January 23, 2019 at 09:05AM by CWC To say that Venus Williams is a forced to be reckoned with on the court would be like saying “the Earth is round” or “the sky is blue”. Because, duh: She’s one of the greatest athletes of all-time. But what you see on the clay is the result of thousands of hours of training—yes, at the net, but also in the gym. “Strength training is empowering,” she says. “You feel better than your best when you nail a workout. It’s that victory mindset that drives you on your fitness journey—whether you’re hitting the court or not. I always say you have to be an eleven out of ten, and strength training makes you feel that way.” This idea of being an “eleven out of ten” is the impetus behind the tennis pro’s activewear line, EleVen, which is meant to inspire women to push themselves to the fullest at the gym and give them the wardrobe to make it possible. “As an athlete, I understand how clothes have to perform no matter the workout. As a designer, I want to create something beautiful for my audience,” she says, citing the brand’s latest Caracas collection (launching Wednesday) as one of her favorites yet. “You’ve gotta wear clothes that move with you and support your hustle.” “I’ve got to praise the plank here,” – Venus Williams. And, for her, the hustle involves mixing it up. “No two workouts are the same for me—I’m always on the go traveling or in tournament mode so
Category: 2019 Health
Netflix’s “Sex Education” gets down with all the stuff you didn’t learn in high school
January 22, 2019 at 08:39AM by CWC Allow me to set the stage for the one and only childhood memory I have of sex education. I’m in middle school—with a greasy AF middle part in my hair, no less—in Charleston, South Carolina. The physical education teacher has just revealed that my class will be skipping the next installment of our four square unit (really!) in favor of something that doesn’t require changing into scratchy gym clothes. We’re all psyched. That is, until the guidance counselor strides across the gymnasium floor and begins handing out index cards. “Write down any questions you have about sex,” she says. “They’ll be anonymous.” As I hold the piece of paper in hand, I can think of only one query that needs an answer: How can I have a question about something I know next to nothing about? Flash forward a decade and it blows my mind that I possessed the strategic moves to become “King” in a schoolyard game, but I still didn’t know a single fact about the etiquette, laws, and complex societal standards that rule my body. What’s worse, I’d never given a second thought to this lack of curriculum surrounding puberty until I watched Netflix’s Sex Education, which started streaming January 11th. I learned more about sex in five minutes of watching the show than I did in the extent of my time in school. And now, I’m wondering why. How can I have a question about something I know next to nothing about? Sex Education stars
Victoria Beckham’s formula for looking like a “haute mess” after working out
January 23, 2019 at 08:29AM by CWC After every intense workout, I can always count on the presence of wet hair in my face, bright red cheeks, and sweat stains across my favorite activewear top. If I’m extra lucky, sometimes there’s even a smear or two of jet-black “waterproof” mascara around my eyes. It’s a #lewk and I’ve come to accept it. But then there are times when I need to pull myself together after a workout and I cant just embrace the sweat. For those occasions, I’m thankful that Victoria Beckham has discovered a formula that should take me from hot mess to haute mess in double-quick time. Beckham is famous for making even the simplest pieces look like high-fashion. I’m hardly surprised that she has a three-step rule that helps her avoid looking like a sweaty mess after the gym. “A baseball cap—definitely—because after a workout, the hair can look questionable,” she said at a Reebok event on Wednesday. “Also, a good pair of sunglasses and an oversized men’s tailored coat over the top of your workout clothes. There you go—you just made yourself look very chic.” View this post on Instagram Launch day! Morning workout in my new #ReebokxVictoriaBeckham crop top, leggings, Bolton low trainers (available in March!) and cap!! x VB A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Jan 22, 2019 at 4:03am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js A baseball cap and sunglasses? I can definitely do that. Plus, it’ll save me a whole lot of money on sweat-soaking dry shampoo. And when
I’m over this winter weather, please take me to Pig Beach
