February 07, 2020 at 10:00AM by CWC We’re one month into the new year, which means it’s time to check the pulse on the goals you set for yourself in January. Are you on track and totally crushing them? Or did you abandon ship on day two? Somewhere in between? If your ultimate wellness plan isn’t going as successfully as you, well, planned, Brigitte Zeitlin, RD and Manitoba Harvest have some advice for using February as a blank slate for starting fresh with your goals—beginning with assessing how achievable they are. “An all-or-nothing approach can leave you feeling overwhelmed with so many changes that it becomes exhausting to keep up,” Zeitlin says. “Small changes actually leave you feeling more invigorated about reaching your goals.” “Small changes actually leave you feeling more invigorated about reaching your goals.” Instead of trying to totally revamp your whole life (I’m going to go to the gym every day forever), focus on making small healthy lifestyle changes that are easier to maintain (I’m going to add one more workout per week). And just like that, February just became your new favorite goal-setting month. Keep scrolling for 3 of Zeitlin’s go-to healthy lifestyle changes that will help you hit your wellness goals. Switch wine night to a workout Just because you’ve decided to prioritize your health doesn’t mean you have to swear off your social life and move into the gym (pls don’t). Instead of leaving the group chat at the first mention of happy hour,
Month: February 2020
8 easy high-protein plant-based meals you can make in your Instant Pot
February 07, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC When trying to focus on plant-based eating, getting enough protein is often a top concern. Sure, you’ve probably heard that foods like tofu, beans, and chickpeas are good sources of the nutrient, but the advice often stops there. What’s less clear is how to cook with them in ways that actually gets you excited about meal time. But this is another cooking problem your Instant Pot can handle with ease. The multi-cooker makes quick work of the conundrum, helping to clear your mind (and schedule) so you can focus on things that are on your metaphorical plate, not your actual one. Of course, the proof is in the pudding. Rounded up here are eight plant-based high-protein meals, all that make good use of the Instant Pot. Bookmark it so that’s it’s handy for when you need it during meal prep planning or busy weekdays. 8 vegetarian high-protein meals you can make in your Instant Pot Photo: Well-Plated by Erin 1. Vegetarian chili Because chili often uses a base of beans, it’s one of the best high-protein plant-based meals there is. Besides the beans, this recipe also calls for quinoa, sweet potatoes, and red bell peppers, all of which are good sources of fiber, too. Not only will feel powered up, your gut will be pretty darn happy, too. Photo: Food Faith Fitness 2. Meatless meatloaf How exactly do you make meatloaf without meat? With an alt-meat substitute, of course. Vegan “beef” products have
How connecting with my spiritual side has helped me better manage my anxiety
February 07, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Full disclosure: I overthink everything. Literally—from what foods I should eat to how many articles I can write a day as a freelance writer, it’s all chaos in my mind. Many times, my fear of the future paralyzes me to the point where I can’t make a single decision on my own. According to my therapist, my anxiety comes from the fear that I can’t control everything. But life obviously doesn’t work that way, and there’s so much unknown that it really affects me—think losing my appetite, crying, having a panic attack, and being unable to sleep. Regular therapy sessions had been helping me manage this pretty well in my adult life. That is, until I ended a very intense romantic relationship last year. This person had issues with emotion, and I often had no idea where I stood. His constant disappearances and on-off periods of distance would send me into a tailspin. I would stay up until odd hours of the night wondering what he was doing while he was out drinking until 5 or 6 a.m., and I was always stuck in a loop with the irrational part of my brain telling me I just wasn’t good enough for someone to give me consistent love. I know now that this isn’t true; that he was pretty much a classic case of avoidant attachment style, but living through it was a nightmare. When we finally broke up, I don’t think I got
This $6 drugstore ‘body conditioner’ is your in-shower dry skin solution
February 07, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC You know how sometimes, no matter how much water you drink, you can never seem to quench your thirst? The same can happen with your skin—especially in this freezing, dry time of the year. All of your usually dependable body lotions and oils can kinda, sorta alleviate some dryness… but nothing has worked for me like Olay Rinse-Off Body Conditioner ($6). The new product is a rich, moisturizing conditioner that you apply to your body in the shower and rinse after washing, just like you would with a hair conditioner. But even though you’re rinsing it right off, that hydration isn’t going anywhere—the formula’s packed with the most skin-moisturizing, healing ingredients you can get, including petrolatum (a dermatologist-fave), niacinamide, and shea butter. Much to my utter shock, when I stepped out of the shower post-conditioning, my skin felt silky-smooth and somehow softer than it feels after my go-to body lotion. Photo: Olay “In-shower conditioners are really good, especially since you use them in the shower when you’re already wet, which helps your skin absorb that moisture better,” says Shirley Chi, MD, a Los Angeles-based board-certified dermatologist. “I’d say for most people, this would be a really great option for the winter. Shea butter and petrolatum are great moisturizers, and niacinamide is great for anti-aging, which will benefit your entire body.” Another key part of the product’s formula? Dimethicone, which is a type of silicone that acts as a barrier to keep your skin hydrated,
I tried 3 morning routines, and they worked so well I’m still waking up at 4:45 a.m.
