Author: CityWomen

October 21, 2018 at 03:22AM This week’s full moon in Venus presents a huge challenge to the status quo—and an opportunity for personal change on the deepest levels, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi. Bottom line: The cosmos is aligning to support your biggest dreams, so this is no time to play small. How to handle all this upheaval? Here’s Racioppi’s best advice on getting the most out of this tumultuous week with your food, fitness, and self-care choices—no matter what your sun sign is.  Monday, October 22 The week kicks off with the waxing gibbous moon moving through cardinal fire sign, Aries. Meaning: Monday presents an opportunity to get things done. Yes. This productive day brings with it a sense of urgency and asks you to go after what you most desire—boldly. However, with the sun at the last degree of Libra, it forms a challenging connection with Chiron, the wounded healer, meaning intense and confusing emotions could arise. So even though you’ll want to blow through your to-do list for the day, it’s important to take a step back and connect with the deeper meaning behind your work. Why do you do what you do? What’s the most profound value(s) driving your ambition? In the words of the feminist theologian, Meggan Watterson, “Worth is not given, it’s claimed.” If you are striving to prove yourself via your accomplishments to justify your value to others, take a moment to acknowledge your inherent worth. Regardless of whether or not another person with authority deems you

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October 20, 2018 at 05:53AM While lounging around poolside with a good book and some ice-cold lemonade in hand is sure to get rid of any pent-up stress, actually getting in the water is the real health-booster. And summer isn’t the only time to take advantage. In fact, hitting up an indoor facility during the colder months can leave you with a more intense, full-body workout than some of your favorite boutique classes. In recent years, more people have caught on to the many pros of spending time in the water. There are now workout classes where you get to live out your mermaid dreams (tail and all!) or have a full-on dance party to hip-hop music underwater, and even ballerinas are taking advantage of the pool for low-impact sweat-sessions. So, why does everyone seem to be flocking to the water? Well, when it comes to the benefits of swimming, there are plenty. Ready to dive in? Here are seven benefits of swimming to take advantage of year-round. 1. Swimming can help with joint pain If all that jumping around in bootcamp classes or logging miles on your runs has resulted in some joint pain, swimming could be the solution. Not only does water give you some relief by reducing the amount of pressure on your body (buoyancy is a beautiful thing), but the warm water also plays a role, helping banish any stiffness or discomfort you’re experiencing. Basically, you’re getting a low-impact, super-soothing workout that’s incredibly gentle on your body.

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October 20, 2018 at 03:30AM When you scroll through Instagram’s infinite number of impressive handstand vids, what you don’t see is all the strengthening work and practice that leads up to actually going upside down. But this week, Cortney Ostrosky, yoga teacher and self-discovery coach posted a slideshow of strengthening exercises to help you *finally* gain the strength you need to nail the inversion—including a killer variation on chair pose. “The last video is holding chair pose, breathing, and practicing opening up your hands and fingers fully then closing them into a tight fist for 60 seconds. Go fast and strong here!,” she writes in a comment on the post. “It seems simple but is highly effective—your hands and arms will be on fire by the end of this!” And since you’re in chair pose—which is basically just a yoga-fied squat—your legs an core will be burning, too. View this post on Instagram Yesterday I got the most requests for “Handstand tips for beginners” – so this one’s for you! These videos are simple but effective and will support you in creating a solid foundation for handstand. The first video is a traditional Sun Salutation. This is a great sequence for prepping your body for handstand. Practice this sequence 5+ times to warm up your body, strengthen your arms, build awareness on your hands + to strengthen your core. Bonus: You can practice hopping to the top of your mat + even if your feet leave the floor for just 1 second

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