January 23, 2019 at 08:25AM by CWC Like my stomach after spilling hot chocolate on it (AAAAAH), Pig Beach is so hot right now. Maybe you have an inkling of what I’m talking about if you watched Hulu’s Fyre Fraud and or Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. While filming a scene for the ill-fated festival’s promo video, a gang of bikini-clad models descended upon a white-sand beach to frolic with the Swimming Pigs of Exuma: A group of 20 or so feral pigs who live on their own private Bahamas island. Ever since I heard of it a week and a half ago, swimming with the pigs of Big Major Cay, aka Pig Beach, has become my biggest dream. See, I hold a childlike obsession with pigs that borders on concerning. They’re so cute and smart and weird that my heart bursts whenever a piglet flies into my newsfeed. My room is littered with all sorts of pink, snouted little friends, and my S.O. has this twerking pig gif at the ready for when I’m happy (Or sad. Or neutral). I’ve cried tears of joy through most of Babe: Pig in the City, despite it being objectively Not A Good Movie. And as you can imagine, the pigs turned out to be the real rock stars of both Fyre Festival docs as well. Although, in this case, their behavior wasn’t exactly G-rated—they were caught on camera snipping and snorting and starting feuds with some of the models. “They’re like
J.Lo and A-Rod discover—gasp!—cutting sugar and carbs is hard
January 23, 2019 at 08:23AM by CWC Two people who take the “new year, new me” motto very seriously are Jennifer Lopez and her baseball player boyfriend Alex Rodriguez. The couple can always be counted on to go big with their fitness routines, doing stair sprints, burpees, and barbell squats like it’s NBD. The fact that they’re starting 2019 with a bang is no surprise. But their sweat sessions are only the beginning. In a recent Instagram post, the duo asked their followers to join them in a 10-day health challenge. Not just any challenge, though—one that requires saying farewell to both carbs and sugar. And just 24 hours later, they’ve both admitted it’s a little harder than they anticipated. “It turns, out when you don’t have sugar and you don’t have carbs, you’re really, really hungry all the time,” Lopez says in an Instagram story. (Surprise, surprise.) “So we’re trying to figure out a lot of good snacks.” Those snacks include: sliced cucumbers, yellow peppers, red peppers, green beans, canned tuna (with mustard, onion, and celery), and tuna poke. Which don’t seem that bad, to be fair. While cutting back on certain foods can jumpstart a healthy eating plan, carbohydrates are good for you if you’re smart about it and a little sugar is nothing to be afraid of. View this post on Instagram We pinky promise. . . . Join me and Jennifer for a 10-day challenge. No carbs, no sugar. Who’s in? . . . Challenge two of your friends below. . .
How to create a realistic self-care checklist you’ll actually stick to
January 23, 2019 at 08:21AM by CWC First things first: There is no “right” way to practice self-care. As the name implies, it’s highly personal to you and what you need to feel like you’re living your best life. So, any activities that involve looking after your emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing, totally fall under the umbrella of self-care—not matter how small (or big) they may be. For some, self-care is scheduling a day full of beauty appointments and cocktail dates with friends. For others, it can simply mean turning the push notifications off on your phone and rewatching Seinfeld for the millionth time. As such, when you’re trying to make up a personalized self-care routine that feels less performative and more restorative, there are a few things to keep in mind. “Think of a self-care checklist not as a list of to-dos, but as a guide to help you take better care of yourself,” suggests Jamison Monroe, mental health expert and the founder and CEO of Newport Academy. Although self-care at times gets a bad rep for being selfish, Monroe says that in actuality, “when you take good care of yourself, you feel better, and this can help you better care for other important people in your life as well.” So basically, it’s the wellness version of putting on your oxygen mask first. Ready to solidify your self-care routine? Here are some helpful tips from mental health experts on how to create a self-care checklist that works for you. 1. Consider
Dinner is a snap with this speedy vegetable stir-fry
January 23, 2019 at 07:23AM by CWC This January, healthy food chef and beauty guru Sophia Roe is here to help you lay the foundation for year-long healthy eating success—no dieting or juicing required. Hi beauties! We’re deep into (Re)New Year and by now, you’ve made over your pantry, created a whole new morning routine, and perfected easy homemade sauces you can use to punch up your meals. There’s one final tool I want to give you that will help keep all the amazing healthy habits you’re developing this month carry over long past President’s Day: having an amazing, easy recipe ready for those nights when you come home late and are too tired to figure out what to cook. (In other words, those moments when all your good, healthy intentions are likely to get left behind.) I think sometimes we get intimidated or scared by all the mouth-watering photos we see when scrolling through IG. Anything that looks that good must be fussy, time consuming, and therefore won’t suit our upside down, topsy-turvy lifestyles. Guess what: That’s totally untrue! Some of the healthiest and most beautiful meals can be made in under 30 minutes with all the tools you’ve been working with since beginning your new routine. A simple can of organic lentils sautéed with some shallot, lemon zest, and some garlic over a yummy piece of GF toast takes less than ten minutes to whip up. Steaming any vegetables you have in the refrigerator and topping them with
