January 29, 2019 at 12:21PM by CWC There simply aren’t enough hours in the day, according to my favorite wellness pro Captain Obvious. Between responding to emails, going to yoga, meal prepping, catching up on all the Fyre Fest documentaries out there, and general adulting (OMG I’m exhausted just from typing that), making time to take care of yourself can often feel damn-near impossible. Except, it isn’t. These days, treating yourself to some good old-fashioned self-care doesn’t have to require a 20-minute, 10-step routine, or spending major hours (and dollars) at the hands of an esthetician or hairstylist. In fact, thanks to new innovations in hair and skin care, you can craft a feel-good beauty sesh in one minute flat (which is less time than it takes to listen to Ariana Grande’s new song or microwave a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice). No matter how busy you are, everyone has one minute to spare for the sake of feeling better, especially when you can do it while you’re listening to “7 Rings” and heating up dinner. Scroll through to see our favorite 60-second beauty treatments that will give your hair and skin the luxury treatment without taking any actual time out of your (very, very) busy day. REN Clean Skincare Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, $48 Up the ante on your usual vitamin C regimen with REN’s flash facial, which has a 10 percent concentration of the stuff and works its magic in one minute flat. It looks like a sort of
Category: 2019 Health
The 10 buzziest wellness books to add to your 2019 reading list
January 29, 2019 at 12:16PM by CWC With decluttering and organizing having a major moment right now, thanks to the nationwide obsession with Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, you may well have a little extra space in your Zen den for things that spark joy. Like, say, buzzy new wellness books you’ll want to get your hands on this year. Jonesing for fresh inspo to eat well? What about learning more about the science of aging? Whether you’re interested in one of those topics or would prefer to dive deep into the power of energy healing, or get tips on meditation, or another worthy wellness topic, the hot-off-the-presses tomes on the list below are the healthiest additions to add to your TBR pile in 2019. Check out 10 of the buzziest healthy books your wellness-obsessed friends will be talking about this year. Photo: HarperCollins Publishers 1. Do What Feels Good, by Hannah Bronfman (January 8) Wellness influencer, celebrity DJ, and HBFIT founder Hannah Bronfman wasn’t always into wellness (hard to believe, right?). In her book, she opens up all about her journey from party girl to well-living maven. Leaf through her go-to recipes for “healthy hedonism,” her favorite self-care rituals, and her fitness philosophy in this book that’s worthy of a spot on your coffee table. Photo: HarperCollins Publishers 2. Beyond the Pill, by Jolene Brighten, ND (January 29) Tons of women are fed up with detrimental side effects of synthetic birth control, like decreased sex drive, depression, anxiety, and weight gain (just to
We gain way more than we give up when we start eating for the environment
January 29, 2019 at 12:10PM by CWC As the latest in a string of competitors to challenge the Mediterranean diet, the planetary health diet created quite a buzz with its debut in a science-based report in January. Following the eating plan means filling about half your plate with veggies and half whole grains, plant-based proteins, and a minuscule amount of meat and dairy. But new research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests there are several ways to eat well while keeping planet Earth front of mind. After analyzing the diets of 16,000 Americans, researchers at Tulane University found that preparing meals with a small carbon footprint is as simple as using less animal protein. “People whose diets had a lower carbon footprint were eating less red meat and dairy—which contribute to a larger share of greenhouse gas emissions and are high in saturated fat—and consuming more healthful foods like poultry, whole grains and plant-based proteins,” says Diego Rose, PhD, RD, the professor of nutrition and food security at Tulane who led the study. “We can have both. We can have healthier diets and reduce our food-related emissions.” To reach this conclusion, the group of environmental brainiacs created a database linking greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to food production and asked participants of a nationwide survey to name everything they ate within a 24-hour period. Researchers sub-divided participants by the amount of GHGs required per 1,000 calories consumed and ranked the food according to the U.S. Healthy Eating Index. Those with daily food intakes
Give your brows Big Bush(y) Energy with nothing more than a bar of soap
