October 24, 2019 at 05:40PM by CWC I know what you’re thinking—the words “podiatrist-approved” and “cute” are oxymorons, but hear me out. First of all, you know what’s not cute? Limping around a decade from now due to the bad shoe choices of your relative youth. Meanwhile, what is cute is investing in a good pair of fall boots you can actually, you know, wear—not just for a couple of hours or a couple of months, but for many seasons to come. (Sustainability for the win!) So while I’m not necessarily going to ask a podiatrist to go shopping with me, I am going to turn to such experts for advice on how to keep my feet safe and my footwear functional. Of utmost importance is heel height, says Yolanda Ragland, DPM, a New York City-based podiatrist, foot surgeon, and founder of FixYourFeet.com. “Wearing a completely flat boot is not good for the foot because it can cause plantar fasciitis and provides no support for the arch,” says Dr. Ragland. “Wearing a boot with a heel that is too high is not good because you can wind up getting pain in the ball of the foot—you’re increasing your chances of ankle sprains and plain-old stress in the foot in general.” Choosing a moderate-to-low boot heel is the best option, then, and Jacqueline Sutera, DPM, a podiatrist with NYC-based City Podiatry recommends sticking with block heels with a max height of 3 inches. “The higher the heel ,the more your weight
Category: Fashion
How hiking Machu Picchu on my period taught me the power of gratitude
October 24, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC I was in the middle of the Peruvian jungle when I finally started feeling like myself again after slogging through life on the heels of a recent heartbreak. Then I unexpectedly got my period. Let’s rewind: After my boss returned from hiking Machu Picchu with her husband, she kept saying how magical the experience was and that I should plan to visit soon. Not expecting her to say yes, I jokingly responded: “Okay, can I go next month? Will you give me the week off?” She paused for a second before replying, “Get your work done in advance, and go for it!” So I worked, and then I went. Energized by the last-minute trip I now needed to plan, I spent hours every night researching and soon felt like an expert in altitude hiking, Peruvian customs, and archaeology. I cashed in all my frequent-flier miles for a business-class flight, booked lodging at hostels, and built myself a custom weeklong itinerary packed with cultural experiences, adventure, and relaxation. My solo-travel goal was to heal and to reconnect with myself. I spent the first couple of days upon arrival in the main city of Cusco, Peru, acclimating to the altitude (and sipping plenty of pisco sours, the local libation of choice), and then I was ready for my four-day group trek to Machu Picchu. Despite my best-laid plans, after two full days of hiking, mountain biking, and white water rafting, I woke up on day
Why all women should be saying they want to be rich
October 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC When I was a kid, I liked money unabashedly. I collected it—whatever I accrued through chores, odd jobs, gifts from grandparents—in a special box, saving up for big and small things I thought I wanted: a Twirly Curls Barbie; a new book in the Sweet Valley series; the color-block Benetton shirt my mom wouldn’t buy me that, like, all the cool kids were wearing. I regularly counted my coins with pleasure, and when I finally had enough to make my purchase, I walked into the store proudly and handed over my cash. It all felt great. I had power, even if it was only the power to buy a doll with hair I could then curl with a weird plastic crimper. Money meant you didn’t have to ask someone else to buy you something. You could do it yourself. But as I got older, things changed. For one thing, I started writing, and writing seemed to be something you were supposed to feel grateful simply for the opportunity to do. I felt I was supposed to see the paycheck as besides the point—I was supposed to make art because it was my passion, because I couldn’t conceive of a world where I didn’t create. Never mind that the adage is Very Much True: Money is time, and time money, and art takes time. Never mind that I (and all artists) need money to make art in any substantive fashion throughout a life, and
The most common fitness mistakes that stand in the way of getting the results you want
