May 18, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Sure, I love to work out (except for the cases in which I decide to sleep through my alarm instead of going to a morning class…which happened today), but I’m also all for workouts that require less movement than, say, a 5K or moving from the floor to standing and back (looking at you, burpees). So you can also find me doing stretches in bed and plenty of isometric exercises, alongside the days where I’m dying in SLT or going for a long run. Then I found out about sitting Tabata… which is essentially the HIIT workout of my wildest fantasies. According to Corey Phelps, a DC-based trainer, you can do a Tabata-style workout while literally sitting down. Speak to me. “It won’t be as flashy as burpees, but a few key isometric exercises will provide an exceptional burn, incognito style,” she tells me. All you need is a chair and a timer. Maybe you’re raising an eyebrow. I feel you—but hear Phelps out: “When you think of Tabata, high intensity comes to mind, and that is correct,” she says. “Tabata in the purest form is a high-intensity style of training. While isometric holds aren’t typically a star in high-intensity workouts, you’ll soon find out that the burn is real when you run through a round of max effort flexing for eight rounds.” It’s very true—I tried these moves for myself, and they mean business. There’s true power in isometric exercises. “Performing these isometric
Category: Fashion
8 pairs of sleek sneakers that are perfect for date night
May 18, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC As I have explained in detail, I always wear sneakers on a first date because they are comfortable and go with literally anything. It’s merely an added bonus that they’re easy to run away in if your date decides to order a glass of Chardonnay with ice and swirl it around like he’s taking a sommelier test. See also: says you have “nice gams.” This is my real life, but I digress. I’m partial to sleek, classic sneakers for a date because they’re the right blend of chill and polished. And the work equally well for first-dates as they do for 100th dates (if you have made it to this number of dates please DM me and tell me your secrets). And if you need further proof that sneakers can be worn for any occasion, allow me to direct your attention to Serena Williams at the Met Gala. She paired her gown with matching neon Nikes, to which I say brava. I’m not saying that’s the outfit I’m going to show up in on my next date… but maybe? The limit does not exist; you truly can wear versatile footwear everywhere. Here, 8 pairs of date-night sneakers. Photo: Kaanas Kaanas Bristol Lace Up Sneaker, $139 Call me a magpie, because I am drawn to metallics. So it makes sense that I’m taken with these classic-with-a-twist sneakers from Kaanas, a brand that’s run by four sisters in Columbia. Each shoe is made by hand
There’s only one “right way” to roll up your sleeves, and it’s a J.Crew classic
May 17, 2019 at 10:42AM by CWC When you’ve been doing something one way your entire life, it’s really hard to accept that there might be a better method out there to get the job done. Sure, no one likes to be proven wrong. I’m still not over the fact that I’ve been cutting onions incorrectly for years. (Think of all the tears I’ve shed for nothing!) And when it comes to how to roll up sleeves, there’s only one right way, and you can master the technique just in time for the warm weather ahead. If anyone knows how to roll up sleeves like a boss, it’s Jenna Lyons, the former president and creative director of J.Crew. As someone who worked within the world of chambray shirts for 26 years (and, FYI, basically made them a trend in the first place), she’s probably styled a few long sleeves in her day. So it goes without saying that any method other than hers couldn’t be more wrong. Lyon’s iconic sleeve-rolling technique is actually really simple. First, unbutton the buttons at the end of the sleeve and roll the end up so it meets your elbow. Then, cuff the remainder about an inch, letting the ends stick out of the top. In seconds, you’ll have a #lewk so perfect it’ll make the mannequins at J.Crew do a double-take. Here’s how to roll up sleeves the right way: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cD_8UR7Xrc] This isn’t the only thing you might have to rethink. Here’s the
These super comfy grandpa sneakers are seriously speaking to the mall walker in me
