March 06, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC San Miguel de Allende is a colorful colonial city nestled in the heart of Mexico. The architecturally rich respite in the Guanajuato state is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Mexico City, and it boasts a thriving art scene, a fascinating historical center, and a vibrant heritage. A visit here isn’t complete without taking advantage of spa treatments, vegan eats, fitness studios, organic coffee-shop sips, hikes, and green-juice vendors. But somehow, despite all those healthy offerings, the city still manages to fall blissfully under the radar. And after a few days gallivanting around the Mexican gem, you’ll feel enriched, fulfilled, and oh-so healthy. Especially if you follow the guide below. What to do Parque El Chorro Consider your morning hike found. The steep climb combined with the altitude (more than 6,000 feet above sea level), means you’d be smart to prepare to huff and puff all the way to the top. Considering the amazing view you’ll get as a reward though, you’ll surely feel it was worth the effort. Hotel Nirvana’s hot spring pool Hot springs SMA is built on the edge of an extinct volcano that hasn’t erupted in 12,00 years. Thanks to the subterranean volcanic activity, the countryside surrounding the town is full of healing thermal waters and hot springs. My absolute favorite of the several I visited is at Hotel Nirvana. Take a $10 cab ride outside of town and arrive at this little slice of, well, nirvana. Bathe in the
Category: 2019 Health
Brittle nails can wreck your manicure, so here’s how to make them stronger
March 06, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I’ve got to admit that I put my nails through the ringer. I don’t remember the last time they weren’t painted, I’m clack-clack-clacking away on a laptop (or my phone) for the majority of the day, and I rip and tear packages and food containers open like a beast. So, I’ve never been surprised that there are often times when my manicured nails simply break. I’ve always chocked it up to them being weak from overuse. During one manicure sesh, though, my nail technician said that I’m actually dealing with really brittle nails. When I asked to learn more about the condition, it definitely described my nails to a T: “Brittle nails are nails that are thin, dry, and prone to breakage,” explains nail guru Jin Soon Choi, who owns an eponymous nail salon and nail polish line. Nadine Abramcyk, co-founder of nail hotspot Tenoverten, adds that brittle nails are softer and thinner than normal and have a tendency to split and tear apart. Yep, it me. You don’t get brittle nails from the reasons I thought, though—there can be more to it than simply overuse and too many gel manicures. “Brittle nails can be a sign of an ongoing health issue, but are often related to age, overuse of polish, and sometimes even the weather,” Abramcyk explains. “When you never give your nails a break from polish—specifically dark colors—your nails tend to dry out and become brittle over time.” (Guilty.) Choi adds that
Everyone is making the same mistake with their dry shampoo. Let’s fix that.
March 05, 2019 at 01:22PM by CWC I’ve heard it plenty and I’ll admit that the phrase “dry shampoo doesn’t work for me” has, in fact, rolled off my tongue on more than one occasion. That is, until I got a tip that pretty much made it my new favorite product (I know, I know, I’m late to the party). Previously, as much as I’d wanted to love the stuff that extends washes and adds enviably effortless vibes to strands, I’d somehow wind up with a white dusting that looked more flakes than flawless. But that’s simply because when it comes to dry shampoo usage, I was doing it wrong. “Dry shampoo is really such a misunderstood product and people use it the wrong way,” says Dove celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend. “It’s a wet product on the inside of the can, even though it’s ‘dry shampoo,’ so it needs that millisecond of air to dry it before it hits the scalp.” The fix is a cinch. All you’ve got to do is hold the dry shampoo can further away from your head so that the wet ingredients have a second to flash off before those actives, in the form of powders and starches, hit your scalp and start sopping up oil. According to Townsend, 10 to 12 inches (or the length of your forearm, roughly) should do it. Once you’ve sprayed the dry shampoo, you want to really work it in either with fingertips or a brush that can push
Someone told my coworker she has a “tall personality” and now I want one
