February 04, 2019 at 10:02AM by CWC https://content.jwplatform.com/players/HiDLBb2B-dUl83MEz.js Any runner (or wannabe runner) knows that omg-my-legs-are-cement feeling when you first hit the pavement. Some days, you can shake it off after a few minutes, but for the days when it’s enough to deter you from running one more mile (or running ever again, tbh), we’ve got some advice. For Peloton Tread instructor Jess Sims, it’s all about finding the silver lining of your run that day—yes, even if the only thing “positive” about your run is that you’re positive you’re about to cramp. “I remind myself that it’s a privilege to be able to run, and it’s something I don’t ever take for granted,” Sims says. “This is especially important during the runs that don’t feel so great—the runs that you catch a cramp during the first 10 minutes or felt soreness in your hamstrings. It grounds me and has me looking forward to the next one.” To help you access those silver linings in your own runs, we asked Sims for her advice on how to push through tough runs—and how to make your best runs even better. Scroll down for 3 running tips to make pounding the pavement feel a little bit easier, every time. 1. Change your mindset by changing your words There are two types of people: runners and people who label themselves as “not runners.” The problem with those labels? Sims says they’re limiting your potential. “Now, I look forward to running because I’ve taken away
Category: Fashion
We asked you for your biggest issues with size-inclusive fashion—here are the top 3
February 04, 2019 at 07:29AM by CWC Whenever a fashion brand announces that it’s offering extended sizing—or newly entering the market with a focus on dressing plus-size women—the general reaction is usually one of celebration. Inclusivity’s always a good thing, right? Well, duh. Plus-size shoppers have been majorly underserved by the fashion industry (if not flat-out ignored), and change is desperately needed. But according to the women who are actually wearing clothes above a straight size XL or 14, not all of these efforts are delivering. In the rush to jump on the size-inclusivity bandwagon, they say, many brands are falling short of expectations and leaving disappointment in their wake. Case in point: When we asked the Well+Good Instagram community to share their biggest gripes about plus-size fashion, the responses flooded in. Some women aired their frustrations about poor fit, frumpy style, and cheap fabric quality, while others lamented the fact that larger sizes are often only found online or tucked away in a back corner of a store. And then there was the contingent that’s fed up with the “plus-size” label altogether. As one respondent so astutely put it, “Why does it need to be other-ized from the reg sizes?” (Great question.) Truth is, this demographic has a lot of clout—67 percent of American women wear sizes 16 and up—but they’re currently buying fashion at a lower rate than their straight-size counterparts, which likely has something to do with all of the grievances mentioned above. And it’s in any brand’s
Why this new moon is the perfect time to embrace your inner weirdo
February 03, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Each new moon is the chance to start over and set new intentions—or, hey, go crazy and invite your nearest and dearest over for a women’s circle to make it more social. And this month, the cosmos supports serious “you do you” energy—it’s all about being authentic, even eccentric, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi. Monday, February 4 The new moon in Aquarius, the second new moon of 2019, perfects at 4:01 p.m. Eastern. New moons begin new chapters; and, actions taken when the luminaries (the sun and the moon) conjoin have both short-term and long-term implications. With this current new moon happening at 15 degrees of Aquarius, alongside Mercury, now’s the time to own your authenticity and eccentricity. Aquarius, a fixed air sign, encourages you to lead via originality. It asks you to decide for yourself what truths you wish to subscribe to, and let the rest go. This new moon initiates new beginnings that stem from the deepest place within your heart. Meanwhile, Saturn the planet of discipline, traveling very close to Pluto (for the next two years) takes no prisoners. Meaning, the cosmic dance not only commands you to honor your truth, no matter what, but it also doesn’t leave room for lack of compliance with the directives of your soul. Add to the mix that Mars, the planet of action, conjoins both Eris, which represents feminine discord, and Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, and it’s safe to say that this new moon initiates
