November 01, 2018 at 05:17AM One surefire way to tell you’ve stepped into a SoulCycle spinning studio—other than by the spoke-and-wheel graphics on the walls—are the number of MZ Wallace tote bags in the locker room. So it seems only fitting that the two companies have finally collaborated. “Funnily enough, this kind of came to be because so many of our existing customers were nudging SoulCycle,” says Lucy Wallace Eustice, MZ Wallace’s co-founder and designer. It’s true, says Julie Lieberman, SoulCycle’s senior director of buying and merchandising. “It was simply a natural fit,” she says. “We’ve heard our riders ask for their Metro Tote over and over again.” Persistence pays off—in this case, in the form of two slick, gunmetal designs—the coveted Metro Medium Tote ($225) and Metro Belt Bag ($145). “Both [are] on-trend and completely functional for running to and from class,” says Lieberman. They also mark the first time MZ Wallace has delineated from its traditional design details, adds Eustice. Photo: MZ Wallace “The first thing is the colors,” she says. “We used SoulCycle’s colors, grey and yellow—the grey has a very slight metallic sheen; it also has a yellow zipper. Normally, the zippers match, but we wanted that contrast. Then, the inside pouch that comes with all the bags, we resized to fit SoulCycle’s spin shoes.” As a final touch, Eustice’s team embossed SoulCycle’s monogram on the leather finishes for the Metro Tote’s handles. Photo: MZ Wallace To add some outsider context to this collab, it’s basically the brand
Category: 2019 Health
How to actually be present during sex (rather than going over your grocery list in your mind)
November 01, 2018 at 04:00AM Have you ever found yourself making a mental grocery list in the middle of sex? You could be completely into the person beneath you (or atop you, beside you, what have you), and enjoying yourself immensely, and then bam. Nope, not an orgasm. Rather, you just remembered there’s no mylk in the fridge, and now there’s nothing else you can think about. The problem, it turns out, is actually super common. “We used to have more clearly delineated lines between our personal lives, our work lives, and everything else,” says Daniel Olavarria, LCSW. “The convenience that’s afforded to us by the internet, mobile phones, flexible work hours, and social media also has a flip side: It’s hard for our brains to keep track of which moments and places in our day are dedicated to certain things.” Basically, we’re so great at multitasking that sex, too, can certainly fall victim to busyness. Basically, we’re so great at multitasking that sex, too, can certainly fall victim to busyness. Your mind very well might not know that once you slip between the sheets for some fun, it’s a “safe” moment for it to turn off. And if you’re someone who tends to look at your phone in bed—or binge-watch the latest and greatest on Netflix, or fire up the laptop for some hygge WFH—the effects may be more severe for you, since your brain associates stimuli with your mattress. Furthermore, the tendency for your mind to wander tends to
One PT has seen an uptick in injuries from *this* type of class
November 01, 2018 at 03:30AM Injuries are the nemeses of workout warriors everywhere. Sure, you can totally get them from yoga and running , but Helen Kim, DPT, a New York City-based physical therapist, says she’s witnessed an uptick in clients who end up at her practice with shoulder, neck, lower back, and knee injuries (among others), thanks to none other than fusion classes. “These type of classes are very trendy and popular because they are offering something ‘new,’ and blending together other types of traditional exercises,” the physical therapist explains, citing yoga and pilates combo as an offender. “This may be appealing since they are fun, different, and challenging. However, because of the fast pace and competitive nature of these classes, you may be more focused on trying to follow along and not pay attention to what you’re feeling and modifying if needed,” she says. Plus, because you’re melding together two different modalities form of the movement can quickly go out the window. To avoid walking out of yoga boxing with a case of pulled hamstrings, Kim has three recommendations. First, do your homework on the class. If it promises to feature a slot of workout moves your body’s never done before, it might not be for you (yet). Two, take a beginner’s class of both parts of the fusion beforehand (for example: dance cardio and reformer), so that you can nail the technique then go for the combination. And finally, spread these fusions out throughout the course of a week, leaving rest days in between for your body
Your November energy forecast: Get ready to feel a powerful new life force
