February 04, 2019 at 12:21PM by CWC For plenty of people, going to the gym is a place to escape the stressors of everyday life. But for others—those who are among the 15 million adults living with social anxiety disorder—going to a public place to exercise is actually stressful. When you’re dealing with social anxiety, simply being around other people can lead to anxiety, which means that a fitness class or crowded gym can become a space where the endorphins from a solid sweat sesh are outpaced by worry. “Social anxiety is comparing yourself to everyone else—you become overly concerned with what other people are thinking,” says Lani Lawrence, Psy.D, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) representative and clinical and sports psychologist. “With athletes facing it, anxiety and other things may inhibit their performance—there are times when they have a hard time competing in front of others, so it’s definitely something to deal with in terms of performance.” But if you’re not, say, running a sprint in front of a stadium audience, you can still face the same level of anxiety that prevents you from performing the way you’d like. “This involves a lot of over-thinking, worrying, and negative thoughts and self-talk,” explains Lawrence on how social anxiety can affect you at the gym. And it’s not just mental—the anxiety impacts your physical self, too. “Physically, you might have an elevated heart rate, tension in your muscles, excessive sweating, and uncontrollable breath,” she says. “Physically, it feels awful and like you’re
Category: City
Of course Adam Levine’s nipple reveal wasn’t shocking—that’s precisely the issue
February 04, 2019 at 11:11AM by CWC Nipples have dominated the conversation for the past 24 hours. Specifically, Adam Levine’s nipples, which were on full display Sunday during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIII. In a moment so brief you’d have missed it if you blinked or got up to get more queso (just me?), the Maroon 5 frontman unceremoniously removed his tank top. And before the garment hit the stage, viewers flooded Twitter with comparisons to another famously nipply halftime show. Fifteen years ago, Justin Timberlake tore back the leather bustier worn by Janet Jackson (Miss Jackson, if you’re nasty) accidentally on purpose to reveal her pasty-covered breast. Following the “wardrobe malfunction” seen ’round the world, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined CBS over $500,000 by for airing “Nipplegate,” and Jackson’s career took a beating. “Poor Adam he showed his nips at the Super Bowl so now his career will be ruined like Janet’s. OH WAIT Never mind!!!!” tweeted author Glennon Doyle on Sunday; “Super Bowl halftime nipple rules feel inconsistent,” added ESPN+ host Katie Nolan. I joined the fray myself. Responding to Mashable’s headline, “Adam Levine showed his nipples during the Super Bowl halftime show and didn’t get in trouble at all,” I tweeted, “Didn’t you hear? Male-presenting nipples are A-OK.” In response, a barrage of tweets laid bare the real issue, and how it is rooted much deeper than Janet versus Adam. “Feel free to show us your tits Abbey. If not, stfu,” a delightful troll told
Say hello to the new retinols that even work on sensitive skin
February 04, 2019 at 10:04AM by CWC We’re happy to report that retinol just got a promotion. The long-beloved ingredient, known for stimulating collagen production and increasing cell turnover still has those skin-care benefiting skills on lock, but nowadays, it’s stable enough to play nice with other ingredients. In its last performance review, we let retinol know that despite the glow-up that happens courtesy of speedy cell turnover and enhanced collagen synthesis, the negative side effects kept us from using it 365. And after some soul-searching, it got the message. So without further adieu, please meet the new-and-improved class of retinol, which we’ll call retinol-plus. It’s just what it sounds like: retinol, plus other skin-care ingredients that make it work hard, perform better, and keep irritation at bay. “To be able to use a retinol correctly, you’ve gotta use it every day. And most people can’t use a retinol because of the inflammatory properties, so by getting that combination product you’re decreasing the inflammation, so you’re increasing the amount you can tolerate it every day,” says Virginia-based dermatologist Lily Talakoub, MD. Even if you’ve never dipped your toes into the wonderful world of retinols before, here are four “retinol plus“ formulations—as in, retinol plus something else skin-satisfying—that will have you ready to dive right in. Photo: Peter Thomas Roth Retinol + cannabis sativa seed oil: Because retinol can be irritating (hence why it can potentially leave you with a dry, red rash), the antioxidants in cannabis sativa seed oil help to calm things down when
Affordable winter vacations exist—here are 9 great escapes
