September 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC In theory, eating fruits and vegetables in season sounds like a worthy culinary aspiration. When I hear the phrase, I automatically picture Ina Garten buying freshly picked, organic strawberries at a farm stand, then going home and whipping up some sort of tart for Jeffrey. But when actually putting it into practice, the concept can feel straight-up intimidating. There are already so many things to think about at the grocery store, like choosing whether or not to go organic, reading the nutrition panel on the label, and assessing whether that label full of sneaky marketing claims. How important is it, really, to prioritize buying and eating in-season produce? Before we can answer that question, it’s important to define exactly what “eating seasonally” means. According to Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD—founder of BZ Nutrition in New York City—it’s about knowing when certain fruits and vegetables grow naturally in your climate, and then eating them only in those seasons. In the United States, this can vary widely from state to state, and many types of produce grow in more than one season. But, in general, fall and winter are prime time for things like sweet potatoes, cauliflower, citrus fruits, and pears. Spring and summer are when berries, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant are at their freshest and most flavorful. (The USDA Seasonal Produce Guide is a good point of reference for a more comprehensive list.) Shopping at a farmer’s market or subscribing to a CSA inherently lends
Category: City
4 ways to boost your adaptability quotient, the more—wait for it—adaptable cousin of IQ
September 24, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC The real world does not suffer those who can’t keep up—especially at work. There’s always something new to learn, new processes to master, and someone eager to take your spot if you’re not willing to excel at it. Surviving and thriving in just about any job requires you to not just be sharp, but also to be malleable. And it’s completely doable, so long as you raise your adaptability quotient (AQ). “It’s the ability to learn, adjust, and change to new situations or circumstances and still come out a success,” says career coach Maggie Mistal. “Those with high AQ are able to be of service in a variety of situations and may even thrive in times of change.” A high adaptability quotient comes into play when there are new forms of technology put in place, a priority shift that changes your expected output and routine, a raise in expectations, or truly any other tweak you’re meant to handle in stride. (If you don’t know your AQ, try a free online assessment, like this one.) And while the concept of an adaptability quotient is commonly applied in business-related situations, the measure offers value elsewhere in life, too. Being able to approach life as a cool-headed renaissance person will make all the curveballs thrown at you much easier to catch. So, what can you do if you have a particularly subterranean-level AQ? Like, maybe you’re an inflexible fixed sign, or you have a paralyzing fear
Biphobia in medical spaces makes getting mental and physical health care that much harder for bisexual people
September 23, 2019 at 08:40PM by CWC Rose*, a 31-year-old bi+ woman who has struggled with depression for most of her life, didn’t commit to a therapist until her mid-twenties. When she finally did, her therapist consistently “made comments about how I didn’t seem very into [dating women] and maybe it wasn’t for me,” she recalls. She says her therapist even asked if she was “using” her attraction to women as a way to avoid the relationship problems she had with men. The reality was that Rose was nervous. She was unsure of what being bisexual meant for the rest of her life, and wasn’t convinced that she was “queer enough,” she says. She needed support and affirmation during this time. Instead, Rose says her experience in therapy, which belittled and undermined her sexuality, made it more difficult to wade through the process of bettering her mental health. There are more than nine million LGBTQ+ people in America, and about 52 percent identifies as bisexual or Bi+, according to a report released by the non-profit think tank Movement Advancement Project (MAP). There are many wonderful things to celebrate about being bi+, which is defined as being attracted to or having physical and sexual relationships with people of different genders. However, it can also make navigating the world much harder, since biphobic stereotypes still persist within and without the LGBTQ+ community. Think: assuming bi+ people just can’t commit, are just gay or straight people who can’t “decide” what “team” they’re on,
This 10K training program will get you up and running in only 5 weeks