Calculating my own personal “sock loss index”—and re-examining all my life choices
February 02, 2019 at 10:45AM by CWC I never get angry when I receive socks for Christmas, just curious about which ones will make it to the new year. I mean, I’ll wear some holly-covered footwear through October, but we all know that socks are the first thing to get lost in the wash. But why? Why is there always one missing sock? Why are they, in a real Charlotte York fashion, always looking for their other half? A 2016 study by Samsung revealed that the average person loses 1.3 socks a month, which is approximately 15 socks a year. By my estimation (and innovation), the “sock loss index” is calculated this way: Laundry size + washing complexity – attentiveness towards laundry x positivity towards doing the laundry. I don’t do math, but that sounds like if your laundry is huge and unseparated and you have a bad attitude about it, you’re gonna lose some socks, fam. So I went on a quick quest to find as many lost socks as possible. If you’re also wondering where the hell socks go after laundry day, here’s where they could be hiding out. The bottoms of your tights and leggings My more fitness-obsessed friends will zero in on the “leggings” side of this. When you’re just trying to get out of your gross gym clothes, the move is to get off everything ASAP, right? It happens in one clean (er, maybe not so clean) swoop, and you forget that there’s still a
Our wellness goals summed up in 7 super cozy sweatshirts
February 01, 2019 at 01:19PM by CWC Look, it’s that time of the year when laziness can get the best of you. Chalk it up to frigid temps, short days, and plenty of quality content to get through in the Netflix and Hulu-verse, but the couch ever-so-sweetly calls your name in these months. And while it’s all good to lean into all that hygge can bring, it’s also never bad to have your wellness motto on lock for when things start to thaw. Enter the wellness sweatshirt, which combines good intentions with an everyday winter staple for an uplifting and awe-inspiring effect. Looking to drink more water? Want to stay on the sunny side? A wellness motto sweatshirt can not only show the world you’re on team 8 ounces a day, it can also remind you to drink that H2O and stay positive in the first place. And research backs this up: One study shows that positive affirmations can help to safeguard from stress and put you on a path to goal attaining. Plus, investing in a new sweatshirt can also help you break out of that winter fashion slump. Instead of grabbing that black V-neck sweater you’ve already worn twice this week, wear the sweatshirt with jeans and booties or skirt and tights and let your light shine. Here, 7 sweatshirts that will let you show the world your wellness motto. Photo: J Crew J.Crew x Charity: Water “Eau Yes” Crewneck Sweatshirt, $70 Oui! We all could probably be better
I tried CBD oil on my legs after my workouts, and I have some thoughts…
February 01, 2019 at 11:27AM by CWC As someone who works out 5 days a week—with each workout containing at least a two mile run—you could say that I’m always sore. That means that my legs frequently feel as heavy as cement, my hamstrings are continually tight, my quads are always quaking, and my calves know what it means to be knotted. Maybe I’m being a smidge dramatic (and maybe I need to foam roll more), but all of that running takes a serious toll on my legs. In my beauty research, however, I’ve realized that cannabidiol or CBD is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse, and since inflammation is the cause behind many woes—including muscle soreness—the wheels in my head started turning. Perhaps, by slathering a CBD-rich product all over my gams, I could enhance my recovery and optimize my workouts even more. The non-psychoactive part of the marijuana plant, CBD, has been all the rage for its multifaceted topical benefits. I’ve already tried CBD skin-care products, so I’m beyond ready to use it to enhance my workouts. “CBD is an active cannabinoid found in cannabis and has multiple uses in improving inflammatory conditions when used topically, like eczema, and even improving wound healing, itching, pain, and has even reported to improve a rare blistering disorder of skin,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a dermatologist with New York’s Schweiger Dermatology Group. “It would be great for sore muscles, because it has an analgesic effect which decreases pain.” Bingo. Luckily for me, as soon as this
We can’t stop wondering: Why are Birkenstocks so popular right now?