March 05, 2019 at 12:51PM by CWC Personality traits come in all shapes and sizes. Your might glean some insight from a four-letter acronym courtesy of Myers-Briggs, or dive deep into numerology with your date of birth, or discover which love language makes your heart flutter. But when we overheard someone tell our 5-foot-6 colleague that she has a “tall personality,” we all paused. Because, yeah, she’s definitely more Blake Lively than Kevin Hart personality-wise—but why? In order to understand which personality traits give someone a presence that suggests a few extra inches of height, I spoke with Katy Caselli, an organizational psychologist who specializes in personality frameworks. “It’s more of the self-esteem of being tall, or being short,” she says. “We know from research that we tend to have taller presidents, we tend to have taller CEOs, and people who tend to fall more easily into an authority role seem to be taller.” Not all of will reach the height of Abraham Lincoln (6 feet 4 inches) or Michelle Obama (5 feet 11 inches), but Caselli believes we can alter how we present ourselves if we do want our charisma to stretch skyward. “We know from research that we tend to have taller presidents, we tend to have taller CEOs, and people who tend to fall more easily into an authority role seem to be taller.” —Katy Caselli, organizational psychologist specializing in personality frameworks “When someone says, ‘Hey, you’ve got a tall personality,’ what they’re actually saying is, ‘You seem like a person
How to use lemon balm when your anxiety gets the best of you
March 05, 2019 at 11:52AM by CWC When it comes to calming herbs, let’s be honest—they’re not necessarily winners in the taste department. (There’s a reason why no one exactly craves ashwagandha or reishi.) Fortunately, lemon balm is here to prove that herbs can do their jobs without leaving you with a funky taste. (It’s 2019 and we can have it all!) As its name implies, lemon balm—which is in the mint family—has a slightly tart taste. It’s a popular addition not only in foods and drinks, but also in aromatherapy and beauty products. Besides tasting and smelling good, lemon balm is full of benefits, and has long been used for its calming, stress-relieving properties. Here’s what you need to know before you try it. What are the benefits of lemon balm? 1. It could help calm anxiety. Some small studies (in people and rats) have linked lemon balm to reduced feelings of stress and anxiety. Researchers for one pilot study believe the herb makes the neurotransmitter gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) more readily accessible in the brain. (GABA helps regulate your body’s stress response.) It should be noted, however, that too much lemon balm (exceeding 0.6 grams) can actually lead to feeling more anxious. The sweet spot for anxiety seems to be 0.3 grams, according to the study. 2. It could boost your mood… Similarly, there is evidence that lemon balm can help reduce depression, though the exact science behind why is still unknown. “In the acute model, [lemon balm] significantly reduced depressive-like behavior but
Cancel the facial: Amazon’s line of brand-new 5-minute face masks are *that* good
March 05, 2019 at 11:09AM by CWC If I had to make up a wish list for my dream beauty products, there would be a few key things on it. Ideally, it’d be easy to get—like, Amazon Prime easy—full of safe ingredients, and fast acting. Oh, and the most ideal thing of all? The beauty products would be super affordable. Well, I think Will Smith’s genie has gotten a head start on his job, because my wishes have been granted: FBC, short for Fast Beauty Co, launched today with a line of 5-minute masks and micellar wipes sold exclusively on Amazon for under 15 dollars. At the launch this morning in New York’s Soho neighborhood, I met with the sister-model-influencer duo Simona and Diana Kubasova, who wanted to create a skin-care line that’s not only cute (case in point: each mask is Instagram friendly and flecked with gold) but also convenient for women on the go. As in, who only have five minutes to spare for a face mask to do its job. And so they worked with celebrity dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD to concoct sheet masks that utilize ingredients like honey comb (for hydration), hyaluronic acid (for even more hydration), and rosemary (to clarify), among many others that will effectively penetrate your skin in the time it takes to brew a coffee. There are several lines within the brand, including the Clarity Collection, which is for breakouts and uses charcoal to detoxify, the Dive-In Collection for hydrating purposes (yep, it
This “all class club” cured my studio-hopping habit
March 05, 2019 at 10:29AM by CWC On any given day in New York City, there are quite literally thousands of workout classes to choose from. You can spin underwater, do Pilates in a 95-degree room, or try a HIIT circuit in near-freezing temperatures. To say that there is plenty to choose from would be like saying “holding a two-minute plank is really hard” (AKA: a pretty laughable understatement). After spending years treating New York’s fitness scene like a seemingly endless buffet, sampling nearly every menu option I could find, however, I suddenly found myself feeling really, really worn out by the studio-hopping way of life. Aside from having to plan my entire week out in advance, making considerations for varying commute times, and totally random class needs, I would also find myself stuck in terrible, boring classes or studios without showers. Plus, since I was changing things up so frequently, I was never actually getting good at any of the workouts. So two months ago, I decided to trade my spot at the fitness buffet for a membership at Fithouse, an “all class club” that just opened its third location in Union Square. As of late, the gap between gym group fitness classes and boutique studios has generally started to become narrower and narrower as traditional gyms have started to up the ante on their group fitness offerings. Equinox, for example, has become just as well known for its range of (really effing hard) classes as it has for its state
