February 04, 2019 at 04:20AM by CWC Whether you prefer twirling around to Phish at Bonnaroo or singing “thank u, next” at the top of your lungs with Ariana Grande at Coachella, you’re in good company: The festival season scene is a can’t-miss for millions of music lovers in the United States alone. For savvy concertgoers (think, more Whitney Port, less Fyre Festival ticket holders), there’s a lot more to think about pre-festival than which boho-chic outfits to pack for the experience. Maintaining a sense of wellness in that environment requires a certain amount of research and mindfulness. Sure, some venues and festivals offer activities like fitness classes, art markets, and even kid-friendly events. But, big questions remain, like what to eat, what to drink, and how to protect the ears for years of music festivals to come. Whether you’re a first-timer going to Austin City Limits or a seasoned vet heading back to Lollapalooza, easy-to-follow tips can help you have a great time without compromising your health. Eat (well), drink (water), and be healthy Festival lineups may offer a rich array of sounds from all over the world, but often the eats on offer are as basic and nutrient-lacking as they come. And if you follow specific diet plan, finding nourishment can be challenging, to say the least. Challenging, though, certainly doesn’t mean impossible. After taking in the lay of the festival land to scan all your options once you arrive at the event, holistic nutritionist Ali Shapiro suggests centering your meals
Category: 2019 Health
Why everyone you know has read “The Artist’s Way”—and 5 things you never knew about the author
February 03, 2019 at 10:09AM by CWC “Have you read The Artist’s Way? You have to. You have to.” I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this throughout my life. The first time was in my mid-20s, from a co-worker at a magazine who talked about it all the time. The other thing she talked constantly about: her church. And Jesus. Nothing wrong with that—but in a work setting? That’s unusual, even for the Bible belt. (Texan here.) Her fervency, paired with the fact that “way” was in the title, led me to assume the 1992 book by Julia Cameron was written solely for devout (and creative) Christians. So I skipped it, for years, even as people repeated the same “have you read it” refrain. Photo: Penguin Group When I finally gave the The Artist’s Way a chance, more than a decade later, it (shockingly) lived up to the hype. It was like therapy and a brain reboot and a writer’s retreat, all in one very structured, prescriptive package. Short version: The book takes you through a 12-week program of journaling exercises and other specific “assignments,” including the hallmark of her system: daily “morning pages”—where you write three pages by hand the minute you wake up, to clear out the mental cobwebs and get your creativity flowing—and weekly “artist’s dates” that you have to go on by yourself. If this is all sounding familiar to you, it’s because you probably have at least two friends who have read the
Lingerie that’ll make you feel like a grown adult—for under $100
February 03, 2019 at 08:30AM by CWC I’m on the cusp of my 28th birthday (i.e. prime Saturn return time), and I simultaneously feel as old as Luke Skywalker in the most recent Star Wars films and like I need to be carried around like a baby everywhere á la those Ariana Grande rumors. A recent makeover of my underwear drawer, though, has done wonders for helping me feel more adult. Wearing nice lingerie just feels so grown-up. Do you know another thing that feels grown up? Being fiscally responsible. So none of the pieces below cost more than $100. And, obviously, they’re all pretty and sexy and will make you feel like a woman who has got her sh*t together—even if, like most of us, you’re still trying to figure things out. Call it role play. Bluebella Etienne Bodysuit, $64 Photo: Bluebella My favorite part about this bodysuit is that you could take a cue from Rihanna or Bella Hadid and totally wear it outside the bedroom with a skirt or high-waisted pants. Savage x Fenty Hearts Unlined Bra, $49 and Open-Back Hearts Hipster, $30 Photo: Savage x Fenty When selecting the image to use for this lingerie, I was torn between showing the heart appliques on the bra or the strappy back of the underwear. That is to say, this set looks amazing from all angles. And it comes in black should bright colors not be your thing. Only Hearts Coucou Lola Tie Front Bralette, $48 and Coucou
This bonkers food diary from the star of “High Maintenance” is peak wellness—and I love it