February 01, 2019 at 11:12AM by CWC We’ve reached that part of winter where it’s no longer magical or festive—it’s just cold, a little miserable, and overall pretty meh feeling. There’s, therefore, no better time to escape the gloomy routine of your day-to-day life by taking an affordable winter vacation that doesn’t totally undo your 2019 financial goals or blow your budget. How should you plan a budget-friendly getaway and where should you go? For women always on the go like Ally Betker, editorial director of Away, the millennial travel brand known for its covetable hard-case luggage, it starts with getting “great recommendations through friends and people I follow on my Instagram feed” in addition to finding inspiration from people local to places you might find yourself visiting. Then Betker says that she usually tries “figuring out a few places that I know I want to visit, and then I’ll set up flight alerts on Hopper to keep an eye on prices.” Betker also recommends having an account on Scott’s Cheap Flights and checking in regularly to find amazing last-minute deals. Once you have your flight locked into place, “Airbnb is great for finding the perfect place to stay at nearly any budget. Try staying a bit further outside the main city to find even cheaper places—you’ll likely find a few places to eat or see that might be off the beaten path, too,” she tells me. And to get around the Polar Vortex grounding your flight or dealing with
Grab your S.O. and book a flight to one of these top winter vacation spots for couples, asap
January 31, 2019 at 04:27AM by CWC The impending polar vortex is a sign that yes, we are in the thick of winter (also, global warming). Something else it means is that this might be the best time of the season to plan an escape from the malaise and cold weather. At this time of the year (cuffing season, I believe they call it), if you’re looking to get away with your significant other, you’re likely either looking at completely escaping the frigid cold for somewhere warm or tropical or you’re looking to go somewhere where the winter time seems magical and picturesque rather than depressing. In the spirit of last-ditch efforts at winter travels, these are some of the best locales, hotels, and resorts—both in the U.S. and abroad—for a getaway with your boo. These are places that are consistently ranked highly by TripAdvisor reviewers for their couple-friendly atmosphere. We’ve narrowed it down to only the ones that are oases for escape, even this time of the year. Below, find 9 destinations that boast the best winter vacations for couples. Photo: TripAdvisor 1. Key West, Florida Key West is a great place for a winter getaway since the temperature (even in January and February) tends to sit around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. According to TripAdvisor, the highest rated couples resort in the country is here: H2O Suites. Besides being adults only, half of the rooms have their own private plunge pools—there’s also a communal rooftop pool. Plus, the resort is just a
I’m here to shed some light on why so many fitness classes happen in the dark
January 31, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC If there’s one aspect of working out that I dislike (well, two if you count sprinting on an incline), it’s people seeing me. When I’m in workout mode, my face is red like a ripe tomato, I’m nonstop dripping with sweat from every pore of my body, and my flaw-covering makeup has without-a-doubt melted right off. So I’m not looking my best, even though I may feel amazing. That’s precisely why I’m partial to working out in the dark. It’s not a novel concept—if you think about it: so many boutique fitness studios set their workouts in dark rooms. There’s candlelit yoga, dark spinning classes, boxing in the dark, and even dimly-lit boot camps. While that may come with the concern that you’ll whack your head with weights or punch a person instead of a bag, don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be pitch black in order to reap the benefits of working out in the dark. (And let’s be honest, for safety’s sake, it never is.) “A major benefit of practicing [yoga] in the dark is removing the element of comparison or competition,” says Amy Apgar, yoga instructor and teaching manager at Y7 studio. “The candlelit room encourages you to focus on what your own individual practice feels like rather than what it looks like, or what anyone else in the room is doing.” So in the world of yoga, darkness helps to turn your focus inward, which enhances yoga’s inherent goal of
5 self-development books our Well+Good Council swears by for personal growth
January 28, 2019 at 11:07AM by CWC Taking care of your physical wellbeing, at times, feels easier than taking care of your emotional and psychological health. Measuring if you’re getting enough protein and nutrients on the regular or if your mile time is going down are quantifiable—whereas, say, figuring out if you’re becoming more comfortable in your own skin is not as simple to measure. (Add to it the fact that soul searching is so subjective, and it can be hard to start doing inner work at all.) If you’re looking for a tool to help you gauge personal growth, however, a self-development book is a good place to start. To say a great book has the power to change your life isn’t an exaggeration. This can be doubly true for self-development books, which are literally written with the improvement of your inner person in mind. These reads can help you decipher and understand where you are on whatever inward journey you’re undertaking. Here’s the catch, though. If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet or the self-help section of your local bookstore, you likely already know there are way too many options to sift through let alone read. To make it easier to narrow down the list, these are books that five of the health experts and luminaries on our Well+Good Council reference as beacons of wisdom and guidance on their own paths to self-actualization. Photo: Amazon 1. The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi “A great
