June 03, 2019 at 01:05PM by CWC Any fitness instructor worth their headset will give you tons of posture cues during the course of a workout—shoulders back, chest up, spine long. But for me, at least, all those anatomical nuances go out the window when I’m, say, pushing through the last minute of a treadmill sprint or struggling to do just five more push-ups. (Or, you know, just five push-ups total.) This is problematic, however, because my poor form has resulted in some pretty gnarly mid- and lower-back issues over the years. So when I heard about IFGfit, a new activewear line that promises to correct your posture as you sweat, I immediately sat up a little straighter. Created by orthopedic surgeon Stephen Liu, MD, the brand uses FDA-registered, patented technology to help guide your shoulders, rib cage, and spine into an optimal position—one that allows for deeper breathing and less stress on your back and joints. So how does it work? According to Dr. Liu, each piece in the women’s collection—sports bras, leggings, and T-shirts—was engineered to draw force to the back of the body. “The posterior elements are the biggest muscles we have,” he explains. “If you can rely on those muscles to work for you, it really opens you up.” Take the Lisa Posture Bra ($168), for instance—resembling a cap-sleeved crop top, it consists of five different materials, including two types of mesh and inner and outer fabrics with different weave tensions. It gently draws your shoulder blades
Category: Fashion
Could special activewear give me better posture? I put a new slouch-correcting line through the motions
June 03, 2019 at 01:05PM by CWC Any fitness instructor worth their headset will give you tons of posture cues during the course of a workout—shoulders back, chest up, spine long. But for me, at least, all those anatomical nuances go out the window when I’m, say, pushing through the last minute of a treadmill sprint or struggling to do just five more push-ups. (Or, you know, just five push-ups total.) This is problematic, however, because my poor form has resulted in some pretty gnarly mid- and lower-back issues over the years. So when I heard about IFGfit, a new activewear line that promises to correct your posture as you sweat, I immediately sat up a little straighter. Created by orthopedic surgeon Stephen Liu, MD, the brand uses FDA-registered, patented technology to help guide your shoulders, rib cage, and spine into an optimal position—one that allows for deeper breathing and less stress on your back and joints. So how does it work? According to Dr. Liu, each piece in the women’s collection—sports bras, leggings, and T-shirts—was engineered to draw force to the back of the body. “The posterior elements are the biggest muscles we have,” he explains. “If you can rely on those muscles to work for you, it really opens you up.” Take the Lisa Posture Bra ($168), for instance—resembling a cap-sleeved crop top, it consists of five different materials, including two types of mesh and inner and outer fabrics with different weave tensions. It gently draws your shoulder blades
The Women’s World Cup uniform finally—finally!—includes a sports bra
June 03, 2019 at 10:23AM by CWC Twenty years ago, soccer champion Brandi Chastain kicked the winning goal for Team USA, ripped off her shirt to bare a swish across her chest, and opened her arms to greet sports legends like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Billie Jean King, women whose down-to-the-wire, overtime efforts punctuated history with a jaw drop and a fist pump. While the defining moment of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final was hopped up on all kinds of girl power, what remains most pronounced is the one piece of equipment that wasn’t repurposed from the men’s line that day: the sports bra, an essential garment for women who participate in any form of fitness. In the decades since, we’ve updated silhouettes, we’ve adapted performance technology to women’s bodies, and yet recent research out of Australia finds that women with larger breasts opt out of higher-intensity activities, noting how breast size negative impacts their ability to work out. We can do better, and a handful of brands know it. The market is dotted with size-inclusive start-ups like Good American (sizing to 4X), Superfit Hero (sizing to 5X), or Girlfriend Collective (sizing to 3X), all of which offer pieces that are equal parts performance-driven and playful. At the athlete level, Nike is leading the charge. This week, the Nike Flyknit Sports Bra ($80) becomes an official component of the Women’s World Cup Soccer kits. “I remember back in ‘96, and leading up to ‘99, there was a lot of
We found the very best outdoor essentials to slip on for National Trail Day
