September 18, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC I don’t have many talents, but sleep is definitely one of them. On any sleepover I’ve ever had, my friends have marveled at my ability to fall asleep immediately when I hit the pillow, and the fact that I almost always sleep solidly through the night strikes them as extremely unfair (since most of them count themselves among the 60 percent of Americans who could use a helping hand for how to improve sleep). But recently, after two particularly restless nights in a row, I started to worry I was losing my gift. In an effort to preserve it, I asked Christopher Winter, MD—a neurologist specializing in sleep and the author of The Sleep Solution—for his input on ways to support better sleep. The good news: He totally believes in the ability to improve and maintain sleep quality (thank goodness), and thinks many people underestimate the importance of that effort. “Many still look at it as a static trait and not a modifiable variable,” Dr. Winter explains. “’I’ve never been a good sleeper’ is not the same as, ‘I’ve never been a tall person.’ You can improve your sleep!” Several of his tips focused on the air in my sleep environment (i.e. keeping it cool and smelling fresh), but the tool I wasn’t expecting to ever link to sleep? An air purifier. I know colder is better at night, but I figured switching on my ancient window AC unit before bed would do
Category: City
The meaning of gratitude is expansive—but here are 4 things it definitely is not
September 18, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Gratitude isn’t necessarily displaying a throw pillow that reads “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” It’s not always that knee-jerk “thanks” you give your barista (who you probably don’t tip). And it’s usually not an Instagram post thanking your partner for always being your best friend and rock, and then checking back every minute for the next hour as the likes roll in. Rather, while the meaning of gratitude is indeed expansive, in practice, it’s a more active—emphatic, even—expression of appreciation for what you have without any expectation attached. Beyond appreciating materials we have, the meaning of gratitude includes reflecting positive energy regarding the kindness we receive, says clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, PhD. And sure, that makes a lot of sense, but gratitude remains broad and difficult to define using concrete terms. To set a few parameters, find research-backed evidence below about what gratitude definitely is not. 1. Gratitude doesn’t mean you must always be happy One recent study published in Current Psychology showed that a gratitude practice can help lower symptoms of depression, and another study in the Journal of Research and Personality notes it can help alleviate stress. That’s great and theoretically facilities increased happiness, but while gratitude can absolutely help you cope when you’re down, be sure not to confuse it as toxic positivity. Because the “count your blessing” argument has merit, but the human experience is relative. Gratitude is not an antidote for pain or
‘Mandala’ yoga deletes all your negative thoughts—these are the 5 best flows on YouTube
September 17, 2019 at 10:37PM by CWC Yoga is near and dear to my heart. It’s the one hour of my day when I can tell my brain to be quiet and actually get it to listen to me. When you’re flowing on your mat, tuning the teacher out for even a second can land you in dancer’s pose instead of downward dog. You have to be hyperaware—especially if the instructor decides to teach a mandala sequence. Last night at a yoga studio in New York City, my instructor kicked off an hourlong vinyasa by explaining that the class would be taught in the mandala style. A mandala is an ornately designed orb with spiritual connotations in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In the style of yoga that borrows from the shape, your body replicates the circular pattern. Meaning, you basically end up revolving around and around your mat. With the right teacher guiding your, mandala sequencing can be fun, dizzying, and exhilarating. Best of all though, it requires so much physical focus that your brain basically wipes all of its current data. (It’s possible! I promise!) Within minutes, you’ll forget about that nail-biting project at work, the fact that you really need to do your laundry, and anything else weighing on your mind. You get swept up in a meditative dance and emerge on the other end like, “What’s a to-do list?” Clear your mind right this minute with 5 mandala yoga flows [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_6eoHDEy4] 1. Do-it-all 40-minute strength mandala flow
The 8 best ‘Friends’ moments that double as legitimately helpful wellness tips