November 01, 2018 at 02:43AM If you’ve felt like a snake shedding its skin for most of 2018, you’ve got a major boost coming this month, says “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles. There’s a new era starting—here’s what you need to know, plus the spirit animal that can help you usher it in. As we turn the corner to enter the tail end of 2018, can you sense what a trippy, time-warp year this has been? When accessing in to the guidance for this month’s forecast, I was directed to go back to the forecast for January 2018 to reflect, and that process brought huge swells of emotions to my eyes. January’s forecast revealed that this would be the year of the snake, of shedding our old skin and old patterns to birth a new way of life. And wow, can you take a moment now to really honor yourself for all the evolution (and some total 180s) you’ve courageously experienced this year? January asked if we were ready to “shed to rise, release to uplift, and liberate to higher energy,” and that work is all paying off now as we enter November. It promises to be a month of much-needed balance after so much change and upheaval—as well as a month of softening, especially in areas where we used to constrict or worry. Can you sense what a trippy, time-warp year this has been? Along with the balancing and softening, November is bringing with it a sense of beginning to land again—we’ve
Tour a Style Blogger’s Gorgeous (and Self-Care Friendly) Santa Barbara Home—and Snag Her Luxe Tips for Holiday Hosting
October 31, 2018 at 06:30PM //players.brightcove.net/4872551774001/S1ouR056l_default/index.min.js Your home is your own personal haven for sleeping in on Saturdays (ahem, when possible) and drinking a glass of red wine while doing the laundry, if you so choose. In other words, it’s a place for you to focus on your own self care. But as the holidays approach, your space can also become a place to gather—which means it’s time to get your hostess situation together. To learn how to dial up the welcoming, luxe vibes, Samantha Wennerstrom—style blogger and founder of Could I Have That, a blog all about elevating your everyday life—invited us into her modern Santa Barbara home. First on the list? Transforming her office into a cozy guest bedroom, where she spritzes Caldrea Basil Blue Sage Linen and Room Spray, the sensory equivalent of wrapping yourself in a cashmere blanket. “It’s refined, but generous, and it just gives the room a really nice touch,” she says. Because what says “elevated adult hostess” better than greeting your friends by a scent that smells great and is based in natural essential oils? Watch the video above for a complete look inside her chic abode, and shop her essentials for sprucing up her place below. SHOP HOME ESSENTIALS Buy Now Basil Blue Sage Linen and Room Spray $14 Buy Now Ginger Pomelo Dish Soap $10 Buy Now Sea Salt Neroli Laundry Detergent $22 Buy Now Pear Blossom Agave Candle $24 In partnership with Caldrea Continue Reading… Author Well+Good Editors | Well and Good Selected
Ever landed in the ER from gas? It’s not just you, seriously
October 31, 2018 at 01:24PM Gas is like the common cold of gut afflictions: It’s pretty much impossible to avoid if you’re a human. And since it’s so ubiqutious, it can feel kind of embarrassing if you’re hit with a particularly severe case—you know, the kind that results in can’t-move, can’t-breathe, can’t-speak-in-full-sentences pain—and you end up in the emergency room, assuming it’s something way more serious. Well, doctors want you to know two things. First of all, you’re definitely not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons why people show up in the ER. “In our department, we’ll probably see 30 or 40 of these cases a day,” says Mark Morocco, MD, an emergency doctor at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “But it will be the same at any hospital, whether it’s a trauma center or a small-town ER.” The other thing they want to stress is that you likely made the right call by getting medical attention stat. “There can be some very serious diagnoses that have a similar presentation as gas pain,” says Reed Caldwell, MD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone Health. “In the physician’s mind, gas pain is a diagnosis of exclusion. For serious pain in your abdomen, we think about many other things before we arrive at gas pain.” According to the U.S. Department of Health
7 lesser-known wellness products you can grab from Brandless on the cheap
October 31, 2018 at 12:37PM Brandless first started making waves across the internet last year for its no-BS approach of selling essentials—from healthy pantry finds to clean beauty products—for as little as $3 a product, and the hype hasn’t died down since. While there are plenty of affordable items to shop on the company’s website, it’s easy to forget about some total must-haves within all those minimalist items. While everyone knows about the main steals—like its organic virgin coconut oil (which is drastically lower than all those $15+ options out there!) and health-friendly, non-toxic cleaning supplies—Brandless has some other items that can save you big bucks, too. Whether you’re looking to stock your bathroom or supplement cabinet, make sure to check out some of these products the next time you’re filling up your virtual shopping cart. Shop these 7 items the next time you’re stocking up with Brandless. 1. Greens & antioxidant blend, $3 Photo: Brandless Brandless has a whole collection of vitamins and supplements, and one of the most impressive? A vegan blend of antioxidants and enzymes that packs in spirulina, green leaf, broccoli, cranberry, and other superfoods. 2. Cardboard applicator tampons, $3 Photo: Brandless Better-for-you tampons don’t come cheap, and Brandless sells 10-packs of both regular and super-absorbency options for just $3. Just like some of your pricier faves, they’re 100 percent organic cotton and made without dyes, fragrance, chlorine, and rayon. You’re welcome, vagina. 3. Calm & focus support, $3 Photo: Brandless Another must-buy in the supplement department is Brandless’ stress-relieving