February 06, 2020 at 11:18PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIrRsGzTU9w] Swatch a thousand foundations? Set your alarm for 2:30 a.m. in the name of nailing the morning routine? Sleep with a robot? Testing the latest and greatest that wellness has to offer is just another day on the job for Zoë Weiner, Well+Good beauty and fitness editor. In our latest YouTube show Zoë Tries It All, we’re taking you along for the ride to see firsthand how we try and test the buzziest things wellness has to offer, so you can have nice things without having to try it all yourself. The morning routine is pretty much wellness 101, and no one has a better mastery of waking up early and having a day before their day actually begins than celebs. Some “greet the sun,” others meditate in the wee-hours of the morn (so chill of you, Jennifer Aniston), and the most extreme set their alarms for 2:30 a.m. to pray, eat two breakfasts, go to cryotherapy, and have a round of golf all before the sun’s rays stretch above the horizon (you know what you did, Marky Mark). In the inaugural episode of Zoë Tries It All, I set out to test the most extensive celebrity morning routines to give you the definitive ranking of them in order of the most-to-least painful ways to start your day. Before we get to that, a confession: I am decidedly not a morning person. Most days, I try to make it to the gym before
I’m an endurance athlete, but running a short race was harder than the marathon
February 06, 2020 at 07:30PM by CWC Long distances get all the glory. Marathon training, in particular, begs for praise. After all, a cool 20-mile training run over a weekend adds up to two or three weeks worth of cardio for some. But the thing about running marathons is this: After a while, you want a new challenge that doesn’t require you to go to bed at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night, so that you can train for four hours the next morning. So, when a friend asked if I wanted to run the Brooklyn Mile, I agreed—albeit, hesitantly. Because, running short distances can actually be harder than hitting the pavement for 26.2. While long runs are about endurance and require you to think about pacing over the course of a few hours, short runs are all about speed and require you to give an all-out effort over the span of mere minutes. Sure, it’s all running, but the challenges presented by the two are worlds apart psychologically and physiologically. As an endurance athlete, I wondered: Could I do it well enough to be proud of? As I clicked to register for the race, I felt the same twinge of anxiety that I felt when I signed up for my first marathon back in 2012. And I immediately knew two things: I was going to need to set a goal, and I was definitely going to need a coach. What it’s like to run fast Fairly quickly, I turned
Trader Joe’s new vegan chicken-less seasoning goes with *everything*
February 06, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Vegans might not eat chicken, but—surprise!—some of us still love the taste of chicken seasonings. It doesn’t matter whether it’s nostalgic chicken noodle soup, perfectly-crispy tenders, or chicken and veggie skewers… it’s all delicious and easy to make plant-based. And with a new seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s, you can get that beloved chicken flavor in a few quick shakes. Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken-Less Seasoning Salt is essentially a super-affordable vegan chicken bouillon, minus the animal products. While there are similar products on the market—my go-to being the highly-rated Orrington Farms Chicken Flavored Broth Base & Seasoning ($6)—this one is a fraction of the cost at just $2 a bottle. It also has a short ingredients list (sea salt, onion powder, spices, turmeric, and garlic powder) and contains 320 grams of sodium per 1/4 tsp serving. “This seasoning is a fun way to get those flavors we associate with chicken, even in vegetarian and vegan recipes. If you’re planning on adding this to your meals, I do have a few words of caution. Because of the sodium, go light. It’s the same thing I would tell you to do with the salt shaker,” says Amy Gorin, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. “With that being said, I like that the blend includes other spices with proven benefits, including inflammation-helping turmeric. I’d suggest adding a dash of black pepper along with this in order to get the max
This 91-year-old’s workout routine proves it’s never too late to get moving