September 17, 2019 at 09:22PM by CWC In the 25 years since the September 22, 1994, premiere of Friends on NBC, the sitcom has not only proved to have incredible staying power in pop culture via its characters, its cult-beloved haircuts, and its syndication. Often cited as one of the most-viewed shows on Netflix (though its days available on the platform are numbered), people can’t stop watching over and over and over again. There are surely many reasons for this, including that some of the best Friends moments double as healthy-living tips we can all stand to bookmark. No one’s arguing that many plot lines from those late-’90s/early-aughts episodes don’t hold up in today’s more socially conscious world. (For one example, consider the highly insensitive Fat Monica back-story. Yikes.) And the series couldn’t have been more homogenous from every angle if it tried. If there were ever a reboot, rallying for more authenticity and diversity would be the top priority. But to be clear, celebrating the series doesn’t mean ignoring its pain points—it means acknowledging them, and demanding more of entertainment sources moving forward. It also means appreciating the additions the six Friends have added to our cultural lexicon. So, without further ado, turn on that Rembrandts bop (in your head, where it will no doubt continue playing involuntarily for the next stretch of time) and check out the best Friends moments that double as serious wellness tips. 1. Say it with me: coffee Other than their apartments, the Friends
The easiest habit to adopt to improve your worst days doesn’t even require speaking
September 17, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Right now, my life is amid a phase of change—and I’m personally predisposed to hate change. But, waaah waaah waaah, because even if I’m having a bad day, it’s still a day I still have to get through. One way I’ve been trying to make my awful days decidedly more bearable? Being more generous with my internal compliments to others as a means for boosting my own mood. The idea, which came courtesy of a co-worker who swears by it, is to compliment strangers you encounter on your walk to work, ahead of you in the checkout line at the grocery store, in the locker room with you after yoga—really anywhere. Since the compliment is in your head, you can challenge yourself to find something nice to say about every person who passes you without seeming disingenuous by actually vocalizing these rapid-fire kernels of kindness. Think of it as a cousin to a gratitude practice, one that allows you to acknowledge that there’s so much beauty in the world even when you’re having a bad day. And, better yet, there are two big psychologist-backed reasons to support this being a great idea: distraction and redirection. “First, you’re focusing your mind away from your problems and on to something that’s good,” says psychologist Aimee Daramus, PsyD. “You’re noticing what’s good about the people around you. You’re also likely to get some positive energy back, just because your thoughts can change your posture, tone of
It’s your socks, not your shoes, causing that colony of blisters on your feet
September 16, 2019 at 10:37PM by CWC I’m smack-dab in the middle of training for the New York City Marathon—and FYI (perhaps TMI?), my foot hygiene situation is not good. Heading out for 15-milers might be the exact opposite of getting a pedicure, and none of my scrubbing has yielded any aesthetic results. I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that my feet will look decidedly not cute for the next couple of months, but I refuse (refuse!) to accept the blisters. Little did I know that my socks might be what causes blisters. Through the fitness grapevine, I heard that working out in cotton socks is a very bad idea if you’re hoping to keep your feet blister-free. Doug Tumen, DPM, FACFAS, a board-certified podiatrist based in New York’s Hudson Valley confirms as much. “Cotton socks can be a primary cause of blisters because of how they handle the moisture,” he tells me. “Although the cotton can absorb moisture, it leaves it in close contact with the foot making the foot more vulnerable to blister development.” Even more of a problem arises when cotton socks are too small for you, adds Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder of Gotham Footcare. When your socks get wet, they’ll rub against your skin barrier and create even more friction. (So, yeah, that pair of Hello Kitty one you still have from middle school need to be tossed—like, yesterday.) Now that we’ve covered why cotton socks basically suck, the podiatrists have a few ideas
We tried 21 days of at-home workouts—here’s how it changed our outlook on fitness
September 16, 2019 at 02:59PM by CWC At-home workouts are pretty ideal for people with busy schedules (so, pretty much every human). You roll out of bed, throw on your activewear, and get straight to sweating. The problem? Finding the motivation to actually power through at your maximum potential. It’s easy to slack off when it’s just you looking down at your sneakers, willing yourself to bust out one more rep, versus having a professional trainer cheering you on IRL. Enter LES MILLS On Demand—the all-in-one fitness platform that features over 800 workouts from HIIT to yoga to dance—that’s essentially an entire boutique fitness studio in your phone. Our editors’ question: Would the at-home format really be as motivational as the studio classes they’re used to? To find out, two editors signed up for the Back To You 21-day challenge, which was created to help people “bring the focus back to their own health after the summer break,” explains Dr. Jinger Gottschall, a former triathlete who works with the head of research at Les Mills to test exercise programming. Because lets be honest, packing your sneakers on vacation takes up valuable real estate in your carryon. Les Mills proposed two workout plans for the challenge: Level 1.0 (for the wellness curious, designed to ease your body back into exercise with fun, short workouts) and Level 2.0 (for wellness fanatics who are ready for an amped-up challenge). Since no workout is complete without the right outfit (duh), our editors sported the
