May 20, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Starbucks makes headlines (and major dollars) for its colorful seasonal drinks and super sweet frappuccinos. But for those of you trying to game the system to make your go-to order a little bit healthier (ahem, off-the-menu drinks), I have news for you: The healthiest part of the store isn’t on the menu board at all. It’s right under your nose in the checkout line. The cooler is stocked with Spindrift (one of the cleanest sparkling water brands there is), Evolution Fresh organic cold-pressed juices, Siggi’s yogurt, and Perfect Snacks protein bars. Framing the long lines are bags of Hippeas chickpea puffs, Emmy’s Organics vegan cookies, and Peter Rabbit Organics fiber-rich squeeze packs. Basically, if you want to take a temperature check as to what snack is going to be a BFD within the next year, all you need to do is visit a Starbucks. The coffee chain started championing small, local brands back in 2015 with the launch of their Retail Brand Partnerships arm, a team of employees whose job it was to seek out innovative brands to sell in the stores. “If we can surprise and delight our customers and also provide a pathway for small business, it’s a win-win situation,” Mesh Gelman, vice president of Retail Brand Partnerships, said in a press release about the program. (A representative for Starbucks declined to be interviewed for this article.) The chain started tailoring its cafes to feel, well, less like a chain, by incorporating
Category: 2019 Health
11 must-visit Pacific Coast Highway pit stops for the ultimate summer road trip
May 20, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC My first-ever experience riding along the Pacific Coast Highway—California’s longest state route, which hugs most of the coastline—is now just a hazy memory of motion sickness from the rear-facing third row of my parents’ Woody Wagon. Years later, I rewrote that memory with my soon-to-be husband: We rented a compact car with manual windows and a busted CD player, and made our way from Los Angeles up to the craggy coastline to San Francisco. We stopped in quaint towns, stayed in retro motels, and ate delicious burgers at roadside diners. I’ve since had the great pleasure of returning to this epic stretch of California coastline several times, noticing new stop-worthy eats and attractions during each drive. So, for a fresh take on a classic American road trip, look no further: Here are the best stops along California’s PCH for you to hit on your summer getaway. From north to south, the following Pacific Coast Highway stops make for the ultimate summer road trip. 1. Do some next-level forest bathing amid the towering redwoods Just north of San Francisco, find the Muir Woods, better known as the Redwood Forest, which feels like a living fairy-tale setting of ancient conifers. Here you can dance among the flora and traipse along the trails, soaking in their beauty and wisdom. Try the Dipsea Trail for views of the tree canopy, Pacific Ocean, and Mount Tamalpais. 2. Hit the day spa at the Carmel Valley Ranch After you’ve
9 editor-approved shaving products to keep your legs smooth all summer long
May 20, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Everyone remembers their first leg-shaving experience. As middle-schooler, I decided on a whim to grab my mom’s razor in the shower. I thought I was doing a pretty decent job, too, until I got out and realized I had nicked myself pretty badly, pretty much everywhere. Let’s just say mom was none too pleased when I exited the bathroom with my legs covered in bits toilet paper to cover my battle wounds. Luckily, a lot has changed since the days of single-blade razors and depilatory creams that make your skin feel like it’s burning off. Now, it’s not just about getting a smooth shave—it’s about doing so with products that soothe your skin and prevent cuts and bumps at the same time. We can’t go back in time and give our teenage selves the gift of a flawless shave, but we can certainly take full advantage of all the new options at our fingertips. From mousses that help your razor glide like a hot knife through butter to products that prevent ingrown hairs, these are the best shaving buys according to Well+Good editors. The best leg shaving products Buy Now glee Summer Lily Shave Mousse $4 Buy Now Nair Nourish Renewing Swirls Body Cream $10 Buy Now Dove Exfoliating Body Polish Body Scrub, Pomegranate & Shea $5 Buy Now EUNON Electric Razor for Women $29 Buy Now Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel with Oat and Vitamin E $4 Buy Now Gillette Venus Extra Smooth
This is the exact place to stretch if you’re dealing with lower back pain