February 01, 2019 at 05:34AM by CWC There are two types of people in the world—people who love Birkenstocks and people who hate them. I’m staunchly in the latter camp. But I have to admit, I’m curious. Both classic Birkenstocks and their high fashion iterations are so popular at the moment, that it begs the question: Why now—more than 50 years after the company sold its first pair of cork-soled sandals? Style influencers and designers anointing them an “it” shoe a couple years ago has something to do with it. After Phoebe Philo (R.I.P. old Celine) sent her fur-laden versions down the runway in 2012, Birkenstocks began making a comeback. It’s not just granola hippies who are wearing them, either—it’s celebrities, models, and lots of women who don’t work in fashion from Los Angeles to New York City. And things don’t show any signs of slowing down—in the last two months alone Birkenstock has rolled out collaborations with high fashion cult-favorites Opening Ceremony and Rick Owens. There are people, many of whom sit feet away from me in this very office, who wear Birkenstocks religiously, who love them, and who only swap them out for real shoes when a polar vortex hits—sometimes, not even then; they just invest in fuzzy versions or slip their OGs on with a cozy pair of socks. So, in an effort to understand the appeal of Birkenstocks circa 2019, I set up a slack roundtable with a few of my coworkers—video producer Ella Dove, associate fitness and beauty editor Rachel Lapidos, and
Yes, Netflix, I’m still watching—despite feeling nothing but pure sadness afterward
February 01, 2019 at 03:30AM by CWC The “Watch it again” section on Netflix might be the single most dangerous spot to land on the web, at least for me. I’m currently cringing internally at the embarrassing number of minutes I’ve spent there catching up—again, and again—with my old pals Winston Schmidt (New Girl), Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries), and Cristina Yang (Grey’s Anatomy). Sure, my Netflix squad never says anything that I haven’t heard before, but there’s something strangely comforting about passing an hour or five with them and their familiar zingers, love triangles, and once-fashionable #lewks. It’s all pure streaming bliss. That is, until I’ve come to the end—or the death—of the show, and the final credits roll, leaving me in a state of mourning. Then Netflix promptly tries to shove a new binge-able friend in my queue, but I’m simply not ready (leave me to grieve, would you!), and I have no idea what to do next. Should I eat dark chocolate and PTFO? Throw my laptop at the wall? Start a Pinterest board of the most iconic Nick and Schmidt moments? Dance to the Grey’s Anatomy theme song in my underwear? You could say that I’m at a loss of the melodramatic variety. Recently, after I once again fell into a marathon-streaming pit of despair after concluding a spur-of-the-moment rewatch of Stranger Things season one (yep, this post-watch sadness lends itself to movies and single seasons of shows, too), I decided that it was time to get to the
We got 4 fitness trainers to tell us definitively what the best pants are for every type of workout
January 31, 2019 at 12:49PM by CWC It’s a given at this point that leggings are a crowd favorite for working out. That said, certain styles are better suited for a downward dog than they are a double jab, cross. And with more fitness routines in the mix—plus a seemingly endless list of activewear brands to choose from—narrowing in on the right pair of bottoms for every workout can be harder than you’d think. But if there’s anyone who knows the ins and outs of leggings, shorts, and sweats, it’s fitness instructors. As workout buffs who spend more time in Spandex than anything else, they’re experts at determining the best pants for every kind of sweat sesh from barre class to spin and boxing. So, to guide your next workout pant purchase, four fitness trainer’s share their top picks below (including a unanimous favorite they’ve deemed worthy for the yoga mat, boxing ring, and beyond). Photo: Getty Images/JGI/Jamie Grill For: yoga, Pilates, barre Yoga, barre, and dance instructor Sam Garcia (catch her at Y7, Equinox, and Yoga at the Raven in Los Angeles), says full-length, moisture-wicking leggings are her number one for low-impact workouts like yoga, Pilates, and barre, specifically Lululemon’s Wunder Under High-Rise Tights. “They’re my favorite pant of all time and made with four-way stretch fabric so you can execute all your shapes with ease,” she says, noting how the breathable fabric is perfect for the hot yoga classes. In the color department, she predicts rich earthy tones like
Here’s the DL on your “magical” lemon water, straight from a doctor
January 31, 2019 at 12:08PM by CWC If there’s one thing that unites women from all different wellness cliques—A-list nutritionists, natural beauty bosses, and fitness fashion moguls alike—it’s gotta be drinking water with lemon. (And let’s not even try and count all the celebrities who’ve made it a part of their a.m. routines.) The benefits of this quick-and-easy practice are supposedly many, ranging from brighter skin to improved digestion to a boosted immune system and beyond. Of course, these are all welcome side effects of staying well-hydrated, even without a lemon slice in your glass. Which raises an important question: Is that little squeeze of citrus actually doing much more for our bodies than plain water would? To find out, I consulted naturopathic doctor Erica Matluck, ND, NP, who started by filling me in on the ancient roots of this modern wellness craze. “While drinking lemon water is an Ayurvedic tradition, there are reports of many historical cultures using lemons for medicinal purposes—Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans,” she explains. “The earliest clinical benefits of lemons were observed in 1747 by the Scottish physician James Lind, who added lemon juice to the diets of seamen with scurvy. Though he concluded that lemon juice was effective, he found oranges to be more effective.” (Makes sense, since oranges are higher in immune-boosting vitamin C than any other citrus fruit.) While there’s been some clinical research on the nutritional value of lemons since then, Dr. Matluck says there have been “few, if any, randomized, controlled studies” on lemon