October 23, 2019 at 05:21PM by CWC Cycling, yoga, Pilates, and barre—with all the boutique fitness classes on the market, you may have forgotten that classic lifts, like lunges, squats, bench press, and curls, can work magic for your muscles. But when left to your own devices, fitness becomes tougher to navigate and harder to plan for, which can lead you to wonder why you’re not getting stronger from all of the hard work you’re putting in. “You can build a pretty incredible workout from basic gym staples,” says Flywheel instructor and director of talent operations Alex Robinson. “In fact, classic multi-joint compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and lunges are replete with benefits such as increased joint stability, decreased risk of injury, ability to lift heavier and stimulate hypertrophy, time efficiency, and swift body recomposition. However, if you’re not performing them with precision and perfect posture, you likely won’t see the results you’re expecting from these classic movements. That’s why it’s so important to check yourself even while performing what may seem to be the most basic workout. To help ensure that you lift with care, ahead you’ll learn all the overall mistakes you and how to fix them. Mistake #1: Skipping the warmup All it takes is a few minutes before your workout to adequately warm up your muscles and prepare them for explosive movements and sustained output. Skipping this essential step can leave your muscles tight and prone to injury when your actual workout begins. The fix: Perform
8 abs moves that go above and beyond to work your entire body
October 22, 2019 at 08:07PM by CWC Ab workouts generally go one of two ways: They feel far too easy (making you question how effective they really are) or they’re so difficult, you’re panting out of breath after just three reps. (No? Just me?) But that’s not to say abs movements should be pushed to the wayside. Instead, look for simple workouts that challenge multiple muscles in your body for a sweat sesh that bolsters results. Not sure where to start? Ahead, a few of the industry’s top trainers share their favorite abs exercises that go above and beyond to work shoulders, glutes, legs, too. Trust us, you’ll want to work these into your next gym day. 1. Bicycle crunch with weights: Sitting on the floor with one light weight in each hand (think: three to eight pounds), curl back with your chin to chest. “Bend your right leg to a 90-degree angle, hovering off the floor,” instructs Pure Barre VP of training and technique, Katelyn DiGiorgio. “Extend the left leg to hover above the floor, keeping it straight. Rotate right and reach the weights past your right thigh.” When performing this movement, execute small crunches up to the right for 30 seconds before switching legs and moving to the left. “Bicycle the legs as you curl side to side and repeat there for 30 seconds as well,” says DiGiorgio. “This exercise targets all major movers of the core and the weights in the arms to add some bonus shoulder
I found the most effective stress ball *ever* for just $9
October 22, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Now that I have a what feels like a part-time job training for the New York Marathon, my fleet of recovery tools have swiftly become my most-prized possessions. Like a mother with many talented children, I’ll never admit which one’s my favorite. What I will say is that only one is tiny-yet-mighty enough to warrant carrying it with me wherever I go. Everyone, please allow me to introduce Gaiam’s Restore Mini On-The-Go Muscle Massager ($9). I was introduced to this palm-sized accessory during a recent visit to New York City’s Stretch*d studio. While I cherish my foam roller and can’t rave enough about my Theragun, neither is exactly, well, portable. The restore mini kind of resembles a small chew toy intended for a dog, but it’s equipped to massage out the knots in your biceps, back, hamstrings, calves, and more. Gaiam even offers a massage guide, but it feels great pretty much anywhere on your body. Bethany Chang, my “stretch*r”, tells me that the mini-roller’s ridges let it go deep (and I mean deep) into the tensest parts of your muscles. “The small ridges on the roller allow it to get into deeper layers of muscle, whereas a traditional foam roller with a smooth surface hits the muscles more superficially. The inconsistent surface area, coupled with the smaller size of this tool, allows you to get deeper into more specific points,” she says. What it’s like to get professionally stretched: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQrwJp2E4Rc] Chang loves
This 5-minute lower-body stretch sesh is the best way to cool down
October 21, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgbAG-O66hA] Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, a fitness series where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, Nike Master Trainer and run coach Traci Copeland is taking us through a running workout warm-up routine. The best piece of workout advice I’ve ever received is: “You can only work out as hard as you recover.” In other words, if you’re not giving your body a chance to reset the way it needs to, you’re not going to be able to go as hard during your next session. This holds true in every modality, but is especially important when it comes to running. And so, for this week’s Trainer of the Month Club workout, Nike Master Trainer and run coach Traci Copeland is taking us through a cool down routine that’s perfect for any time you log major miles. “This is so important for runners. A lot of times we do our workouts and then we finish before we’re ready to cool down, so this workout will help you cool things down statically,” she says. Here, Copeland shares a five-minute post-run routine that will make it even easier to lace up those sneakers for the next one. And one thing to keep in mind throughout? “In a cool down, you hold the
