April 10, 2019 at 08:05AM by CWC I used to think of Bella and Edward from Twilight as the epitome of #relationshipgoals. Back then I had a very different idea of what it meant to have “chemistry” with another human being. Fangs and immortality aside, I believed that the pair of blood-crossed lovers was the equivalent of two reactive yet compatible elements of the periodic table. Bella and Edward irked each other to no end. Why are so many of us on a subconscious, relentless quest to find someone who will make us as lovingly infuriated as a 100-year-old vampire? Leave it to a psychoanalyst and essayist to articulate the (somewhat) existential reason that falling in love is so frustrating. “All love stories are frustration stories,” author Adam Phillips writes in Missing Out: In Praise of the Unlived Life, in an excerpt published by Brain Pickings. “To fall in love is to be reminded of a frustration that you didn’t know you had (of one’s formative frustrations, and of one’s attempted self-cures for them); you wanted someone, you felt deprived of something, and then it seems to be there.” In a truly poetic fashion, Phillips explains that rekindling frustrations with romantic flames leads to more intense satisfaction. “It is as if, oddly, you were waiting for someone but you didn’t know who they were until they arrived,” he writes. (Wow, wow, wow—am I right?) The nostalgically romantic dance Phillips describes is emblematic of the psychological concept of attachment theory, according
Category: Fashion
The 8 healthiest items on Mandy Moore’s wellness résumé
April 10, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Mandy Moore is basically America’s cool big sister. As a musician, she helped us get through the ups and downs of our teenage years anytime “Candy” blasted through the speakers. Then as an actress, she’s shown what true love looks like on multiple levels, whether it’s through Jamie and Landon in A Walk to Remember or Rebecca and Jack on This Is Us. And she doesn’t skimp on the life lessons, either (there’s a reason I have CBD oil on hand whenever I wear heels). Even though Moore is known as an actress and singer, “wellness guru” should be listed on her Wikipedia page, too. Despite her busy schedule, she’s racked up quite the healthy-living résumé by creating the ultimate high-vibe home, training to climb impressively high mountains, and figuring out the ultimate hacks for living her best life on the go. Here are the 8 healthiest items on Mandy Moore’s wellness résumé. 1. She stores her face masks in hotel minibars Moore is a big face mask fan—especially when she travels. And what better way to soothe post-flight skin than chill them in your hotel minibar before using them? “When I travel, I do that before I do anything else. It makes them so refreshing,” she says. 2. Her home is a straight-up wellness oasis Once you see Moore’s high-vibe home, you won’t forget it. The bright and open mid-century modern space is filled with copper and brass accents, blush-hued dinnerware, a
Cosmic experts, should I be reading my horoscope in the morning or at night?
April 09, 2019 at 12:18PM by CWC Every evening at 9 p.m. on the dot I receive a (cosmic!) push notification from my home screen astrology app. By that time I’ve mostly relinquished any notion that I can “control” my day, leading me to wonder: What’s the point of rehashing the past 12 hours through an astrological lens? Dear universe, should I be reading my horoscope in the morning instead of at night? Authors of Astrology for Wellness Amy Zerner and Monte Farber say that, in short, yes—downloading your universe-sanctioned schedule is an activity best enjoyed with a your morning cup of coffee. “Lots of decisions we make before going to sleep end up either being forgotten, or overwhelmed, by the many things that come rushing at us when we awake,” says Farber. “Reading an accurate, well-written horoscope in the morning can be a ‘forewarned is forearmed’ experience.” “Reading an accurate, well-written horoscope in the morning can be a ‘forewarned is forearmed’ experience.” Even though the two says it’s ideal consume all that intel before you dive head-first into your to-do list, you might find it helpful to revisit it later. Especially on days when you feel like Murphy’s Law was in full effect. “My essays are not only predictive in nature, but they give each person who reads them something to actually do to make a difficult day better, and maximize the benefits of a bad day,” Farber says. As is the case with many a wellness practice though,
These two wardrobe staples are about to become your spring uniform
