December 27, 2018 at 06:15AM I grew up in a small town in Oregon that’s more known for its hiking than its sartorially-inclined residents. Come winter, everyone donned practical clothing to brave the chill—and I always hated having to sacrifice my fashionable inclinations for something as silly as “not getting frostbite.” But when I moved to Los Angeles, I was able to essentially toss the phrase “practical clothing” out of my vocabulary. That’s the fun thing about southern California winters—even though one might be inclined to put the word winter in quotation marks—the weather never gets inclement, so we have the freedom to play around with cold-weather clothing because we don’t have to be practical. It’s also a little like buying new clothes before you go on vacation; we get daring because we get to break out items we don’t get to wear a ton. Because of this, LA winter dressing skews more toward standout items with a bit of whimsy, tempered by the laid-back basics California is known for. The combination is like an instant mood-booster, so if you could use a cureall for cold-weather dressing, infuse your winter wardrobe with a bit of this energy by adding a few of these pieces into rotation. Funky sweaters If the weather is in the 60s or below that means it’s officially sweater weather. An arsenal of staples in camel, black, and gray is basically a given to wear day-to-day. But since we really don’t have to worry about snow/sleet/rain, a
Category: 2019 Health
Living near Times Square means I prep for every NYE like Y2K is coming
December 27, 2018 at 06:00AM I know that this is going to make me sound like Ebenezer Scrooge, but there is really not a single holiday I look forward to. The grouchy state of mind is something I largely blame on my apartment’s geographic location in the armpit of Manhattan. My New York City neighborhood is quite literally surrounded on all sides by chaos and tourists. To the west I have Times Square, southwest is Penn station, south is Herald Square (AKA the mammoth-size Macy’s), north is Bryant Park, and east is Grand Central. Plus I live on a block where parade floats prep—and not just the Thanksgiving Day one, either, mind you—which means I’m clued in to a nonstop schedule of celebrations that I couldn’t care less about joining. There’s one holiday, however, that escalates my perpetual vibe of “Grinch” into a full-on doomsday prepper. And that, my friends, is New Year’s Eve. I learned the hard way that there is no such thing as being too prepared for the onslaught of revelers essentially on my doorstep come the holiday. Because of my proximity to the Ball Drop in Times Square, my neighborhood (if you can even call it that) goes into lockdown. In addition to the annoyance of human gridlock, some entire streets and avenues get completely closed down and others are only traversable via bizarre, maze-like maneuvers, which I’ve yet to figure out in the nearly 10 years this so-called happiest time of year has plagued my livelihood. As long as
I never knew what “glowy” skin actually was until I got a chemical peel
December 27, 2018 at 04:39AM I’m just like the rest of the world in that I’ve always thought that getting an in-office chemical peel resulted in an alarmingly irritated face à la Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. So, rather than sign up for a dermatologist appointment in order to try out the formerly daunting exfoliating treatment, I’ve opted for at-home peels pads (hello daily use of Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel Pads ($88) and uber gentle resurfacing fruit enzyme masks to slough off dead skin. And that was all fine and dandy, because I saw them chip away at my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or PIH (AKA the ghosts of breakouts past) day-by-day, but all of the sudden I started craving instantaneous results. And so, I booked my first in-office chemical peel with just a dash of trepidation. “A peel is an anti-aging treatment with a host of benefits that include exfoliation, but it also builds collagen, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, boosts radiance, shrinks pore size, diminishes dark spots, clears the complexion, and can even help with rosacea,” says Dennis Gross, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist with an eponymous skin-care line. Essentially, it’s like a bulked-up exfoliation treatment: “Chemical peels accelerate your skin’s exfoliation through the use of acids, resulting in a more uniform complexion,” says Jordana Mattiolo, CompleteSkinMD aesthetician in NYC. This all goes to say that I needed one—immediately. What it’s *really* like to get a chemical peel I arrive at Mattiolo’s office bright and early one
How to stop procrastinating once and for all (we know, you’d get to it eventually)
December 27, 2018 at 05:00AM Virtually everyone has a mental list of those things they’ll get to “eventually.” It might be annoying chores, like vacuuming or organizing your leggings drawer. Or it might be bigger goals you have in the back of your mind but haven’t gotten to yet, like writing a book or signing up for improv classes. There just always seems to be something else to do first (ahem, that tempting quiz that will help you find out when you’ll get engaged based on your Chipotle order). Procrastination means you’re delaying something, or putting it off. Why we do it is a lot more complicated than “just not feeling like it right now.” Life coach and What If It Does Work Out? author Susie Moore is the queen of getting sh*t done. Not only does she run her own business (from home, where there are a million ways to procrastinate), she helps others tackle all those things they’re putting off and she even helps them figure out how to find time to build a successful side hustle. Here, Moore gives her best tips for how to overcome procrastination. Get ready to destroy your to-do list. Keep reading for tips on how to overcome procrastination. Photo: Getty Images/vgajic 1. Get to the root of self-doubt If there’s something you actually do really want to do—like pursing a side hustle—but you never seem to make time, Moore says you could be subconsciously stopping yourself because deep down, you don’t think you
Okay, let’s settle this—are GMOs bad for you or not?
December 27, 2018 at 04:00AM There are few food-related debates more polarizing than the one around genetically modified organisms, or GMOs as they’re more commonly known. (Other than the question about whether people who like black coffee are psychopaths, that is.) On one side of the fence, you’ve got those who claim that genetically modified foods are generally harmless. This cohort includes the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and 90 percent of members of the American Association for Advancement of Science. But then there’s another sizable crew of experts, including prominent doctors (like Mark Hyman, MD, and Frank Lipman, MD), nutritionists (Ashley Koff, RD), and advocacy organizations like the Environmental Working Group, who are a bit more skeptical. Most GMO detractors claim that it’s simply too soon to tell whether there are any long-term health effects connected to this relatively young technology, which has only been around for about 20 years. And many feel there’s evidence that GMOs actually might have a detrimental impact on our health and that of the planet. So who to believe? It’s a tricky question without a clear answer, and one that’s sure to be surfacing a lot more in the weeks to come. That’s because the US government has just finalized new rules around GMO labeling, which became mandatory back in 2016 under the Obama administration. Starting in 2020, food brands will be required to disclose the presence of GMOs in their products. (More on that in a minute.) To make sure you’re fully up
It’s the last year of the decade and we want to send you out strong
December 26, 2018 at 12:00PM Setting New Year’s resolutions can feel daunting—so this year, just don’t do it. Seriously. With our 2019 ReNew Year program, we’re asking you to focus on shifting, tweaking, or refining just one area of your life. Nothing too drastic, nothing too overwhelming. To get you started on your best year yet (the stars told us so), let us help you choose your very own wellness adventure, now! Follow along below to figure out which plan to follow in the year, and check back on January 1 to get your personalized plan from our rockstar team of wellness pros. @import url(“https://www.wellandgood.com/wp-content/plugins/imagelinks/lib/imagelinks.theme.dark.css?ver=imagelinks”); Your ReNew Year challenge is: Skin Care Dermatologist Kim Nichols, MD, is here to guide you to your glowiest days yet—no matter where you are on your skin-care journey. Kim Nichols, MD Your ReNew Year challenge is: Fitness Fitness pro Jillian Michaels will help you get in touch with what you want out of your 2019 fitness goals, and then figure out how to crush them. Jillian Michaels Your ReNew Year challenge is: Career Claire Wasserman, founder of Ladies Get Paid, has words of wisdom to help propel you forward in your career in 2019, and—YUP—get paid. Claire Wasserman Your ReNew Year challenge is: Finance Farnoosh Torabi, Chase Financial Education Ambassador, is here to lay out how to get your dollars and cents in order so your financial wins can pay off (literally) in 2019. Farnoosh Torabi Your ReNew Year challenge is: Healthy Eating Sophia
A dermatologist weighs in on how long to use that dandruff shampoo
December 26, 2018 at 11:25AM Dandruff is the boogeyman of all hair problems. When you least expect it, it can sneak up on you and cause a flaky mess between your hair follicles (and we’ve all been there). Truth be told, thanks to all of the efficacious anti-dandruff shampoos out there, it’s actually a pretty easy problem to solve, but considering these shampoos’ main goal is to squelch the dandruff-forming yeast known as malassezia, I wondered whether or not these options were okay to use year-round (or if they’d dry out hair and make it brittle). “Dandruff shampoos typically contain one of two ingredients: either selenium sulfide or zinc pyrithione,” explains Joshua Zeichner, MD, a New York-based dermatologist. Both ingredients combat dandruff by fighting the inflammation caused by yeast build up on the scalp, which, in turn, becomes flakes. “Generally speaking, I recommend religious use when dandruff flares up,” Dr. Zeichner says. After that, he recommends using it as needed, which can be anywhere from every day to every few days to every couple of months. Essentially, you might do you well to rotate between an anti-dandruff formula when you notice a flare-up and your regular old shampoo the rest of the time. That said, it’s not totally necessary if you’re using a gentler dandruff shampoo that focuses on scalp health as a primary benefit. While first-gen dandruff shampoos would often cause dryness, Dr. Zeichner says that the newer products such as Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ($5) are gentle enough that you
Living by these motivational words of wisdom from J. Lo every. single. day.