Relationship deal-breakers and preferences aren’t the same thing
January 23, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC When it comes to dating, anyone in the game has a line in the sand that, once broached, immediately triggers the relationship to implode. What I’m referring to, my friends, is a deal-breaker. It’s something you could never live with. And thanks in large part to the prevalence of online dating and apps that allow users to paint a specific picture of the ideal partner, these romantic impasses seem far more abundant these days. But perhaps we’re confusing general preferences with deal-breakers? After all, experts say those two are not the same thing at all. “I would define a deal-breaker as one or both people in a relationship reaching the point of no return,” says relationship counselor Rachel Sussman, LCSW. “Some deal-breakers I see [in my practice] are infidelity, relapse to drugs, alcohol, or other addiction once the person has gotten sober. I also have seen deal-breakers insofar as timelines for commitment.” So if you see yourself married in a year, and you S.O. doesn’t believe in marriage, that may be a deal-breaker for you. The problem comes when people incorrectly label preferences as deal-breakers, says sex and relationship expert Logan Levkoff, PhD. “People list things like height, eye color, and living situation as a deal-breaker. That can be extremely limiting. Think about all of the people you’re ignoring because they aren’t the ‘right’ height.” And while some folks may argue that “attraction is important,” and indeed it is, Dr. Levkoff and Sussman agree
Look, you don’t need my approval to flake on your plans tonight
January 22, 2019 at 04:49PM by CWC A real text I get from my roommate: “iiiii think ima skip this birthday dinner.” She wants to bail on her plans, but first, she needs my permission. Inexplicably. The fact that she’s texting me tells me that she’s already on an express train to Cancel Town. As she does, my roommate’s prepared a laundry list of reasons why should she bail—but whether it’s the long journey to the Lower East Side or stomach cramps that’s keeping her back this time, it truly doesn’t matter to me. “You don’t need my permission. If you’re going to ditch then just ditch,” I write. I understand why she needs the reassurance, though. Even in an easy-to-bail society where canceling plans is a click away, we still feel guilty when it comes to flaking on the bigger things. Those $60 price fix birthday brunches, the girl’s night out with your college friend, the engagement party where you’ll know no one and are minus a plus-one—it’s those more complicated matters in which we’ll resort to reassurance seeking, an anxious person’s go-to move when we need to know everything will be okay. I should know. Because as much as I’m annoyed by my roommate’s tendency to come to me for permission to cancel, I do the same thing. When I have the urge to bail, you best believe there’s a committee I appeal to—and typically, the person I seek “advice” from depends on the event and how much (or little)
This brand new private island is the sustainable wedding destination of your dreams
January 22, 2019 at 03:40PM by CWC Having a far-flung destination wedding can be an appealing option for many reasons. For one, the stunning natural setting can help diffuse the stress of dealing with venue logistics, and for another, the venue itself is often likely to handle said logistics for you. Still, if you go this route, ensuring your guests get the luxe experience they deserve after they’ve flown a hefty distance, like, say, halfway around the world, can be a source of anxiety. And for eco-conscious brides- and grooms-to-be, finding a remote locale that let’s you say “I do” without leaving any impact on the pristine environment is no small feat. That’s where Indonesia’s Bawah Reserve comes in. Set on a once-uninhabited group of six islands in Indonesia’s Anambas Islands just north of Singapore, the luxury resort opened in January 2018 as the first property to bring tourists to this part of the South China Sea. The archipelago is so remote, in fact, that you have to fly to Singapore, take a ferry to Batam Island in Indonesia, then take an 80-minute seaplane ride just to get to Bawah Reserve, the only development land mass of the group of islands. Since the resort opened, it’s focused on being the kind of honeymoon spot romantics dream of. The bamboo and teak guest-room bungalows hover over water that fluctuates between glittery aquamarine and a deep, rich teal. And powdery, soft-white sand beaches dotted with palm trees rise into craggy cliffs in