May 17, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC This week, Hush Puppies announced that they were launching new colors of their Power Walker shoes. As you can see here, these shoes are highly geriatric. Enough so that they’re dubbing them “grandpa sneakers.” The new colors in question are things like “seafoam” and “shrimp” (a, shall we say, descriptive—name for a shoe color). I mean, let’s be honest: They will pair perfectly with all the pastel Taylor Swift 7 merch I’m going to buy. There’s also a silver metallic, a bright blue, and your classic black and white colorways. These orthopedic AF shoes were made for mall walking. They say, “I care about things like arch support,” and “You can have your strappy sandals and chunky heels, but I will be far more comfortable and practical over here with my velcro.” Check and check. While “ugly” comfortable sneakers have been trending for a while, and while dad sneakers and chunky sneakers have been spotted all over the fashion runways, Instagram, and IRL at Cha Cha Matcha, grandpa sneaks really take things to the next level. And I’m actually into them. You know how some animals are so ugly that they’re actually cute? Like opossums? (I was just told by several people that opossums are not cute even in an ugly way, but those people are wrong.) Yeah, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on these types of shoes. But Allie, you may be thinking, don’t you normally hate trends? How are
This 4-ingredient avocado scrub will brighten skin in 1 minute flat
May 16, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfFOy9_NNwo] It’s not exactly a secret that we at Well+Good love avocados: On our toast, in our smoothies, and now, thanks to Nana Agyemang, slathered all over our faces. In the latest episode of “The Avocado Show,” Agyemang, founder and CEO of EveryStylishGirl, shares the recipe for the avocado scrub she swears by. And all it takes are four easy ingredients that you already have sitting around at home: an avocado, some brown sugar, olive oil, and tea tree oil. This quadruple-combo is a skin win for a whole lot of different reasons. First off, avocado is just as good for the outside of your body as it is for the inside. The fatty green fruit is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, and will leave skin brighter while also helping to strengthen its lipidic layer, which gets damaged throughout the day. The brown sugar will slough off dead skin, while tea tree oil will target any sort of breakouts or blemishes you’ve got going on. And finally, olive oil will help hydrate (especially you’ve got dry skin), and the end result will leave you like a bright, dewy complected goddess. Agyemang’s unbeatable beauty tips aren’t the only reasons why we’re taken with the self-described girl boss. She founded her media company, EveryStylishGirl, as a means of combatting the lack of diversity she saw in the fashion industry. The brand’s blog and Instagram helps to encourage women of color to embrace their passions
Honeymoons have evolved drastically over the centuries—but so have relationships, and it’s all good news
May 15, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC At a post-wedding brunch I recently attended, reception talk quickly turned to honeymoon talk. The bride and groom weren’t going on theirs right away, and the other couples at my table were trading stories of what they did for their honeymoons—the good, the bad, the stress-inducing. That left me, only a plus-one, half-listening when my boyfriend asked, “Would you want that? Get married and then jump on a plane the next day?” I stopped chewing my bagel and thought, eventually saying, “no,” definitively. I’m always the date, never the bride or even the bridesmaid, so I know very little about honeymoons on a personal level. I’m familiar with a few buzzwords: the minimoon, the buddymoon, and most recently, the solomoon, The New York Times’ attempt to put on its most fetch Gretchen Wieners hat and will a non-thing to be a thing. Beyond that, I’m aware that honeymoons are often luxe, expensive, and, by extension, Instagramable. (WeddingWire’s 2019 Newlywed Report of 18,000 couples estimates the average honeymoon costs $4,500.) And, per rom-coms and sitcoms, I know you’re supposed to return home from one looking sun-kissed and acting smarmy after having spent two weeks boning tropically offscreen. But, really, that’s all I know. So I went way back to the beginning to educate myself. Contrary to popular belief, the term “honeymoon” doesn’t reference the honey mead allegedly gifted to medieval-era brides and grooms—a custom that historian and author of Marriage, a History Stephanie Coontz
32 life lessons from chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai
May 15, 2019 at 03:30AM by CWC After a visit to her ancestral homeland, chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai returned a changed woman. Now, to celebrate her birthday, the Well+Good Council member shares some of the life lessons that have helped her most. Returning from Japan, as the wheels of the plane touched down in my home state of California, things felt different. Life felt different. I felt better. My friends said I sounded different and looked better than ever. I had spent more than a month in Japan to write, develop, fund, shoot, and host an on-camera documentary for a Japanese network. It was a heavy responsibility and a tall, labor-filled order. With my small crew, I stayed in the mountains with monks, meditated in the temples, chased my grandfather’s art with Mom in Kyushu. I wrote among the new cherry blossoms, indulged on ramen, studied matcha with the masters in Uji, went crazy on Japanese beauty in Tokyo and, finally, conducted interviews with six atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki. Each one was 80-something years young. Talk about perspective. Being vulnerable with the people we respect most is hard. Needless to say, it was impossible to have dry eyes on this trip. I cried with each survivor in Nagasaki. I felt more present in letting go. I’m still reflecting and processing upon what I found… and how it’s made me look at life through a completely different lens. I would not say I live an ordinary life. (Neither