December 26, 2018 at 10:58AM Hello, I’d like Jennifer Lopez to be my life coach, please. In addition to having enviable gym dedication and seemingly ageless skin, J. Lo is also out there dropping serious knowledge bombs. I always knew she was full of wisdom (see: the lyrics to “Limitless”), but she really drove her sageness home in an interview alongside Second Act writer and producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, on the Second Life podcast. “I don’t think anything is impossible at the end of the day,” she says. (*Prints out and tapes to bathroom mirror.*) Goldsmith-Thomas adds that neither one of them accepts hearing no when it comes to their careers—instead they work hard to make things happen for themselves. Suffice it to say that when she started as a dancer, she knew that she’d need to tap that motto to become the multi-hyphenate that we know her as today. And she doesn’t stop there. When asked what advice she’d give to her younger self, she says simply to go with your gut. “It’s a voice inside your head that’s not confused with other voices,” she says. “Those other voices are on a different kind of frequency, there’s one that cuts through, there’s one that’s way deep down that tells you where you should go…It’s the only thing that we should follow because nobody really knows what’s right for you but you.” (See? Chills.) This reminds me of a meme going around on Instagram that says if you could believe your terrible ex
What was your favorite workout of 2018? Well+Good staffers share their picks
December 26, 2018 at 10:00AM With the New Year right around the corner, here at Well+Good, we’re looking ahead toward our 2019 fitness goals. But as we map out the resolutions and PRs that we want to set in the months after the ball drops, we’re also looking back on some of our favorite workouts of 2018. Though we may have vastly different sweat preferences (one woman’s spin class therapy session is another’s treadmill sesh), one thing that nearly all of our editors agreed on this year was that the digital fitness revolution is here to stay. Many of us swapped their fancy gym memberships and boutique class habits with workouts we could do in their living room, or as one editor put it, with “no pants required.” Keep on scrolling to see our editors favorite workouts of year—nearly all of which you can download and do no matter where you’re sweating it out. Photo: Getty/Hinterhaus Productions Aaptiv, $15/month, digital “After years of dropping a lot of cash on boutique fitness classes and brand-name big boxes, I finally joined a no-frills neighborhood gym, complete with a lap pool, sauna, reformer classes, and brand-spanking new equipment. Okay, okay, Chelsea Piers Fitness in Brooklyn isn’t totally no frills, but it’s a lot less moola than I was paying, so I’ll stand by that statement. As of late, I haven’t been going to the studio-led classes, however, I’ve been following along on cardio and strength workouts on Aaptiv. My fave thing to do, as of
We asked a French woman: What are the casual-cool staples every woman should have in her closet?
December 26, 2018 at 09:55AM Generally speaking, I’m the type of person who overshoots the basics and becomes prematurely enthralled in the minutia of details. Recently, I realized this is the case for me when it comes to French fashion. I’m so engrossed in figuring out how they style their activewear, where they shop, and what type of accessories are seasonally trendy that it’s occurred to me that I don’t know much about their everyday outfit staples. The reason we’re all obsessed with French fashion (I think) is because of its laid-back, didn’t-try-at-all, sophistication that seems to be part of the Parisienne DNA. In the interest of getting down to brass tacks and figuring out how and why French women are able to exude such an era of je ne sais quoi, I spoke to stylist Adrienne Coléon Gaskell, author of the blog “Oh So French” for Paris’ famed lingerie brand Simone Perele. Below she shares the foundational pieces she says make up the core of a casual-cool—yet incredibly chic—wardrobe. 1. silk camisole Photo: Everlane Everlane The Clean Silk Cami, $75 Gaskell says, “A simple, sleek, elegant silk camisole (in black or white) is a French wardrobe staple,” since it pairs seamlessly with everything from jeans, to tailored trousers, or a pencil skirt. Think of it as French women’s answer to the classic white T-shirt. 2. black bra Photo: Simone Perele Simone Perele After Work Demi Bra, $110 “To a Parisienne, the black bra isn’t just a seduction piece, it’s