September 30, 2018 at 03:00AM Astrologer Jennifer Racioppi is here with her weekly celestial weather report (from a wellness perspective), with the daily nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle choices to keep you in tune with the cosmos—no matter what your sun sign is. This week: Feminine energy takes center stage (AKA look out, world). October 1 Ready to rumble? The month and week begin on the heels of Pluto stationing direct. Tiny but mighty Pluto is waking up from its multi-month retrograde journey at 18 degrees of Capricorn, instigating the day with a jolt of passion, and maybe even a wee bit of chaos, too. Like an airplane experiencing some turbulence, don’t get thrown off course with a couple of bumps. Instead, stay grounded and connected to your truth. Consider starting the day with a body scan meditation, taking note of what you need physically. Then make a promise to yourself and give your body what it needs. More water? Meditation? A massage? Even though Pluto technically stationed direct last night, Monday feels extra charged. Channel your focus productively. October 2 Mercury, the planet of communication, makes an awkward angle known as a square to Pluto today, meaning communication could present challenges. If you don’t get the news you want today, do not fret. Instead, allow for piercing insights to guide you forward. With the waning quarter moon marking the halfway point between the last full moon and upcoming new moon, now’s the time to consider what you no longer need and let
Category: Fashion
Liver cleanses are trending, but are the side effects worth it?
September 29, 2018 at 10:45AM “The liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body,” says holistic nutritionist and lifestyle cleanse expert Elissa Goodman. Indeed, its job description is a long one: It helps us break down and digest food, it stores essential vitamins and minerals, and it removes toxins from the system, among other things. So it’s no wonder that “liver cleanses” have become so popular in holistic wellness circles—they’re believed to improve this vitally important organ’s function and, in turn, our overall health and wellbeing. Before we dive any further, though, let’s first clarify what exactly a liver cleanse is and what it isn’t. “When we talk about liver cleansing, we need to talk about body cleansing,” says The Detox Diet author Elson Haas, MD. “You don’t individually detoxify or cleanse any particular organ.” So the phrase “liver cleanse” is kind of a misnomer—it’s not just about the liver. But does cleansing in general actually work? Not everyone’s in agreement about this, but Goodman believes it absolutely can be beneficial when done the right way. She recommends staying away from over-the-counter liver cleanse supplements, as they are not regulated by the FDA and many haven’t been clinically tested for effectiveness. Instead, she believes the best and healthiest way to give your liver some love is the good old-fashioned way: living a healthy lifestyle. It’s not about doing a super intense, one-time cleanse. The goal is to make small tweaks to your diet and lifestyle that support
5 hot-off-the-runway athleisure trends from the Off-White fashion show in Paris
September 28, 2018 at 10:03AM Designer Virgil Abloh doesn’t follow fashion trends. He sets them. It’s why luxury brands trying to embrace athleisure and street-style lovers in need of new inspo follow his every move. After all, his collections are harbingers of where the fastest growing fashion category is headed. So it makes sense that Abloh’s Off-White ready-to-wear show yesterday for Paris Fashion Week was a good place to look for spring/summer ’19 athleisure trends. He collaborated with Nike again for this go-round on the runway, for which he had the concrete floors of the Garage Amelot painted to look like an indoor race course. (Track-and-field was the theme of the collection.) The models, a mix of pro catwalkers and pro female athletes, included Vashti Cunningham, the 20-year-old U.S. Olympic high jumper who’s as well-known for her athleticism as she is her personal style. While Abloh’s unexpected casting choices grabbed headlines, inclusivity wasn’t the only newsworthy aspect of show. Scroll down to see five athleisure moments that were statement makers as well. Keep an eye out for these 5 brand-new athleisure trends. Photo: Richard Bord/Getty Images 1. Pointed-toe sneakers As if to signal the chunky sneaker trend is coming to an end (sigh), Abloh sent down the runway several pairs of retro kicks with a modern twist: a narrowed toe curve. It’s a common shape in boots and heels, but sneakers? Okay, Abloh, we get your, ahem, point. Athleisure is refining its fashion game. Photo: Kay-Paris Fernandes/Getty Images 2. Peekaboo sports bras Cropped sports
Torch every muscle with Kirsty Godso’s 5-move, full-body workout
September 28, 2018 at 08:35AM Even if you walk through the doors of your gym with a pep in your step and a pair of kicks fresh enough to turn (sneaker)heads, one glance around the room might spark a bout of workout-move amnesia. (Like, how do I use resistance bands again?) So rather than sweating the details of how to string together a full-body sweat sesh yourself, let Kirsty Godso—Nike master trainer and HIIT queen—design a game plan for you. In an IG post from yesterday, the New York-based fitness instructor demonstrated five moves designed to torch your bod from head to toe, including variations on pikes, burpees, and mountain climbers. To replicate the sequence, you’ll need to scour your gym’s equipment stash for its bosu, balance, and medicine balls. Then, make sure your ponytail is tight, and get down to business. Keep scrolling for Godso’s full sequence. View this post on Instagram Your body is for using, not just looking at. Put it to the test with some of these moves @pyrogirls 1. Swiss ball single leg tuck to Pike – 8 reps each leg 2. Slam to chest pass – 45 seconds 3. Heel tap burpee – 45 seconds 4. Bosu wall mountain climber – 45seconds 5. Elevated single leg hip bridge – 16 reps each leg Recover and repeat 3x YOUR TURN! #letsgo #pyrogirls #nikewomen #niketraining A post shared by KIRSTY GODSO (@kirstygodso) on Sep 27, 2018 at 1:23pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Recover, then repeat the whole sequence 3 times. 1.
Use this Zara hack to find clothes that look more expensive than they are
September 27, 2018 at 03:55PM It’s easy to lose hours of your life scrolling through Zara’s online offerings. What’s hard is being able to tell what’s actually going to look good once you get it home. (Kinda like Tinder, no?) Worst case scenario: Something that looked like a million bucks online actually looks like the price you paid for it IRL. But, how good does it feel when someone asks you whether your jacket is designer, when you know you spent less than the cost of a boutique fitness class? Items made from natural materials tend to be the ones that elicit unsolicited compliments. Think: 100-percent cotton denim, linen, and leather goods. They’re a higher quality than their synthetic counterparts. They’re also more durable—something you can’t say about most fast-fashion finds. Zara regularly stocks clothing in this category. (Even if it keeps it on the DL.) And it does so for a lot less than its up-market competitors. The key to finding them is to skip the nav and head straight for the search field when you open the site in your browser. Once there, type in “100 percent linen.” Same goes for denim or leather. A recent search returned a red, snakeskin embossed leather belt for $40. Another, a classic black denim mini ($36) you could pair with cozy sweaters now and still pull out next spring. It’s a steal, which is precisely the point. If a bargain feels too good to be true, double check its composition and care
Hilary Swank’s 20/80 rule for clothing can save you money and closet space
September 26, 2018 at 07:49AM When it comes to decluttering your life, Marie Kondo’s spark joy test is pretty much the gold standard as far as organization goes. The one downside to her method, though, is that it’s focused on helping you part with things you already own. If you’re looking to become more mindful with how you spend your money in the first place and guarantee you reap the most satisfaction from what makes it into your closet, you might want to try Hilary Swank’s 20/80 method instead. “The goal is to find items that take up only 20 percent of your wardrobe but control 80 percent of what you wear” explains the actress and founder of luxury womenswear label Mission Statement, which just made a huge mainstream expansion. (It’s now being carried at Nordstrom.) How does the Oscar winner do this? “I’m always looking for fabrics and designs that are of incredible quality and look that will hold up for many years,” Swank says. It’s the intention she sets for herself as a consumer as well as a creator of fashion. In fact, Swank started her own clothing line in 2016 because she was having a hard time finding pieces that followed her rule. Her, ahem, mission became making “evergreen wear for everywhere,” as the site refers to it: A skort disguised as a skirt that functions as well at the gym as it does for a museum date, a dress appropriate for your dance cardio class or the red carpet (as Swank
J.Lo’s trainer spills the secret behind her strong core: a 4-part plank move
September 26, 2018 at 06:56AM At this point, basically the entire world has come to an agreement that Jennifer Lopez’s body is nothing short of #goals—heck, even Victoria’s Secret models are striving for her booty. And she deserves all the praise: This lady works hard on her workout routine to stay strong and toned, sweating with her trainer on the regular to keep on building up her impressive physique—tough-as-nails abs workouts, included. While J.Lo definitely has her go-to exercises—like Spider-Man push-ups for those impressive biceps and plenty of squats and lunges for her glutes—she’s all about planks for her core. Not just any planks, though: Her longtime trainer, David Kirsch, recently shared the core-busting routine he swears by with PopSugar. It involves not one but four moves in a series that’ll work your entire body. (Hey, being Jenny from the Block doesn’t come easy, people!) Between all the kickbacks and knee dives, this routine will have you feeling like a super-sore superstar in no time. Try David Kirsch’s 4-move plank workout to get a J.Lo-worthy core. Part one Plank with lateral arm reach: 10 reps each arm Plank with triceps kickback: 10 reps each arm After a 60-second break, repeat the circuit. Part two Elbow plank with knee drive: 15 reps each side Elbow plank with side step: 10 reps After a 60-second break, repeat the circuit. Part three You finished the body-shaking moves, so treat yourself to a restorative stretch and a healthy recovery snack. This J.Lo-approved cardio workout is the best way to get
Is fashion’s latest obsession with cowboys just channeling the Wild West energy of today’s cultural climate?
September 26, 2018 at 05:12AM A couple of months ago I noticed that my artist friends residing deep in Brooklyn had switched out their French-inspired berets for something more unusual—flat-rimmed hats and bolo ties. At first, I merely took notice and stuck to my shoulder padded leisure suits—New York fashion can be especially eclectic. Slowly but surely, however, an aesthetic, which is best described as Marie Kondo’s minimalism meets Debbie Winger’s Sissy in Urban Cowboy, has seeped its way into one major fashion collection after another. Designers’ latest obsessions with western wear confused me at first. But I’ve since come to the conclusion that an unclear future has people collectively looking back at times that seemed equally untamed for guidance. (Hindsight is, after all, 20/20.) It could explain why the last major western resurgence happened during the 1980s when the winddown of the Cold War, coupled with the Iran Contra Affair, Aids epidemic, and the War on Drugs left the state of our union uncertain. The biggest difference between then and now—or the actual period of the Wild West from 1865 to 1895—is that today, is that women aren’t just adopting the fashions of the era, but the attitude as well. “We’re at a moment in our history in which there’s a strong focus on women and our experiences, and you see more women taking the lead in social movements and positions of political power” says Francis. “Fashion isn’t completely disconnected from what’s going on in the world and maybe
15 healthy hotspots to checkout next time you’re in Atlanta
September 26, 2018 at 04:30AM If you’re looking for the perfect mix of Southern hospitality and incredible food, Atlanta’s got you covered. As home to one of the busiest airports in the US, chances are good you’ll find yourself in the ATL at one point or another—and if you’re planning to see more than the airport while you’re there, you’re going to need to know where to get your wellness fix. A-town is in the midst of a boutique fitness boom, with some of the nation’s buzziest new studios opening their doors within its city limits. And while the notoriously car-centric town is still pretty dependent on its vehicles, there’s plenty of space to bike, run, and scooter underneath the country’s densest urban canopy, too. Coupled that with a culinary scene that’s adding more and more clean-eating establishments to its offerings, plus some pretty unique entertainment options (ping-pong emporium, anyone), and start to get a sense of what makes the place so charming. Planning a trip to the ATL? Keep reading for a city guide of Atlanta’s healthiest places to sleep, eat, and play. View this post on Instagram Thinking about the weekend like A post shared by Hotel Clermont (@hotelclermont) on Aug 9, 2018 at 10:49am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Good Sleep Hotel Clermont It’s been a rocky road for Hotel Clermont. Once a swanky motor lodge, the 95-year-old building had fallen into serious disrepair—so much so that it was shuttered by county inspectors in 2009. Now under new ownership, it
The weird way being tall increases your chances of getting varicose veins
September 25, 2018 at 12:46PM It’s not too often you hear anyone complaining about having model-level height and #legsfordays. What’s better than being able to reach that (literal) top-shelf matcha at the grocery store without having to get help? Unfortunately being tall does have some downsides though, one of them being that it might increase your chances of having varicose veins. Varicose veins aren’t just a vanity sore spot. They can also be painful and lead to ulcers and blood clots. The enlarged, bulging purple or blue veins that often appear on the legs and feet often come about due to a handful of reasons, including having added pressure on your veins from being overweight, your gender and family history, a lack of blood flow from sitting for long periods of time, your veins weakening as you age, or a decrease in blood flow to your legs while you’re pregnant, says the Mayo Clinic. And surprisingly, a recent study published in the journal Circulation that analyzed the data of more than 500,000 individuals ages 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank found simply being tall could play a role, too. While scientists know why being overweight or pregnant can lead to varicose veins, the whole height thing kind of threw them for a loop: “We not only found an association between height and varicose veins, but the genetic studies we did showed a causal link. That suggests that the genes and pathways that drive human height are also likely to be causing varicose veins,”