September 23, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Traci Copeland is a Nike Master Trainer and run coach based in New York City. She’s created this five-week program that will have you eyeing the finish line of a 10K, whether it’s your first time lacing up or you’re an old pro. Train with us over the following month and we’ll meet you on October 26 for our virtual race. Allow me to blow your mind: If you’ve never run a race before or are a race-day pro, the mental preparation is exactly the same—and that holds true no matter if you’re training for a one-mile sprint, a 5K, or a 10K. So in other words, don’t let the thought of powering through 6.2 miles psych you out, because as long as you’ve got your head in the game, you can do it. This five-week plan is designed to carry you to the finish line of a 10K. Each week, you’ll build up the minutes you spend pounding the pavement until you’re powering through a full six-miler like it’s nobody’s business. You’ll combine walking, running, and walk-run sessions throughout each week, getting both your body and mind accustomed to moving for such a sustained period of time. Though this is technically a running program, you’ll actually only be running three days—the others will be spent either as a rest day or cross-training, both of which are critical to getting you across the finish line in tip-top shape. Cross-training is important because, while
This 5K training program will have you racing to the finish line in 5 weeks flat
September 23, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Traci Copeland is a Nike Master Trainer and run coach based in New York City. She’s created this five-week program that will have you eyeing the finish line of a 5K, whether it’s your first time lacing up or you’re an old pro. Train with us over the following month and we’ll meet you on October 26 for our virtual race. For a new runner, motivating to reach the finish line of a 5K can feel nothing short of intimidating, especially if you’ve never run a race (or even a mile) before. But—and trust me on this one—getting started is the hardest part. The first step towards getting your head in the game is, literally, taking the first step, and this beginner’s 5K plan is designed to make it happen. It consists of five weeks worth of running and cross-training workouts, with built-in recovery days that will help prep you for your first-ever race day. Whatever mental and physical hurdles are standing in your way, consider this your guide for jumping over them at full speed. Because, when you’re totally new to the whole “running” thing, running for five minutes straight—let alone five kilometers straight—might seem terrifying. To make training feel more manageable, this plan starts out with bite-sized walk and run combos to help you find your stride. As you work on finding your stride, remember to pace yourself. Often times, new runners tense up and start by running too fast, which
You can actually thank the moon for your weekly case of the Mondays
September 23, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Whenever I write an email that kicks off with ever-chipper “Happy Monday” greeting, I feel like smacking backspace. Happy Monday? We all know there is no such animal. And on a recent episode of the That’s So Retrograde podcast, co-host Elizabeth Kott reveals that our Garfield-like aversion to the start of the workweek doesn’t have to (just) do with being back in the office. Rather, it has to do with the day of the week’s planetary cosmic ruler. That’s right, each day is affiliated with a planet, and Monday is moon day. “There’s that identity of ‘oops, I got a case of the Mondays,’” says Kott. “It’s moody, it’s slow,…and we always tend to kind of affiliate that with the idea that it’s because it’s the first day after the weekend.” Turns out, we’re very wrong about that. Kott adds that the reason we feel this way is thanks to the energy of the moon, which is emotional, moody, intuitive, and shadowy. On Mondays, then, (or, rather, moon days), those properties that exist in your life are simply highlighted. Considering the full-strength full moon is correlated with raising some erratic behavior, it makes sense that moon day would be a small reflection of that. As a result of the moon’s malleable, erratic mood, Mondays can be a tough time to jump into a big project. Everyone is getting pushed around by these emotional waters, and there are simply other distracting topics on our
Just a quarter of 2019 remains—and this week’s equinox and new moon are a double-whammy reminder
September 22, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC Monday, September 23, marks the autumnal equinox of 2019 as the sun moves from Virgo into Libra. What can you expect to experience as a result of this quadruplicity shift from mutable earth to cardinal air? First consider that Libra, the scales sign driven toward justice and fairness, popularly represents balance. At its core, though, the sign focuses on the ability to understand oneself by relating to others, so it invites us to interact harmoniously with the world and more peacefully with ourselves. Libra season also facilitates symmetry. It brings opposites together, as evidenced by day and night coming into perfect balance with one another via the equinox, and it splits the difference between the solstices, meaning the light of the sun in the north continues to wane toward the darkest day of the year—the winter solstice—happening three months from now. With three-fourths of 2019 now complete, you’d be wise to use this sacred, holy time of symmetry to reflect on how the year has gone for you to this point, and consider what you plan to do with the time that remains. Now is also the harvest time in the northern hemisphere, both literally in terms of abundant, local food, and metaphorically, as the harvest of our own lives, too. Consider what you are personally cultivating, tending to, and shedding. The sun’s balanced entrance into Libra combined with the moon’s waning light provides the ideal opportunity to surrender what you no longer