Literally set the tone of your home with this guide to Feng Shui colors
March 05, 2019 at 10:24AM by CWC Feng Shui is, put simply, the idea that the energy of a space can impact your mood and your life, and that you can therefore change and cultivate the energy you’d like through conscious decorating. Even if you don’t prescribe to a holistic Feng Shui philosophy, you’ll notice that there’s a reason waiting rooms are usually blue and why you don’t often come across neon living rooms—the color of the things around you can have a measurable (and scientific!) impact on your health and psyche. To make sure you’re creating the exact ambiance you’d like in your home, you should consider the Feng Shui impact of your color scheme. “When we talk about colors in Feng Shui, we talk about them in the context of the five elements and the colors associated with each of them,” says Patricia Lohan, a Feng Shui expert and author. Lohan says to think of the use of the five elements color scheme like acupuncture in the body—it helps restore and remedy energy. Sometimes you can pinpoint the exact thing that makes a room or a home comforting and inviting—maybe it’s all of the handmade artwork hanging on the walls, or the Chip & Joanna Gaines-esque aesthetic of rustic chic coziness. But often times I find myself in situations wherein there are intangible good vibes in the space or alternatively, an overall unidentifiable bleakness to the decor. When you can’t figure out why your bedroom doesn’t feel as welcoming
7 under-the-radar activewear brands to know…before everyone else does
March 05, 2019 at 09:50AM by CWC Shopping for activewear or athleisure pieces is now overwhelmingly easy to do. You’re as likely to find the workout ready pieces you’re looking for somewhere like Asos or Shopbop as you are to find them at specialty boutiques and stores such as Bandier and Carbon38. There are so many activewear brands that are now household names that it can be easy to miss some of the more under-the-radar labels on the scene. The brands rounded up below aren’t necessarily new or extremely niche, but they are a decidedly less common choice than your Lululemon’s or Outdoor Voices. Rounded up are seven of the activewear brands you should get familiar with before they become ubiquitous sightings at your workout studios. View this post on Instagram So excited to launch our Valentine’s Day Capsule with @carbon38 today! A post shared by BEACHRIOT (@beachriot) on Feb 1, 2019 at 11:56am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Beach Riot The best way to (sort of) succinctly describe Beach Riot’s activewear is: Miami Beach Sailor Moon. This is activewear that’s whimsical and fun. The pieces in the collection are colorful and made up of prints, like gingham, hearts, and polka dots, that you wouldn’t think to pair with activewear but that work surprisingly well. The styles are a mixture of the usual suspects (high waisted leggings) and surprising accents (ruffles, knots, cut outs). View this post on Instagram STRONG is the new fit. SHOP our new #allaccess colorways and feel the
7 pancake recipes healthy enough for every day of the week
March 05, 2019 at 09:17AM by CWC If there’s one breakfast food everyone can agree ranks superior, it’s pancakes. But not all pancake recipes are created equal. Take a bite into the right kind of fluffy goodness and the world melts away. (Anybody else like to start off brunch with pancakes for the table?) That said, if you don’t devour at least one stack a week, you’re basically committing a crime. A tower of steaming pancakes doesn’t exactly have the reputation as the healthiest breakfast option, but with some easy ingredient swaps and a few fun additions, you can enjoy the comfort food and get a full serving of health benefits. In anticipation of National Pancake Day, we’ve got seven delicious pancake recipes—one for each day of the week. Whether you’re into bright green matcha pancakes packed with antioxidants, adaptogenic pancaked filled with lion’s mane mushrooms, or something sweet with cocoa and dark chocolate, these pancake recipes are sure to be a hit every day, all year round. These pancake recipes are so healthy you can eat pancakes every day of the week. Photo: Markus Karjalainen 1. Sunday: Lion’s mane pancakes These adaptogenic pancakes are packed with lion’s mane mushrooms, which might help lift mental fog. Photo: Candice Kumai 2. Monday: Matcha pancakes When you need a burst of caffeine on Monday morning, why not combine two of your favorite things into one stack of pancakes? They’re loaded with matcha and topped with dark chocolate chips for plenty of antioxidants.