January 29, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC I’m very particular about my brows. I like them to have Big Bush(y) Energy, and splay out in all different directions in their natural glory. The only things I let touch them is my trusty brow gel, and my brow-shaping guru (who tends to them a mere two times a year). But now I’m about to rub soap all over them. Much to my surprise, a bar of soap is an under-the-radar secret weapon for full, bushy brows. “Soap brows are getting such a buzz and so many of my clients are asking about them,” says Robin Evans, a New York-based brow expert. “What’s great about [soap] is that it’s pliable, so it doesn’t get stiff or flaky, and it’s buildable so you can keep applying it so that product adheres to the hairs, making them look more lush.” I first stumbled upon the brow trend in an Elle Australia article, then when I brought it up, two people I know admitted that they swear by soap brows too. Who knew? Actual brow gels can sometimes get crunchy and flaky, says Evans, who adds that the product can brush off when you keep trying to groom or try to reshape them. “Soap, on the other hand, stays on until you remove it,” she says. If you’re staring at your bar of soap (for what it’s worth, glycerin-based and clear ones work best) wondering how the hell you use it to fluff up your brows, hear
4 easy hip flexor stretches that make your whole body sigh with relief
January 29, 2019 at 11:17AM by CWC We all have those days when getting out from behind your desk isn’t really an option. Leisurely afternoon walks in the sunshine feel months away and there’s no way in hell you’re going to risk frostbite on a run to Starbucks with North America in the grip of a polar vortex. (Even though a chai tea latte sounds so good right now.) While you’re warm and cozy in your cubicle, you might have noticed all that sitting takes a serious toll. And that’s why an easy post-work stretching routine—one that includes some of the best hip flexor stretches we could find—is just what you need after a long day. If you’re somewhat immobile for extended periods of time, your hip flexors—the muscles on the front of the hips—”shorten,” shifting your pelvis and creating that awful nagging pain in your lower back. Amanda Bisk, an Australian exercise physiologist and yoga instructor, explains that it doesn’t take much to regain lost flexibility in the hips. Each stretch requires only a few minutes and minimal movement, but her recommendations are just enough to really make a significant difference in the way your body feels. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda Bisk (@amandabisk) on Jan 18, 2019 at 11:50pm PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Hold these stretches—explained by Amanda Bisk—for 10 long, deep breaths each. 1. High kneeling lunge This is great for directly targeting your hip flexors. Make sure your lunge is long with your legs split wide
Why buying Girl Scout cookies is the ultimate act of wellness
January 29, 2019 at 11:06AM by CWC In my opinion, January is the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, cold weather, short days, and minimal sunlight all get me down. The glow of Christmas is gone and my skin has never been drier. But none of that matters to me, because it’s officially Girl Scout cookie season. From January through April, Girl Scouts go door-to-door and post up outside your local grocery store, selling cookies to raise money for their local chapters. It seems simple (and honestly, not that exciting). But I get as excited during cookie season now as ever I did on Christmas Eve as a kid. When I see girls and their parents hocking boxes of Samoas, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, and Thin Mints on the sidewalk, I make it a point to buy as many boxes as I can carry. When my former roommate’s little sister was still a scouts, I’d buy eight to 10 boxes of Thin Mints from her every year. (Yes, all for myself.) But try explaining this to someone who didn’t grow up in the U.S. (or who grew up without a local Girl Scout troop) and you get met with some skeptical looks. They can’t be that good, people say. Can’t you just get Oreos and call it a day? No I can’t, Kathy. Girl Scouts cookies are sacred and special and perfect in basically every way. However, it’s tough to articulate exactly why these little confections are so special. As my colleague
A trampoline workout with Busy Philipps unleashed my inner 10-year-old
January 29, 2019 at 08:57AM by CWC When I was 10 years old, 3 of my favorite things were Dawson’s Creek, Special K Red Berries, and my best friend Lily’s backyard trampoline. We used to spend our weekly sleepovers perfecting our backflips and watching Joey try to decide between Dawson and Pacey over bowls of cereal. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that I had a major “pinch myself” moment last Friday morning when I found myself bouncing on a trampoline next to Busy Philipps. It’s like I was 10 again. Let me back up to provide a little context here: Philipps partnered with Kellogg’s for the launch of their new gut-friendly line of probiotic cereals, Happy Inside (ICYWW, her favorite flavor is strawberry, too). To celebrate, the brand invited a group of editors to work out and hang out with Philipps, which is how I found myself jumping along beside her. After a quick trampoline session, I wasn’t just sweating, I was smiling. And for Philipps, it’s the second part of that sentence that really matters. The actress, who shares her sweaty trampoline workouts from LA’s LEKFit studio to Instagram every day, has been vocal about how just how important exercise is, not only to her physical fitness, but also to her mental and emotional well-being. “I sweat every day, I have to,” she says. But when we sit down to chat and sip on post-workout smoothies (again: pinch me), she admits this wasn’t always a case. “In my 20s
The shutdown is over, but people who keep us healthy and safe got hit the hardest
January 29, 2019 at 08:36AM by CWC Many federal employees happily returned to work this week, but millions of Americans are still feeling the effects of the government shutdown, which stretched for 35 days to make it the longest in history. While all 800,000 or so career public servants are set to receive back pay, not every federal employee is breathing a sigh in relief. Fair treatment is far out of reach for more than one million of the people who work to keep us safe, healthy, and fed, The Washington Post reports. The majority of these contractors who find themselves ineligible for back pay are among the lowest-paid government employees, earning between $450 and $650 a week. They’re the cooks, janitors, and security guards, among others, who perform labor-intensive jobs that create the backbone of government offices, and museums, and agencies. And with another potential shutdown looming in mid-February, many of them will contend with a dent in their savings and little hope beyond their next paycheck. “I did have a little money in the bank—now that’s all gone,” a Smithsonian employee tells The Washington Post. “I don’t have any help. My electricity might be turned off any day.” It’s clear that the effects of the government shutdown are far from over as her words echo sentiments of countless others shut out across the United States. Last month, three Democratic senators proposed legislation that would ensure pay for contract workers up to $965 per week of lost income and reinstate the sick days many
Here’s what happened when I spent 48 hours at a fancy wellness commune in the woods
January 29, 2019 at 08:12AM by CWC When I first opened my inbox and saw an email about Serenbe—a wellness community located 30 minutes outside Atlanta that that promotes an active lifestyle, face-to-face interaction, organic food, and eco-friendly living—my mind instantly conjured a ’60s-era hippie-dippie commune where people live with the sole mission of spreading peace and love. I quickly realized the neighborhood wasn’t exactly that (for starters, this place seemed upscale), but intrigued I remained. Here’s the deal: Back in the early ’90s, founders Steve Nygren and Marie Lupo Nygren moved from Atlanta to a quiet, countryside respite in the woods. But when bulldozers started razing surrounding forest land for development, disrupting their serene slice of life, it broke ground for a big idea: Develop a sustainable community to not only preserve that 40,000 acres right outside the major city, but to also create a place unlike any other where people can thrive. After working with other landowners, developers, and conservationists, they devised a plan to keep 70 percent of the land as green space and work with the natural landscape to develop on the rest. The first house was built in 2004, and since then, Serenbe has grown into an increasingly self-sustainable place with essentially everything you need to live comfortably. And technological advancements have made never leaving even easier. While plenty of residents work in or around Atlanta, many have full-blown careers right inside the comfort of the community, either by working remotely or owning businesses and shops. Now
If you’re rocking a hair tie on your wrist 24/7, pay attention to the mark it leaves
January 29, 2019 at 08:03AM by CWC If one thing remains true about my everyday wardrobe, it’s that you’ll always find a simple black hair tie around my wrist. I don’t know when this beauty essential became such a steady part of my look—it doesn’t even come off in the shower, TBH—but I like to be prepared in case I want to pull my hair back at a moment’s notice. But without fail, after a few hours of wearing my trusty black “bracelet,” I’ll wind up indent around my wrist, which makes me wonder if I’m maybe cutting off the supply of blood flow to my hand. On the extreme end of the spectrum, I’ve even woken up with the tell-tale indent on my wrist and some slight tingling in my hand to wonder what’s going on. To finally figure out what the heck is the deal is—and to confirm whether I’m doing something bad to my circulation—I sought a cardiologist’s advice. In the most obvious news: “If you have numbness or tingling in your hand, or it becomes cold and pale, your hair tie on your wrist is probably too tight,” says Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, a volunteer medical expert for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement and director of women’s cardiovascular prevention, health, and wellness at Mount Sinai. She says your hair elastic-related numbness is generally caused by a lack of blood flow. (However, arm and hand numbness can be caused by a number of other factors,