June 01, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Fitting in perfectly with the trend to “better ourselves,” to get more sleep, eat healthy, and prioritize self-care, comes the quest to spend a little more time outdoors. It’s pretty impressive what some fresh air and sunshine can do to our minds, stress levels, and moods. It is also a great way to connect with the environment, which will hopefully inspire us to be kinder to our planet. In an effort to motivate people to just get out, The American Hiking Society has declared June 1 (ahem: right now, thank you very much) “National Trail Day.” The hope is to have people support public lands by pledging to get to their nearest trail and volunteer to leave it cleaner than they found it (we can all raise a sunscreen bottle to that). Because as more-and-more of us are swapping mimosa-fueled brunches for sweat sessions with our friends, it’s a no-brainer that the camaraderie (and relief from competing over the sound level of the table to the left) found on the trail is nearly unrivaled. Not sure what to wear or bring along with you? Check out the list below for some new and exciting essentials for a day of hiking. And then grab a buddy or your whole crew and make plans to hit the happy trails. Check out the American Hiking Organization’s site for a place near you. Photo: Altra Altra Superior 4 ($110) Keep your feet comfortable in these all terrain
We found the very best outdoor essentials to slip on for National Trail Day
June 01, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Fitting in perfectly with the trend to “better ourselves,” to get more sleep, eat healthy, and prioritize self-care, comes the quest to spend a little more time outdoors. It’s pretty impressive what some fresh air and sunshine can do to our minds, stress levels, and moods. It is also a great way to connect with the environment, which will hopefully inspire us to be kinder to our planet. In an effort to motivate people to just get out, The American Hiking Society has declared June 1 (ahem: right now, thank you very much) “National Trail Day.” The hope is to have people support public lands by pledging to get to their nearest trail and volunteer to leave it cleaner than they found it (we can all raise a sunscreen bottle to that). Because as more-and-more of us are swapping mimosa-fueled brunches for sweat sessions with our friends, it’s a no-brainer that the camaraderie (and relief from competing over the sound level of the table to the left) found on the trail is nearly unrivaled. Not sure what to wear or bring along with you? Check out the list below for some new and exciting essentials for a day of hiking. And then grab a buddy or your whole crew and make plans to hit the happy trails. Check out the American Hiking Organization’s site for a place near you. Photo: Altra Altra Superior 4 ($110) Keep your feet comfortable in these all terrain
June love horoscope: Get ready for a summer that’s steamy in more ways than one
June 01, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC At long last, it’s officially June, which means summer may be occupying some amount of your headspace. And to maximize your summer-loving efforts, it’s wise to turn to the cosmos in this first edition of your summer love horoscope 2019. This month, Mars is in Cancer, meaning your desires are best expressed through deep nurturing. Now’s the time to be extra-sensitive to a partner’s (or potential partner’s) needs, tending carefully to any emotions that seem right beneath the surface. Venus leaves super-sensual Taurus for talkative Gemini on the 8th, so you can express your thirst with words. Translation: This is the hottest sexting month of the year, according to the stars. In addition to stockpiling digital messages to send in the coming weeks, bookmark the following romantically significant dates this month: June 2: Venus trine Pluto (meaning the two planets align at a soft angle). The deepest depths of love can be revealed if you dare to look at the shadows of your relationship. June 14: Mars trine Neptune and opposite Saturn. Projection clashes with reality, and the truth could make you angry (or just randy). Either way, work out that conflict in bed. June 19: Mercury opposite Pluto. Your words could be cutting, so make sure you don’t ruin things by being critical of a new lover. June 23: Venus opposite Jupiter. Too much is never enough, which means you might fall head over heels and then spend the rest of the
An open letter to my obsessive compulsive disorder
May 31, 2019 at 08:35AM by CWC Dear OCD, Get your butt over here. I’m pissed, and we’re due for a chat. Oh. Right. You’re already here. Like always. I could use a GD second alone, but since that’s not happening, let’s use this time to get a few things straight. So, Damn Blood—that’s what I’m going to call you: the thing I’m most obsessed and compulsed by—how are you today? Whatcha worrying about right now? That red mark smeared across a work proof, which is clearly red pen but—bye, rationality!—has a .0001 percent chance of being someone’s blood, “contaminated” with who knows what? (QUICK, GO WASH YOUR HANDS!) Or wait, I know. You’re stuck on that work decision I made three years ago that will surely affect my career forever, lurking around the crevices of my cortex whispering mistake… mistake… mistake… Because if there’s one thing you refuse to do, it’s forget. You slither your way deep into my neurons, poisoning them with shards of blame and slices of second-guessing. Of all the things I hate about you, I hate that the most. But you know this, right? You see how I react to you. Sit tight, Damn Blood—there’s more. And you need to hear it. Know this: I wish you were a better friend If only you could be the Holmes to my Sherlock, the Nutella to my French bread, even my beloved work wife. But if I were a rose, you’d be less soil or sun and more