April 08, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC It’s officially spring, which means we’ve stepped into my favorite outfit weather of the year: shorts and sweater season. I’m a huge proponent of an outfit formula. You know, that go-to look that you love, can mix-and-match pieces into, and comes together in as little as five minutes. And, as much as I try to not leave my house in glorified pajamas, ease of wear is definitely key with an on-the-go lifestyle. So, when it’s just warm enough to show some skin, but you still want to remain cozy on top, try the shorts-and-sweater combo. Shop the below outfit ideas for my favorite kinds of shorts-and-sweater looks. Elevated sporty When you want to keep it sporty, but not look like you’re actually coming from a workout, consider styling athletic-inspired shorts with a cashmere sweater. This season, Sandy Liang has debuted a pair of running shorts with a twist that I can’t wait to style with this thin cashmere knit from Raey. Shop the look: Raey V-Neck Fine-Knit Cashmere Sweater, $241; Sandy Liang Lace-Trimmed Shell Shorts, $295 Cycling chic Bike shorts are undeniably one of this year’s biggest fashion trends—and, perhaps, the most confusing to style. Try pairing them with a sweater that’s just oversized enough to make you feel more dressed than someone who is actually out for a bike ride, but not so baggy that it totally covers the shorts underneath. Shop the look: & Other Stories Cotton Blend Sweater, $49; Topshop Lace
This 8-move, at-home abs workout will fire up your full body
April 08, 2019 at 07:03AM by CWC As any trainer worth their free weights will tell you, a strong core is key to pretty much a strong everything else. But there’s one problem: Holding a plank for a minute-and-a-half for the sake of getting stronger is A) hard and B) boring as hell. Thanks to Le Sweat founder Charlee Atkins, you can light that core afire without having to pop into plank pose for any longer than 30 seconds. In honor of our Trainer of the Month Club’s week two ab challenge, she shares a no-equipment workout that will help you get a more powerful core in seven minutes flat. After week one’s no-equipment abs workout left our center’s burning (seriously—we did them in the office every day for a week, and it was hard), week two’s workout is meant to take that strength and apply it to your whole body. And, it’s worth noting, Atkins’ tips from last week still hold true. “In all of these core exercises, the focus is to stabilize the core around the spine,” she told us. “So in any supine (or lying) exercises the emphasis is pressing the lower back into the ground. And for any prone exercises the focus is on keeping a flat back, head in line with hips or heels, depending on exercise.” Follow along with the workout below, and be sure to check out our Instagram every Monday for a new series of body-building moves from Atkins for the rest
We’ve reached peak minimalism, so why are people still buying throw pillows?
April 07, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC My boyfriend recently shared with me his terrifying theory about throw pillows, based on his experience at various aunts’ homes: that they increase with age (volume of pillows, not number of aunts). Well, consider my inner Marie Kondo five-alarm fire officially set off, because throw pillows are the worst, most needless aspect of home decor. With these, less is more, and none is best. It’s baffling that throw pillows are still a thing amidst the current War on Clutter. We throw out everything! The prom dresses we were hoping to fit into someday; the IKEA culinary set we bought in college; the degree we earned in college; anything we haven’t used, worn, or specifically enjoyed in the past year; all of it. So how did we sit among these little damask-print rectangles, reposition ourselves because they are wildly uncozy, and conclude that they get to make the joy-sparking cut? Why do we lie to ourselves about these anti-comfort monsters that only work in the confines of Pinterest and magazines your aunts read? Annoyed and terrified (I mean, there’s a good chance I’m someday going to be an aunt—am I doomed to a future of throw pillows?), I looked into the origin of the useless overstuffed puffs. And, yikes, because the story starts with something I very much do love: a regular pillow. Throw pillows do nothing but provide discomfort and clutter. Furthermore, you only need one good pillow when it comes to bedtime,
The mental health realness movement is coming for your closet