Here Are 6 Clear Signs You Actually Love Someone, According To Science
January 27, 2019 at 05:00AM And what to do next. Continue Reading… You’ve probably heard that “love works in mysterious ways”—so, uh, how exactly are you supposed to wade through all that mystery and know if it’s real or not? Social media, movies, and pop culture, in general, will have you believe that love is meant to feel like fireworks and butterflies. You’re supposed to hear music and “see the light.” So, what if you don’t? Does that mean it’s not true love? The short answer is no. Falling in love can mean many different things and it’s felt in many different ways—and that love can evolve over time. Nearly everyone in long-term relationships has doubt and questions at some point. “We don’t stay in that high place all the time,” Linda Carroll, M.S., a licensed marriage and family therapist and life coach, told mbg. “Some days are cloudy, some are stormy, some are gray, and sometimes the sun shines. Relationships are seasonal and cyclical.” But you can rest easy knowing that there are actually a few key signs that will help you figure out if what you’re experiencing is real love or not, even if things aren’t always “perfect”: 1. You feel no pain. You’ve probably heard stories of mothers who instantaneously gain incredible strength to save their children from impending dangers. It turns out there’s science behind the connection between being in love and feeling no pain. One study showed that simply viewing a photograph of your romantic
If you’re looking to get in bed with more eco-friendly brands, here are 15 to start
January 26, 2019 at 06:31AM by CWC When Queen Elizabeth decided to give Buckingham Palac a plastic detox almost exactly one year ago, I realized it might be time for me to get truly serious about doing the same. In the 12 months since, I’ve been working hard to eradicate plastic from my apartment, use only the cleanest of cleaning products so as to avoid releasing ever-more toxins into the air, and take other such measures to protect myself and the environment. As I audited my sustainable-home situation, however, I realized I’m still spending eight hours a night in cheap cotton sheets manufactured with more chemicals than conscience. (Cotton is one of the world’s dirtiest crops!) To remedy the situation, I performed a deep dive into the best in eco-friendly bedding and found some truly innovative companies working hard to create cozy sheets, comforters, and more so that conscientious consumers can sleep soundly. Below are 15 brands to keep in mind when shopping for sustainable, eco-friendly bedding and linens. 1. Alterra Pure Alterra Pure’s bedding is made from organic percale grown on renewable cotton farms that rely on rainwater, not irrigation. All water used in production is recycled, and the finishing solutions used are sustainable. 2. Anna Sova Anna Sova is an ecologically-conscious home goods brand that produces sheets made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. The company also produces silk bedding made via a 2,000-year-old process that replaces the typical use of formaldehyde and silicone with au natural Indian nut soap. 3.
A bottle of this drugstore serum sells every minute, so I tried it to see if it’s worth the hype
January 25, 2019 at 12:48PM by CWC If I had to pick a “favorite skin-care ingredient” (beauty nerd alert!) it would be hyaluronic acid. The moisture-binding agent may not be as trendy as vitamin C or be able to settle the qualms of quite as many skin woes as the ever-sexy retinol, but as someone with dry skin, it keeps water in my complexion on the driest days. Its most significant claim to fame is that it can hold a thousand times its weight in water, which makes it a major hero for instilling life into dehydrated skin. “Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning that it draws moisture into the skin,” says Austin dermatologist Ted Lain, MD. “It is an important ingredient, since this time of year the dry air tends to dehydrate the skin. Having a humectant helps to combat the actions of the winter climate.” Long story short: It’s amazing, and I am completely into it. That’s exactly why I had to get my hands on the best-selling, mass-market serum L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum ($24), a bottle of which sells every. single. minute. in the United States. After testing it out, I can see why. The jelly texture is super slick—almost like a primer—and it goes on seamlessly. It isn’t greasy, but it is a little bit sticky post-application, so I like to apply a layer of moisturizer on top to really seal it in. After using it, my skin felt hydrated, smooth, and slightly plumper