The future of skin care is genderless, which is a win for everybody
October 19, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC For as long as I can remember, there were two sides to skin-care aisles: Those lined with bottles brimming with floral scents and feminine touches and those that were sturdy and gray, meant to signify manliness. Now, though? The two are converging. Instead of a segregation between the sexes, we’re now seeing chic, unisex packaging for products that are meant for all. It’s not that surprising that gender neutrality has come for our beauty shelves. Gender-neutral fashion started making waves last year, and it’s only been growing. According to a survey done among Generation Z, or people aged 13 to 20, about 81 percent said that gender doesn’t define a person. “It’s a reflection of the culture,” says Ty McLaren, cofounder of Koa, a gender-neutral skin-care line. “Gen-Z is the most socially aware generation, and they don’t care about traditional identity markers or the marketing gimmicks that came with them. The future is androgynous, or at least less well defined, and the rise of genderless products is just one piece of that.” “The future is androgynous, or at least less well-defined, and the rise of genderless products is just one piece of that.” —Ty McLaren While it seems like skin should just be skin, according to studies women and men’s complexions differ a bit on a biological level. “Women and men have many similarities in their skin, but despite the overlap in anatomy, they have some differences, too,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a
If you’re going to do one move every single day, make it a push-up
October 18, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC As far as workout moves go, push-ups are the great equalizer. No matter where you are in your fitness journey, there is always going to be a way to use push-ups to challenge yourself—whether that means working up from your knees onto your hands (no small feat!) or adding a military-style clap between reps. One way to continue improving your push-up practice? By doing push-ups every day. No matter what modification you’re doing, push-ups are one of those moves that will give you a whole lot of bang for your buck— a single rep is enough to give you a full-body workout. They work your chest, triceps, shoulders, and core, plus what trainers call the “wing” muscle under your armpits, and the more of them you do, the stronger you’re ultimately going to get all over. As long as you’re doing them the right way (we’ll get to that in a sec), integrating some up-and-downs into your daily routine on a regular basis can be great for your body. “Push-ups are a low load-bearing, bodyweight exercise that can be executed anywhere with no equipment,” says Joshua Thomas, trainer at Life Time Summerlin . “When completed through full ranges of motion without outstanding movement imbalances, they can help keep your lean tissue healthy, joints healthy, and help with blood circulation.” He adds that doing them every day, while also experimenting with different variables, can be a great tool for working toward your health and fitness
How to color-match your lipstick to find your perfect neutral shade
October 17, 2019 at 11:15PM by CWC When I hear “color matching,” I think of finding the just-right foundation shade, looking for shirts that match my ugly nail colors, and wearing shoes that correspond to the hues on the rest of my outfit (just me?). Then, as I gazed upon the hundreds of lipstick hues one day while browsing beauty shelves, I thought: Shouldn’t we color match our lipstick, too? Color matching your foundation involves choosing the shade that matches your skin undertones, which, of course, makes your formula blend as seamlessly as possible with your complexion. With lipstick, it’s the same idea: You pick colors that match your undertones and lip color. “It’s important to color match your lipstick so the color flatters your skin tone and brings out your best features,” says celebrity makeup artist Jamie Dorman. “If your lipstick is the wrong match, it can make skin look sallow and detract from your eye color.” This is actually why Clinique just launched their Even Better Pop Lip Color Foundation ($20), which is a line of 28 shades of lipstick, from which you can find your perfect neutral. The brand uses “shade-match science,” which guides you through your foundation color match (there are 56 foundation shades), then uses an algorithm to get you the best lip options to go along with it. The whole idea’s particularly helpful when looking for a more neutral lipstick, which is probably the hardest one to find. “Neutral shades can be very tricky,