April 06, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Sure, buying a new pair of platform sneakers or bike shorts can give you a little hit of happiness in the moment. (Dopamine, I know what you’re up to.) But can fashion make a meaningful difference when it comes to improving mental well-being in the long term? A small but growing contingent of brands are banking on it. While their aesthetics and missions are all a little different, each one draws on the lessons of the mental health realness movement—namely, they’re aiming to start a conversation around mental health concerns in order to normalize and destigmatize them. One of the first entrants to the scene was Madhappy, a streetwear brand that launched in early 2017 with a self-proclaimed ethos of optimism and inclusivity. In addition to tees and sweats in cheerful colorways, Madhappy also delivers events featuring mental health pros as speakers. This year, it launched a blog filled with original content and resources pertaining to the topic. “We had seen the rise of celebrity suicides in the press alongside heightened levels of social media abuse all around us, and we wanted to create a brand that could combat that,” says Peiman Raf, one of Madhappy’s four cofounders. “We felt that no brand has been a champion for mental health awareness and were motivated to tackle such a global issue.” Madhappy’s currently working to form charitable partnerships with mental health non-profits—a tactic that’s proven to be pretty powerful for other companies. Last year,
Well+Good is nominated for the Oscars of the Internet—here’s how to help us win
April 05, 2019 at 11:31AM by CWC Wow, this is such an honor. First, we’d like to thank the barista next door, who kept us energized with matcha and oat milk lattes. And Justin’s for an almond butter cup sugar high when we really needed it. And to our readers…you like us! You really, really like us! Sorrynotsorry, we’re just over here practicing our acceptance speech because Well+Good was just nominated for a Webby Award! ICYMI, the Webby Awards are basically the Oscars of the online world. Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the judges—consisting of Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities—honor the best of the best websites every year. Categories range from entertainment, humor, fashion & beauty, news and politics, travel, and many more. Well+Good is up for a biggie: Best Lifestyle Site. This means so much to us because our ethos has always been—and always will be—to be your trusted advisor for navigating the ever-expanding (and sometimes confusing) world of wellness. We aim to demystify what it means to live a healthy life, calling and covering trends—and telling you what to skip all together. Like the Oscars, this is a BFD to those of us at W+G to be up for an award. Unlike the Oscars, the people have a say in it! You can vote for Well+Good as your favorite lifestyle site for the next two weeks (until Thursday, April 18). All you need to vote: Visit WebbyAwards.com and click
Fitness blogger Sarah Stevenson shows the reality of childbirth in a spare-no-details video
April 05, 2019 at 09:49AM by CWC In a video with 1.4 million views and counting, holistic health blogger Sarah Stevenson did something few have done before her: record—and post on the Internet for the world to see—the labor and delivery of her first-born son, Fox Ocean Tilse. The less “photogenic” elements of pregnancy and childbirth are still largely hidden from public view, making Stevenson’s on-camera vulnerability a sight for sore eyes. In the caption of a photo Stevenson posted to Instagram, she describes childbirth as “the toughest thing we’ve ever gone through but by far the most rewarding.” Her video condenses the two-day endeavor (“over 24 hours of pre-labor, seven hours of active labor, and no sleep for over 40 hours”) into 25 minutes. Not to worry, that’s plenty of time to watch her clock her contractions, consult her midwife, make toast, bounce on her balance ball, cry, go to the hospital, consider the possibility of an emergency C-section, opt to have an epidural, and—you know—mentally prepare for becoming a parent. Nothing—and I mean nothing—is left out (see: the catheter discussion at minute 23). [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVxe6yESoh4] Now that the video has been released, Stevenson says she has every intention of being totally transparent about her new identity as a mom. She’s already taken to the ‘gram to share how her body’s looking and feeling. “Right now, seven days since giving birth to Fox, I love my body more than ever!! I’m so excited to wear jeans, bend down to
This Fashion Brand Is Turning Old Clothes Into Art & The Results Are Stunning
April 05, 2019 at 02:03AM Who says waste can’t be beautiful? Continue Reading… Author Emma Loewe | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue