foundation is made with Micro-fil technology pigments, which lay flat allowing for a second-skin effect. It’s in a natural finish, which is especially perfect if you have dry skin and want full coverage in a non-drying
An anti-inflammatory expert’s top 5 food swaps under $5
January 22, 2020 at 06:30PM by CWC While inflammatory ingredients do hide in a lot of ready-made foods, the good news is that sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet doesn’t have to mean making everything you eat yourself or having a big food budget. Anti-inflammatory health coach Jenny Carr is on a mission to spread this mission to the masses. Her books—Piece of Cake: The Secret to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and The Clean-Eating Kid—are full of tips on making anti-inflammatory eating easy, including lots of her fave grocery store finds. Here, Carr reveals five of her favorite food swaps. As you’ll see, cutting out inflammatory foods doesn’t mean living a life of boring meals, or even skipping dessert. Anti-inflammatory foods you for under $5 1. LUNDBERG ORGANIC LONG BRAIN BROWN RICE, $5 As far as staples go, Carr says this one is an all-star. “Long grain means it’s less processed, and organic is extremely important for brown rice, as arsenic can be readily found in non-organic rice,” she says. “Cook this with a little virgin coconut oil and sea salt for a delicious flavor.” 2. AMY’S ORGANIC LENTIL SOUP, $3 If you’re looking for an anti-inflammatory meal that can be made in five minutes flat, this is it. This heat-and-serve soup has an ingredients list that’s straight forward and simple; besides veggies, all it has is extra-virgin olive oil, bay leaves, and sea salt. “This is my favorite soup swap,” Carr says. “It’s full of protein, free of processed sugar—which is
How learning to care less in all aspects of life can be the ultimate healthy boundary
January 22, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC I’m taking a personally led crash course in how to stop caring (or, at least, care less). It’s called the “Hide Alerts,” and I love it. I have an empath’s heart, an anxious idler’s brain, and the lungs of someone who visits the gym once every three weeks, so—rest assured—I get drained running around, trying to fix everyone’s problems and meet every expectation foisted on me. That’s why keeping push notifications—text, email, social media, you name it—to a minimum whenever possible is a basic for of self-preservation. While what works for me may not work for you, what’s key for setting any healthy boundary—personal, professional, or otherwise—is striking the sweet spot of, “I can care about you and still care about me.” “Some boundaries are specific, like blocking someone on social media,” says clinical psychologist Aimee Daramus, PsyD. “Other boundaries might depend on how you’re feeling that day. If you’re having a low-stress day, you might have more time to listen to someone’s problems, but when you’re already having a stressful day, you might only have so much to give.” Of course, the natural caretaker may have a hard time turning people down and steering clear of emotional vampires, and the conscientious employee have a hard time not bringing home work. So if you’re find it hard to emotionally and physically de-invest and understand how to stop caring so much, find tips below for setting up little fences in both your personal life and your
The 3 best stretches to soothe swayback posture, according to a physical therapist
January 22, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC Stand in front of a mirror for a sec. If you’re unintentionally sticking out your belly and butt and your hips are forward, you could have a swayback posture and not even know it. According to Danielle Weis, DPT, a physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist at Spring Forward Physical Therapy, it’s a type of back posture where your pelvis is shifted forward and rotated slightly backward with excessive rounding in the mid-back and upper part of the lumbar spine. Whether swayback posture is your body’s natural anatomical alignment or a result of poor posture, it can be the reason why you’re experiencing aches and pain on the regular. “Swayback can be painful because this posture positions the spine and pelvis in a suboptimal alignment. It throws off the body’s center of gravity, which makes it more difficult for the spinal and gluteal muscles to activate, support, and function,” says Dr. Weis. “This position also creates tightness and restriction in muscles, including the hamstrings, chest, and anterior neck muscles. Over time, it can also causes stiffness to form between the vertebral segments throughout the spine, which can cause neck, upper, mid, and lower back pain, as well as hip and knee pain.” The good news is swayback posture can be improved—and even corrected! “Think about setting your shoulders down and back, keeping your ears over your shoulders, and bringing those forward-set hips backward. Aim to activate the core to provide back support,” says Dr.