Yale’s happiness expert says embracing ‘time affluence’ can maximize vacation happiness
September 22, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Radical suggestion for your next vacation: Toss your travel itinerary, delete your friend’s email full of suggestions, and unfollow that “All Who Wander Are Not Lost” Pinterest board. Why? According to psychologist Laurie Santos, PhD, striving for max idle time, which she calls time affluence, is the key to really, truly enjoying your time away. And she would know; the Yale Professor teaches the happiness-maximizing course “Psychology and the Good Life” and hosts the newly launched podcast The Happiness Lab. But uh, wait: What is time affluence, anyway? It’s basically as it sounds: deriving value and joy from an abundance of unscheduled idle time. And, better yet, this idle time is noted to bring about great joy. In fact, studies consistently demonstrate that not only do we value time over money, but being able to have that empty, mindful time can being hugely beneficial to your psychological well being. And for all you naysayers quick to point out that this sounds equal parts nice and impossible given long days and social-obligation-laden weekends, I do hear you. Like financial affluence, there’s a level of privilege tied to achieving this sacred free time on a regular basis. But, when we’re talking about vacation, what’s your excuse? Though you may have trouble abiding by your own OOO message, you ostensibly do have more control over how you’re spending your time and mental energy when you’re away. The best way to start? Turn off your push notifications, and consider
I have $500 of foundation, but this $8 drugstore product is the only one I use every day
September 21, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC My makeup collection is so vast that I’m sometimes embarrassed to show it to people. Any time someone comes into my bedroom, it’s the first thing they comment on, and I feel like I have to warn the guys I’m dating about it before they come over. There are dozens of eyeshadows, at least 70 lipstick shades, and 17 different iterations of highlighter. There are also 14 foundations, all of which retail for upwards $30 a pop, and all of which I have recently given up in favor of an $8 drugstore buy. L’Oréal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream—which was first introduced to me by my mom, who had traded in all of her ex-expensive foundation in its favor—is officially the only thing I want to put on my face. It’s a BB cream (which, for the uninitiated, stands for “beauty balm”), and unlike a traditional foundation does a number of different things for skin. It comes out of the tube as a white lotion with pigmented beads, and when you apply it—which I like to do directly my fingers—they burst open to distribute a sheer tint across your skin. I can’t explain it, but whatever shade it turns into post-application always matches my skin tone exactly, and leaves me looking dewy and natural. It basically looks like my skin, but slightly better. It’s sorcery, I swear. “A BB Cream is an amazing option for anyone who has limited time but needs coverage,
Can a -210 degree cryotherapy sesh really help muscle soreness? I tried it to find out
September 20, 2019 at 10:05PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz_ptpHKA2A] Is cryotherapy weird or worth it? Watch the video to find out. Nary a day passes on my Instagram feed without an influencer or celebrity singing the praises the of cryotherapy. The buzzy wellness practice involves stepping inside a cryotank (which really, really looks like a rocket) and being blasted with dry nitrogen mist ranging from a brisk -166 degrees to a downright frigid -220 degrees Fahrenheit. But is it weird or worth it? Well+Good video producer Ella Dove sets out to answer that question on the most recent episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series What the Wellness. If you’re sitting there thinking that you wouldn’t try such a thing unless hell (literally) froze over, then you need to hear the benefits. Josh Kantor, DC, founder of Chill Space in New York City, tells Dove that the tanks cause your body to undergo a cold stress response that has been found to to reduce inflammation and pain, while increasing the output of feel-good endorphins. “Cryotherapy is the modern day solution to the ice bath,” says Dr. Kantor. “Athletes use it to do double training sessions in a day.” Oh, and all this happens in just three minutes. Throughout the course of one session, Dr. Kantor says your skin temperature can drop about 30 degrees. Meanwhile, the inside of your body remains the same temperature. By then end, Dove’s legs dropped down to 53 degrees (53 degrees!!!) Fahrenheit. But did she like it? Watch