Scuff your sneaks? Spot treat them with toothpaste to brighten them back up
May 31, 2019 at 08:26AM by CWC Adding a stark white item to your wardrobe is a risky move. It feels like if you blink, white shoes go from utterly flawless to downright dirty. (And I can only tolerate busting out the baking soda so many times in a year.) But thanks to a game-changing hack for how to remove scuff marks from shoes, helping white sneaks get their glow back only takes a few minutes. Nobody wants to follow a long list of steps to get white shoes back to looking brand new again. (I don’t have the time the patience.) That’s why a trick from Food52 really caught my eye. All you need is a tube of white non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush. Toothpaste, as it turns out, is a scuff-fighting superhero. Not only does it work on canvas, leather, and faux leather options, but it can also make the rubber roles look squeaky clean, too. Here’s how to remove scuff marks from shoes with toothpaste Take your white non-gel toothpaste and apply it to your toothbrush. Gently scrub the scuffs you want to remove. Wipe off the toothpaste with a damp cloth. Set your shoes somewhere to dry, like in a sunny window. It’s that easy. After they dry (which won’t take more than a few minutes), you can rock your newly brightened white sneakers with beaming confidence. Staying fresh has never been so easy. Do your shoes need more of a deep clean than a
The comfiest sandals for getting in your 10,000 steps, according to a foot doctor
May 31, 2019 at 06:40AM by CWC Warm weather is finally here, which means 1) you can actually walk from point A to point B, instead of having to bundle yourself up in a parka and hurl yourself from your building into a taxi or train car, and 2) it is officially sandal season. Unfortunately, as my feet are currently well aware, those two things can be a lethal combination. I’ll spare you the vivid description of my numerous blisters and cracked skin, but let’s just say that my two-mile commute (or as I like to call it, strut) to work has taken a serious toll… mostly because I’ve been wearing the wrong shoes. The good news: You don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort when it comes to finding the best sandals to walk in—as long as you know what you’re looking for. “For those looking to walk some good distances in their sandals, more than a simple flip flop is important,” says NYC-based podiatrist Dr. Emily Splichal, DPM MS. “Some of the recommended features include a built-in arch support, such as that provided by Aetrex Sandals, straps that wrap around the ankle for stability, and quality materials such as cork that are absorbent to impact forces.” While all sandals can technically be worn for walking, that doesn’t mean they should be. “The risk of foot pain is higher in less appropriate sandals, including very flat sandals with no arch support, flip flops that have no true attachment to
9 comfy ‘Booksmart’-inspired jumpsuits that’ll earn you an A+ in summer party style
May 31, 2019 at 06:19AM by CWC For the uninitiated, Booksmart follows two overachieving besties who try to jam-pack a last chance at high-school revelry into a single night after having spent years playing things, well, by the book. Spoiler alert: They’re as successful in their party endeavor as they undoubtedly were on their AP tests—perhaps most notably in their #lewk for the night out. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) end up styling themselves like badass Ghostbusters in comfy AF jumpsuits and sneakers. Some might call that an ill-informed fashion faux pas or just like, “a real chore if you need to pee.” But I, for one, am here for it because when you’re ready to eschew the JOMO and be a high-performing social butterfly, nothing says you’re ready to kick ass, take names, and make some memories like a cool jumpsuit. An all-purpose jumpsuit is the outfit for ambitious doers who prioritize function above all. Done right, it’s work-appropriate, errand-appropriate and gym-appropriate. It communicates that you’re crawling out of your introvert shell and you’re doing just fine. Sure, a case could be made for cute floral sundresses being the summertime party go-to, but the one-piece look encompasses enough visual interest that it doesn’t even need a wacky print to jazz it up. It is the strong and silent type that means business—even if the business at hand is a good time. Sure, the summer jumpsuit can be accessorized with the likes of funky belts, heeled metallic sandals,