May 20, 2019 at 01:40PM by CWC Until this week, I knew exactly two things about fascia: It is somehow related to your muscles, and its BFF is the foam roller. But as I learned, it’s important to know a whole lot more about it than that, because it’s apparently a major component of tissue underneath your skin that plays a big role in your body mechanics. And if you don’t stay on top of having healthy, limber fascia, you may wind up with some much dreaded back pain. A little anatomy lesson: “Fascia is a type of connective tissue underneath the skin that surrounds and supports the muscles,” explains Jeff Brannigan, program director at New York’s Stretch*d studio. “It can be found both superficially closer to the skin and deeper throughout the muscular system.” The magical thing about fascia is that it’s bendy and flexible and can withstand all sorts of stress, whether it’s from a hardcore HIIT workout or a full-on marathon. As durable as it is, issues can arise when your fascia is tense or tight—which means “its ability to properly separate our muscles is hindered, which can lead to compromised blood flow and compensation throughout the muscular system during movement and activity,” says Brannigan. So if you’re dealing with back pain, it could be due to issues in your quadrates lumborum or “QL,” he says. “This is a deep abdominal muscle that’s often the culprit when experiencing back pain,” says Brannigan. “It will often compensate for
I jade rolled my whole body, and it was better than any massage
May 20, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC My jade rolling routine is the highlight of my day. I pull it out of the freezer, throw on an episode of Paradise Hotel, and get to work ridding my face of whatever puffiness it has. Not only do I think it works like a charm (I have before and after photos that would blow your mind, if you’re interested), but it’s a luxurious experience that has become an integral part of my self-care routine. So, when I found out that there was a full-body jade roller, meant to help with lymphatic drainage, I cancelled literally all of my plans and made a self-care appointment with myself to test it out. Before I treated myself to a full body roll-down, I checked in with board certified dermatologist Lily Talakoub, MD of McLean Dermatology and Skincare to find out if the practice was legit. Her answer? An enthusiastic: “Yes!” We already know that jade rolling is purported to increase circulation and lymphatic drainage on your face, and Dr. Talakoub confirmed that it can have the same effects on your body—as long as you do it the right way. “If you feel bloated or feel like there are areas of the body where you retain fluid, like your legs, your lower belly, your jowls, the jade roller can work like a lymphatic massage,” she says. “The correct method is to follow the lymphatic channels, moving down in the linear pattern—never moving up—which can help increase
How to trust your gut when you struggle with anxiety, according to mental health experts
May 20, 2019 at 10:13AM by CWC As a society, we place quite a bit of importance on trusting our gut. Struggling with a big decision? Tune in to your gut. Not sure if the person you’re dating is “the one?” No worries, your gut will lead the way. While there are proven benefits of trusting gut feelings, in my experience as a person with anxiety, it’s hard to whether your intuition is doing the talking…or your anxiety. (Anyone else ever spent hours Googling symptoms, convincing yourself that you have a terminal disease, only to have the doctor break the news that it’s just a yeast infection? Or…just me?) Alison Stone, LCSW, a holistic psychotherapist based in New York, says that while anxiety can indeed throw our instincts for a loop, we shouldn’t ignore it entirely. “Remember that anxiety is our brain’s way of scanning for possible threats or danger,” she says. “Anxiety often comes up when we consciously or unconsciously are searching for meaning in a certain event.” Does that mean we should assume our brain’s anxious assessment is accurate? No way. “I like to think of anxiety as a reaction, not reality,” Stone says. “We are constantly reacting internally to what is being presented to us in the world, and anxiety is a common response to the stressors we encounter.” In other words, your anxiety is probably a reaction to something—but it doesn’t necessarily have much to do with the situation you’re feeling anxious about. And that disconnect
The drugstore serums prove you don’t need to drop over $25 to see big-time results
May 20, 2019 at 09:47AM by CWC Whenever people used to ask me the one skin-care product worth splurging on, I would immediately tell them, “serum.” I’d always been down with $8 cleansers and toners and moisturizers, but was a big (and misinformed) believer that “effective” and “expensive” were two adjectives that went hand-in-hand when it came to a serum. Well, I was wrong, and would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to any of my friends who I led astray into dropping major dollars on serums (my bad, guys!). Because as the drugstore aisle’s skin-care offerings become better in general, so too has their selection of serums. While serums as a category tend to be pricier than the other elements in your regimen because they’re made with more highly concentrated ingredients, you no longer need to break out the Benjamins in order to find one that truly works. On Monday, a new line of under-$20 products called VERSED joined the clean beauty ranks at Target. As of today, you’ll find its brightening, clarifying, and firming serums among other skin-care superheroes from new brands like Sweet Chef (the affordable off-shoot of K-Beauty favorite Glow Recipe) and ApotheCARE Essentials, and ones we’ve loved forever like L’Oreal and Neutrogena. The key to shopping for serums—drugstore or otherwise—is to have a keen eye for both buzzwords and ingredients. So if something is bragging about being “brightening,” be sure to check for vitamin C; if it’s meant to be hydrating, look out