5 essential stretches to take your squats even deeper
May 15, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Finding perfect squat form should be the goal of every amateur athlete. After all, squats are a foundational movement of almost every workout routine with a wide variety of modifications for every skill level. Before you step up to a series of #sorefordays variations, a few squat stretches can help you to get comfortable with the original movement. Amanda Bisk, exercise psychologist and yoga teacher, recommends different stretches that make it easier to master your preferred technique. “Squats are one of the most common exercises we do, but often the one we can’t get quite right,” she writes on Instagram. “Whether you feel like you’re falling backward as you sit down, you can’t quite get your glutes to activate, or you suffer from knee pain, these stretches will help improve essential mobility in your ankles and hips.” To better your squat form, start incorporating these simple stretches into your routine. As your mobility improves, so will your ability to get the ultimate booty burn. The best stretches for better squats, according to Amanda Bisk View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda Bisk (@amandabisk) on May 14, 2019 at 6:20am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Plantar fascia stretch Not all stretches for squats are created equal. This one targets the arches of your feet since tightness in the area causes loss of mobility in the ankle and discomfort in the calf muscles. Ankle mobility is essential for getting deeper in your
The unexpected piece I’m wearing over all my workout clothes to make them brunch-appropriate
May 14, 2019 at 12:28PM by CWC Do you remember, years ago before athleisure was really a thing, all the people proclaiming loudly that leggings are not pants? I was a proponent of this—I firmly believed that leggings were terrible and that under no circumstances should they be worn in a non-athletic capacity. But oh, how the tables have turned. Now, it’s a rare day that you’ll find me in anything but leggings. While it’s now acceptable to wear workout clothes pretty much anywhere, however, I still find myself wanting to style them post-workout in ways that don’t scream “I am a sweaty monster who just finished up at CrossFit.” This winter, I would reach for a cute pullover sweatshirt and really lean in to the athleisure/streetwear look… but now that the weather is warming up, I find myself gravitating toward lighter, more polished pieces. Enter: the button up shirt. Back in those days when leggings weren’t considered pants, a button up shirt would often be your saving grace: Conventional fashion wisdom said that as long as your butt was covered by your shirt/dress/tunic, you wouldn’t upset the pants status quo, so throwing on an oversized Oxford—maybe cinching it at the waist with a belt (I shudder to remember)—would often do the trick. The 2019 version of this is a little more laid back and sporty. Tied around your waist, they serve some serious ’90s vibes. With the sleeves rolled up and a hint of sports bra showing, it says,
Trainers agree: Vanessa Hudgens’ workout equation is something everyone can learn from
May 14, 2019 at 09:34AM by CWC Vanessa Hudgens is really, really strong. I know this, because when I worked out next to her at an event for Propel Vitamin Boost yesterday (and made all of my eighth grade dreams come true), she was not messing around. She piled on double the amount of ankle weights as the rest of us did, held a perfectly-formed plank for an entire song, and somehow made it all look so easy that she walked out with her hair and makeup still intact. I, on the other hand, collapsed on the floor into a pile of my own sweat. When Hudgens and I sat down to chat after 45-minutes of Megan Roup kicking our butts (and after I chugged two bottles of Propel’s new electrolyte water to replace all the water I’d lost during the workout), I had to know what her strength-building secret is. And while I was fully expecting her to cop to spending 2+ hours a day with a trainer, the reason behind her success in the gym is actually super simple: consistency and variety. She told me that she has pretty much stuck with the same three workouts—SoulCycle, Pilates, and yoga—for the better part of the last ten years, mixing things up throughout the week to target different parts of her body. And, in case the results didn’t speak for themselves, pros confirm that she’s onto something with this methodology. “It’s really important to mix up your routine to ensure