February 03, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC If you’ve ever watched HBO’s High Maintenance, you know that the adventures of a weed delivery guy make for the perfect vehicle for peeking into people’s lives. That, combined with the show’s is-this-actually-a-documentary level of dialogue and its ability to nail the tiniest everyday details, makes it the smartest (and most pleasurable) binge-watch around. If you don’t already know about High Maintenance, then you should probably avoid me at parties. Because I might just evangelize it to you at a level that’ll make you subtly start backing away from me. (Yeah, I get social cues. But I can’t stop.) So I admit it: I love High Maintenance. I also love food diaries, where people disclose all the places they eat and what they order—or even better, what they cook. (Funny how food diarists have so much time to go to farmers’ markets!) The better their lives are, the more hurts-so-good envy I feel. It’s basically schadenfreude in reverse. And now, be still my heart: these two things that I love have combined into what has to be the most wellness-y (and Brooklyn-y) Grub Street Diet of all time, from High Maintenance star and co-creator Ben Sinclair. Let’s investigate. Is there a moringa shout-out? As in, the super-nutritious green that Well+Good ID’ed as a trend back in 2018? You know it. “An African man told me about moringa a few years ago while I was filming man-on-the-street segments for the Tribeca Film Fest. He made me guess his
Why this new moon is the perfect time to embrace your inner weirdo
February 03, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Each new moon is the chance to start over and set new intentions—or, hey, go crazy and invite your nearest and dearest over for a women’s circle to make it more social. And this month, the cosmos supports serious “you do you” energy—it’s all about being authentic, even eccentric, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi. Monday, February 4 The new moon in Aquarius, the second new moon of 2019, perfects at 4:01 p.m. Eastern. New moons begin new chapters; and, actions taken when the luminaries (the sun and the moon) conjoin have both short-term and long-term implications. With this current new moon happening at 15 degrees of Aquarius, alongside Mercury, now’s the time to own your authenticity and eccentricity. Aquarius, a fixed air sign, encourages you to lead via originality. It asks you to decide for yourself what truths you wish to subscribe to, and let the rest go. This new moon initiates new beginnings that stem from the deepest place within your heart. Meanwhile, Saturn the planet of discipline, traveling very close to Pluto (for the next two years) takes no prisoners. Meaning, the cosmic dance not only commands you to honor your truth, no matter what, but it also doesn’t leave room for lack of compliance with the directives of your soul. Add to the mix that Mars, the planet of action, conjoins both Eris, which represents feminine discord, and Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, and it’s safe to say that this new moon initiates
Calculating my own personal “sock loss index”—and re-examining all my life choices
February 02, 2019 at 10:45AM by CWC I never get angry when I receive socks for Christmas, just curious about which ones will make it to the new year. I mean, I’ll wear some holly-covered footwear through October, but we all know that socks are the first thing to get lost in the wash. But why? Why is there always one missing sock? Why are they, in a real Charlotte York fashion, always looking for their other half? A 2016 study by Samsung revealed that the average person loses 1.3 socks a month, which is approximately 15 socks a year. By my estimation (and innovation), the “sock loss index” is calculated this way: Laundry size + washing complexity – attentiveness towards laundry x positivity towards doing the laundry. I don’t do math, but that sounds like if your laundry is huge and unseparated and you have a bad attitude about it, you’re gonna lose some socks, fam. So I went on a quick quest to find as many lost socks as possible. If you’re also wondering where the hell socks go after laundry day, here’s where they could be hiding out. The bottoms of your tights and leggings My more fitness-obsessed friends will zero in on the “leggings” side of this. When you’re just trying to get out of your gross gym clothes, the move is to get off everything ASAP, right? It happens in one clean (er, maybe not so clean) swoop, and you forget that there’s still a
The Year of the Pig is here to kick off a new (mini) era based on pleasure
February 02, 2019 at 06:41AM by CWC Consider the next year an end of an era. (Ish.) As we kick off the Year of the Pig on Lunar New Year (February 5), a 12-year cycle—which corresponds to the Chinese zodiac’s 12 animals—comes to an end. So, all the lessons you’ve learned over the last 12 years? It’s time to integrate those and plant some new seeds. And the Year of the Pig—associated with earth and water—is perfect for growing things. “You can’t really plant things in a desert. Mud, the moist wet earth, is what things grow in. The earth is where things transform, where they grow lush and green out of,” says doctor of Chinese medicine Noah Rubinstein, DACM, LAc, of The YinOva Center. So are there deep thoughts ahead? Definitely. But actually, thanks to the pig’s love of good times, it’s probably going to be a lot more fun than 2018 was. “We’re coming out of the Year of the Dog. There has been a sort of pack mentality, which is not a bad thing, but it’s about identifying yourself within a group. Pigs are generous and kind. They’re not standoffish like a dog, going, ‘Are you okay? Do I like you?’” Rubenstein says. Coming off of the us-vs.-them energy of the Year of Dog—which followed the fiery rooster in 2017 and the frenetic Year of the Monkey in 2016—it’s about time to regain some chill, and kick back more often with your favorite people. “In the year to come, the