Here’s how buying in to fast fashion affects our brains—not just our budgets
October 31, 2018 at 12:15PM On the scale of addictive behaviors, Carrie Bradshaw’s shoe collection and Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series make obsessive shopping seem about as bad of a habit as ordering oat milk lattes every morning (guilty)—but in reality, it’s a serious affliction that affects one in 20 Americans. The group most likely to develop a shopping dependency? Young women, psychologists at the University of Bergen have found. That’s because addictive shopping behavior typically starts in late adolescence and early adulthood—just when cheap clothing is within financial reach. In the past, most people outgrew their overspending habits as their maturing personal style priced them out of such options. But thanks in big part to the rise of fast fashion, cheap clothing isn’t just for the the young—it’s now for everyone. What that means is that, in addition to millennial and Gen Z women, an increased number of people now see shopping as an accessible way to cope with their feelings around anxiety and depression—or a means of keeping up with the Instagram Joneses: According to the Bergen researchers, extroverted people (think the #OOTD types) face an increased risk of developing disordered shopping habits, too. And like exercise, drugs, or any other form of obsessive behavior, its downsides are decidedly more serious than figuring out how to fit everything in your closet. A compulsion to shop can lead to consequences ranging from guilt to stress to bankruptcy—and fast fashion’s biggest consumers are among the most susceptible. “Those who become hooked
Physical face exfoliants aren’t the enemy—so long as you use them properly
October 31, 2018 at 12:06PM Growing up, I would always grab a ubiquitous facial scrub at the drugstore (which will not be named, but I’m sure you can guess what it is), and go at it on my face, thinking that I was giving my skin just what it needed. It wasn’t until about a decade later that a lawsuit happened and I realized I was rubbing microbeads all over my face in the name of exfoliation, actually doing more harm than good. This is probably why physical exfoliants have gotten a bad rap. Use the wrong one and you can make micro-tears on the surface of your skin (not to mention it’ll just feel like you’re taking sandpaper to your face). With the rise in popularity (and accessibility) of chemical exfoliants, there’s not even really a need to use a facial scrub anyways. Alas, in an act of beauty research, I found a Reddit skin-care subthread of a skin-care devotee declaring their love for physical exfoliants. “Physical exfoliation isn’t the devil!” the Redditor (so daringly) states. “There is no need to bash someone who simply prefers to physically exfoliate their skin over chemically exfoliating it. For me, physically exfoliating makes my skin feel a lot cleaner and like I actually cleansed my pores.” They’re not wrong—there’s no reason not to physically exfoliate, if that’s your preferred method of ridding yourself of dead skin cells. “Yes, physical exfoliants are fine for your skin,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder
It turns out you can eat *all* parts of squash—skin included
October 31, 2018 at 12:04PM There are so many different ways to eat squash. You can turn it into fries, devour it as a low-carb spaghetti, transform it into healthy vegan doughnuts (yes, seriously)…you name it. But if you’re only eating the inside, you’re seriously missing out: It turns out the entire squash—skin and all!—is totally edible. And that includes pumpkins, so think twice before tossing your decorative jack-o’-lantern. It might seem strange to eat the skin of a squash after going, oh, your entire life without even realizing doing so is a possibility. But if you rethink the norm, you’ll be able to take in some pretty impressive health benefits beyond what’s just in the fleshy pulp. “The entire squash is an edible vegetable. In fact, most veggies are meant to be eaten as a whole, despite what we may have been taught growing up,” New York City–based nutritionist Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, tells me. “The entire squash, flesh and skin included, has myriad health benefits ranging from fiber to vitamin A, C, and E. Squash is especially high in vitamin A, which can help support good eye health, may protect your vision and has anti-cancer effects as well.” Squash is also relatively low on the glycemic index scale, which means you can enjoy it without it wreaking havoc on your glucose and insulin levels. The entire squash is an edible vegetable. In fact, most veggies are meant to be eaten as a whole, despite what we may have been taught growing up.” —Tracy