*This* is the perfect balance of squats and lunges to work your lower half
May 20, 2019 at 08:35AM by CWC You know that scene in Clueless where Tai laments that even after hours of workout tapes, her buns “don’t feel nothin’ like steel”? Well, that is the exact opposite of how you will feel when you take this at-home lower body workout for a test drive. In this week’s edition of the Well+Good Trainer of the Month Club, Master SoulCycle Instructor and EmBody creator Emily Turner has put together a weighted lower body workout that will actually have you excited for leg (and butt) day. Think: Squats, lunges, and leg lifts, which will be a nice respite from the planks we’ve been powering through over the past few weeks. Grab a set of weights and give it a try, but be prepared for at least a day or two of butt-and-leg soreness induced waddling. View this post on Instagram TRAINER OF THE MONTH CLUB Week 3 is here! 🎉💪⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ This week, trainer @emilyhopeturner is teaching us 6 moves focused on the lower body. Swipe through for a breakdown of each exercise, then head to the link in our bio for a full breakdown of each move!⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ WEEK 3⠀⠀ Move 1: Weighted lunge with bicep & hammer curls (R)⠀⠀ Move 2: Weighted single leg lift (R)⠀⠀ Move 3: Wide second with weighted upper back & shoulder presses ⠀⠀ Move 4: Weighted lunge with bicep & hammer curls (L)⠀⠀ Move 5: Weighted single leg lift (L)⠀⠀ Move 6: small V with bicep curls#iamwellandgood #trainerofthemonthclub A
Fast walkers live longer—so step aside, text-walkers!
May 20, 2019 at 07:51AM by CWC When a study of nearly half a million people concludes that walking at breakneck speed might increase life expectancy, you lace your sneakers and get moving. Last week, experts in England linked a spring in your step to the number of years between birth and death. Researchers combed through data from the UK Biobank to discover that fast walkers who were underweight, obese, and every “weight status” in between all ended up cheating death longer than slow walkers (saunterers, strollers, dawdlers, and meanderers, etc.). Of all the groups surveyed, underweight, leisurely walkers lived the fewest years on average (64.8 years for men, 72.4 years for women), according to the National Institute for Health Research. This study marks the first piece of research linking fast walking to longevity regardless of weight, and researchers believe they’re closer than ever to understanding physical indicators of life expectancy beyond BMI. “Our findings could help clarify the relative importance of physical fitness compared to body weight on life expectancy of individuals,” Tom Yates, PhD, professor of physical activity and sedentary behavior and health at the University of Leicester, told The Mayo Clinic. “In other words, the findings suggest that perhaps physical fitness is a better indicator of life expectancy than body mass index (BMI), and that encouraging the population to engage in brisk walking may add years to their lives.” “Our findings could help clarify the relative importance of physical fitness compared to body weight on life expectancy of
8 signs you’re free-falling out of love—and whether or not you should catch yourself
May 20, 2019 at 07:24AM by CWC One takeaway from pretty much every vampire-themed teen soap opera is that love is eternal. But IRL, it seems falling out of love can happen faster than you can say, “Edward Cullen.” What’s the deal with that? It’s one thing to shift from the honeymoon phase of a new, hot fling to a more realistic and stable time when your partner’s annoying idiosyncrasies start to manifest and bug you. It’s another when you’re actively dodging the calls of the person you once thought to be your soul mate. To help clear up what the heck is going on, relationship therapist and author Jane Greer, PhD, points out a few signs you can look for to know if you’re actually falling out of love (and not just going through a season-three rut). Find 8 expert-sanctioned signs below that you’re falling out of love with your partner. 1. Little things that were once a turn-on no longer are Maybe when you first met them, you thought that the way they incorrectly pronounced “library” or their perpetually untied sneakers were super-cute. Now? Not so much. The triggering things can be such mannerisms, personal-style hallmarks, or something else entirely, says Dr. Greer. 2. You find them boring You now have a hard time listening to them when they speak—and this isn’t just a case of misophonia. You simply get aggravated by the sound of them, well, existing. “They get on your nerves, and you can’t stand the