Want to get into investing? Here’s your beginner-friendly guide to deciding which route is best for you
September 16, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Meet Wellness Collective, our immersive curriculum with Athleta that hooks you up with actionable advice from the smartest experts and brand founders in wellness right now. Get the goods at our monthly event series in New York City plus our online one-month wellness plans. Here, Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, shares her insight on how to go deeper with your investing know-how. Real talk: Unless you have a degree in finance, listening to someone rattle off investment terms can sound like a foreign language. And a lot of you agree—when we asked you to share your most pressing investing questions, the response was overwhelmingly “can someone please translate for a beginner?” To break it down for you, we asked Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, to explain why women still feel a barrier to investing—and how to combat that. “Ellevest’s mission is, to put it simply, to get more money in the hands of more women,” explains Krawcheck. “The entire investing industry was built by men, for men. In fact, 86 percent of financial advisors are men. Is it any surprise that all this wasn’t working for women?” Nope. That’s why Krawcheck built a platform “that takes our real lives into account—things like the fact that women get paid less, on average. And that they take more career breaks in order to care for children or other family members. And on average, women tend to invest less of their money than men do.” Not down with those
To all those seeking balance (aka everyone): Cosmically, this is your time
September 16, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC With the harvest full moon behind us and the moon now in its waning phase, we approach the denouement of Virgo season. This week, the sun moves from 22 degrees of Virgo to 29 degrees (each sign only contains 30 degrees total). So, essentially we wrap up our experience with the sun in Virgo—and, consequently, summer as well. With the sun moving into Libra on September 23 and the autumnal equinox right around the corner, the cosmos invites you to enjoy this mutable moment of adjustment. As the sun wanes back to balance this week, we find ourselves briefly in a moment of perfect equilibrium—with even parts of day and light. As the sun wanes back to balance this week, we find ourselves briefly in a moment of perfect equilibrium—with even parts of day and light. Venus, the planet of love, and Mercury, the planet of communication, already made the journey into the sign of balance. Having left Virgo on Saturday, September 14, both planets find their way through Libra now. Venus, the ruler of this judicious, value-driven sign—which works tirelessly to preserve beauty and harmony—does just fine in this domain of the zodiac. Mercury, now in its triplicity, does well here too. So, we can expect high-minded thinking, and echoes of balance to permeate the week. While traveling in the early degrees of Libra, both Venus and Mercury will oppose Chiron in Aries. This cosmic event will help to illuminate healing messages
Dentists actually *don’t* want you to brush your teeth after eating these foods
September 15, 2019 at 12:02AM by CWC Today in things you didn’t know you were doing wrong but are: brushing your teeth. I didn’t expect to get into a debate about teeth brushing habits well, ever, but here we are don’t @ me. Apparently there are people who brush their teeth after eating breakfast, instead of first thing in the morning like a normal person. This is apparently the hill I have chosen to die on today. But, there is some wisdom to brushing before you eat. When you brush your teeth after eating certain foods, it can wear away your enamel more quickly than if you had just brushed when you woke up. (Again, like a normal person.) Dr. Brian Kantor, cosmetic dentist of Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor in New York City, says that brushing your teeth right after eating anything acidic or high in sugar is bad for your enamel. “Foods with low pH levels—acidic foods like citrus fruits and juices—are especially bad,” he says. “We should also be wary of sugary foods that can stick to your teeth and remain in your mouth even after brushing, such as sucking candies, can do a lot of damage over a short period of time.” These foods soften your tooth enamel, so when you brush right after eating them it can wear it down. “Rinsing with water after you eat or drink anything acidic is a great way to remove food particles and harmful acidic materials from your mouth.” To