Here are 8 ways to lower your risk of heart disease—and some of them are actually pretty fun
February 02, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC A staggering 48 percent of American adults suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, finds a new report published in the journal Circulation. Heart disease claims the lives of 1 in 3 American women, and as the leading cause of death in the country, heart disease prevention should be front of mind for everyone. Quitting smoking and excessive drinking are no-brainers, but lowering your risk also includes taking small steps to improve your health overall. Exercising regularly is a good place to start and getting enough sleep is always a good idea. Doing what you can to limit the amount of stress in your life, while also seeking an occasional thrill. But there are also some other tricks that can help decrease your risk of heart disease as well. And some of them are things you’re going to want to do anyway. (Hint: Cue up “Business Time” by Flight of the Conchords.) Here are 8 heart disease prevention tips to know about. 1. Do household chores This isn’t just a sneaky way to get you to vacuum your rugs and scrub the countertops more often. Past research suggests it only takes moving around for 30 minutes a day—even if you’re just sweeping!—to reduce your risk of heart disease by 24 percent. It’s a win-win. 2. Switch up your workouts You might think dynamic activities like running are the best for your heart health, but when it comes to reducing your risk of heart disease, researchers found
How Indian women achieve beauty from the inside out
February 02, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC I’ve never been to India, but when I see it in movies, the landscapes appear to be vividly beautiful: varying landscapes, from desert to country to over-populated city, bursting at the seams with ancient history and culture. And, unsurprisingly, its inhabitants have been ahead of the curve when it comes to beauty trends. For centuries, they’ve been utilizing what’s grown on their land for skin-care and health purposes—they’ve been all over turmeric, the OG anti-inflammatory powerhouse, for generations. And this is on top of the central practice of Ayurveda, an ancient holistic medical practice that influences everything from how they live to what they put on their plate. “In India, Ayurveda, or ‘the science of life’ encourages us to think about beauty as a holistic concept rather than looking at our body as a series of disconnected causes and effects,” says Michelle Ranavat, founder of Ranavat Botanics. “For example, when we think of acne, Ayurveda takes into consideration diet, stress level, sleep, as well as your skin when considering treatment.” So it’s truly about looking at all the different factors that affect your health. She also notes that Ayurvedic medicine incorporates a ton of native Indian plants—think neem, saffron, moringa, and, duh, turmeric—that are said to have major skin benefits. That’s why you’ll find these superstar ingredients in their recipes as well as beauty products—because in India, beauty runs more than skin deep. A 360-degree approach “In India, it’s all about a 360-degree approach
Our wellness goals summed up in 7 super cozy sweatshirts
February 01, 2019 at 01:19PM by CWC Look, it’s that time of the year when laziness can get the best of you. Chalk it up to frigid temps, short days, and plenty of quality content to get through in the Netflix and Hulu-verse, but the couch ever-so-sweetly calls your name in these months. And while it’s all good to lean into all that hygge can bring, it’s also never bad to have your wellness motto on lock for when things start to thaw. Enter the wellness sweatshirt, which combines good intentions with an everyday winter staple for an uplifting and awe-inspiring effect. Looking to drink more water? Want to stay on the sunny side? A wellness motto sweatshirt can not only show the world you’re on team 8 ounces a day, it can also remind you to drink that H2O and stay positive in the first place. And research backs this up: One study shows that positive affirmations can help to safeguard from stress and put you on a path to goal attaining. Plus, investing in a new sweatshirt can also help you break out of that winter fashion slump. Instead of grabbing that black V-neck sweater you’ve already worn twice this week, wear the sweatshirt with jeans and booties or skirt and tights and let your light shine. Here, 7 sweatshirts that will let you show the world your wellness motto. Photo: J Crew J.Crew x Charity: Water “Eau Yes” Crewneck Sweatshirt, $70 Oui! We all could probably be better