The healthiest canned goods to always have in your pantry, according to a dietitian
January 22, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC We all know about the merits of eating in-season and shopping for produce at your local farmer’s market, but it’s worth pointing out that canned food is seriously underrated by the healthy eating crowd. (Perhaps even more so than the B-sides of Carly Rae Jepson’s Emotions album…) The short list of canned foods’ accomplishments: they have a longer shelf life, help cut down on cooking time, and are often inexpensive, says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD. Plus, “for those looking to follow more of a plant-based diet, using things like canned chickpeas, and other beans in your meals is a great way to add plant-based protein and more fiber to the diet,” she adds. Even if you are a major meat lover, those canned goods can enhance your meal in terms of more nutrition (like fiber!) and flavor—so long as you choose wisely. “I would say if there is a low sodium or no-salt-added version of the canned food you are grabbing at the grocery store, go for that one. If not be sure to rinse and drain all canned items to remove some of the salt,” says Michalczyk. This keeps heart health in check and lowers bloating and water retention. What’s more, “BPA [an environmental toxin present in small amounts in many canned goods] has potential health risks which is why you want to look for cans that say ‘BPA free,’” she says. “Many companies have taken initiatives to remove BPA, however I would
5 common myths about meditation, debunked
January 22, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Meditation isn’t new, but given how the industry is booming in the digital age, it’s also certainly not passé—and great reasons for that abound. The goal of meditation can include facilitating resilience against stress and more compassion toward yourself and those around you. It may even help you get over your ex. When I started meditating five years ago, I was familiar with the studies and anecdotal evidence supporting it. But that still wasn’t enough to leave me to dive into the practice at full force. That’s because I also held a number of ideas and preconceived notions about the goal of meditation and how my practice should look that kept it out of reach for me. I believed it could work others, but not for me. But, I quickly learned, I was wrong. Misconceptions about meditation abound and too often shroud the ancient practice’s abundant benefits. Below, find five of those myths debunked. 1. You must sit completely upright in order for meditation to work For the first year and a half that I practiced, I laid down with pillows and blankets, or I slumped in a chair. If someone saw me meditating, they’d think I was taking a nap, not training my attention. The truth is, relaxing into a comfortable posture is perfectly fine. Just keep in mind that you’ll likely have an easier time staying awake if you take an upright and alert seated position. Not sure which posture to
These are the most popular studios around the U.S., according to Classpass
January 22, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC The beauty of a Classpass membership is that on any given day, you can choose from a seemingly endless number of workouts. From yoga to spin, from boxing to boot camps, you could try a different modality every day of the week (and in many cities, a different studio every day of the year) and never have to repeat a session. Or risk getting bored. But even if you’re mixing up your workouts on the reg, chances are you’ve got one studio in your rotation that’s solidified its spot as your absolute favorite. As a six-year-strong Classpass user, I know I do. But is your favorite sweat spot everyone else’s favorite, too? Today, Classpass released its list of the most popular studios in the United States (and Toronto!). Whether you’re regularly parked in the front row of your spin class every morning or settling into Savasana at your yoga studio every night, check out the list below to see if your go-to sweat destination made the cut. And if it did? Get ready to book way ahead of time, because chances are it’s going to get even more popular now that everyone else knows how great it is. Atlanta: The Forum Athletic Club In Atlanta, the traditional gym format still reigns supreme. The Forum Athletic Club has got all of the floor space and equipment you need to craft a workout on your own (or with the help of a digital fitness app), plus
This plant-based food pyramid will help you build the ultimate healthy, sustainable diet
January 22, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC It’s a beautiful fact that when you eat a primarily plant-based diet, you’re benefiting both your body and the planet. (And your wallet too; plant-based foods tend to be inexpensive.) But if you’re new to the whole plant-based eating thing, chances are that there are a few concerns on your mind, nutritionally speaking. Some wonder how they’re going to get enough protein with meat put on the back burner. Or maybe you want to make sure you’re getting enough omega-3s, wondering what sources other than fish can help give your brain a boost. Consider this your ultimate guide. Here, Cleveland Clinic registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD and registered dietitian Maggie Michalczyk, RD both give tips on how to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need every day while sticking to a plant-based diet—and prioritizing sustainability, too. Use the food pyramid graphic here as a tool to see what foods to prioritize on your plate and to make sure you get enough servings of each to fuel your body. Photo: W+G Creative The base of the pyramid: vegetables and fruit Both Zumpano and Michalczyk say that the most important part of plant-based eating is vegetables—aim to devote a full 50 percent of every meal to them. “The goal should be to get a minimum of seven to nine servings of vegetables a day and two to three servings of fruit,” Zumpano says. Some examples of what a healthy serving looks like: a
5 simple things to keep your 2020 wellness goals rolling past quitters day
January 22, 2020 at 10:00AM by CWC Raise your hand if this story sounds familiar: You start off a new year filled with motivation to totally crush all your new goals, but after just a couple weeks you find yourself settling back into old routines. You’re so not alone. This year, most people were predicted to give up on their new year’s resolutions by January 19, AKA “quitter’s day,” according to research conducted by fitness tracking app Strava. If you’re one of them (no shame, January is hard), we grabbed some advice on how to set yourself up for wellness success all year long—even if that requires a little mid-Jan jumpstart. “Truly improving your habits for the long haul requires setting smart goals that are realistic, doable, and maintainable,” says Cynthia Sass, RD and consultant for ZENB, a new plant-based brand that makes veggie-forward snacks using all parts of the vegetable (even the stems and seeds). “Small changes may not feel as impactful, but because you can stick with them long term, the benefits snowball over time, and ultimately make a greater impact on your goals.” Once the habits associated with your goals start to feel like your new normal, Sass suggests adding another (and so on). Before you know it, you’ll have shown 2020 who’s boss with your goals officially crossed off. Keep scrolling for 5 simple-yet-smart goals you can start on now and actually stick with throughout the year. 1. Choose plant-based snacks Setting out to overhaul your