February 06, 2020 at 06:37PM by CWC At 91-years-young, Lloyd Black—a retired teacher in Semmes, Alabama—just became Member of the Month at his local Anytime Fitness. After gym manager Ashley Seaman congratulated Black in a Facebook post, his thrice-weekly exercise habit went viral—and frankly, have you ever been more inspired to make time in your schedule to sweat? “I had reached the point where simple chores, like yard work, I could no longer do and therefore I started [going to the gym] and it has really helped,” Black told Good Morning America. “I am also motivated by my daddy. He was a man who never gave up and so I hope I’ve inherited some of his traits.” It’s fair to say that Black takes after his father: he’s been spotted kicking it into high gear on the treadmill, taking on the leg press machine, and yet more upper body devices. And to make matters even more impressive, Black performs his entire routine in overalls and Sketchers. Because, really, who needs all that fancy-schmancy gear, anyway? “I don’t feel very comfortable being in the limelight, but if it encourages someone else then I’m willing to do it,” Black said. He’s definitely encouraged those of all ages to get moving, but his message may prove especially important when it comes to exercise for older adults According to Harvard Health, studies have shown that strength, stamina, and flexibility decrease in adults over the age of 55 as a direct result of aging. To combat
Why isn’t anyone talking about prenatal depression?
February 06, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC When Hitha Palepu was pregnant with her second child, she experienced two significant—and scary—panic attacks. “The second panic attack happened when I was at the end of my first trimester,” she recalls. “I think it was work stress, the stress of taking care of a precocious three-year-old, marriage, travel, and growing a human on top of it all. I took on too much, and it all came crashing down around me.” That’s when Palepu, an investor and author, had a breakdown. “I was in hysterics,” she says. “I knew I wasn’t okay; I didn’t feel right.” Palepu called her father-in-law, a psychiatrist, who suggested she may be experiencing prenatal depression. The condition is one Palepu had never heard of, but it’s certainly not uncommon: According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), between 14 and 23 percent of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression during pregnancy. Additional research has found prenatal depression (also referred to as antepartum depression) to be most prevalent during the third trimester, followed by the first trimester. “To have this person put a name to it validated what I was feeling,” says Palepu, who sought support from her obstetrician and a therapist following her discussion with her father-in-law. So, if nearly a quarter of pregnant women may experience feelings of depression during pregnancy, why aren’t we talking about it more openly? What exactly is prenatal depression? Like clinical depression, prenatal depression is a mood disorder
Only 2 beauty companies made the A-List of a major sustainability report
February 06, 2020 at 05:53PM by CWC As we evolve into more conscientious consumers, more and more brands are formulating products with ingredient lists that are cruelty-free, vegan, and environmentally responsible. With a climate crisis upon us, shopping sustainably isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. And out of thousands of companies considered, a new sustainability report only gave straight A’s to two eco-friendly beauty brands: L’Oréal and Unilever. CDP Global, a non-profit organization that aims to help create a sustainable economy by measuring and understanding the environmental impact of major entities like companies and cities, released its 2019 report examining how companies impact the climate as well as forests and water security. More than 8,000 companies disclosed sustainability data to CDP. Nearly all reporting companies submitted figures on climate change, while numbers on water security and forests were disclosed by 29 percent and 6 percent of companies, respectively. Lancôme, Kiehls, and Urban Decay are among the 36 brands owned by L’Oréal. 2020 marks the fourth consecutive year the company earned A’s in all three categories. The brand is committed to zero-net emissions by 2050, says Alexandra Palt, executive vice president and chief corporate responsibility officer at L’Oréal. “Climate change is no longer a distant or future generation problem,” said Palt in a press release. “L’Oréal was one of the first companies to set ambitious CO2 reduction targets in its industrial activity and to achieve them. However, this is not enough. We have to go