October 04, 2019 at 04:23PM by CWC My mom has been trying to convince me of how great I look in a white button-down shirt since I was 12. In fact, she sent me to the first day of seventh grade wearing one, which turned out to be a disaster because by 11 a.m. I had sweat straight through it. And let me tell you: Accessorizing my “great” look with pit stains was not exactly the first impression I was trying to make on my new classmates. Thanks to a low-level case of hyperhidrosis (or I as I like to call it, “my annoying armpit sweating problem), the same issue has plagued me for the better part of the last two decades. As much as I love the look of a crisp white shirt—they go with everything! They make you look like a real, put-together adult!—I’ve never met one that I didn’t immediately soak through… until I met The Époque Évolution White Shirt ($148). Photo: époque évolution The fabric isn’t technically “sweat-proof,” but there are a few different elements that make it able to stand up to my body’s moisture production. For starters, it’s got the perfect oversized fit, so that it doesn’t hug my armpits the way so many other shirts have over the years (which, for the lucky uninitiated, is the kiss of death when it comes to dealing with pit stains). It’s also light and breathable, so it doesn’t make my skin feel claustrophobic on even the
Category: Fashion
Weight distribution is the key to workout longevity—here’s how to test yours right now
October 03, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC When I walk through the doors of my neighborhood gym, I’m usually too focused on my impending workout to care much about what’s going to happen in an hour, much less in a decades. The truth is though, every movement sweat-lovers do right now improves the longevity of our bodies. Jason Pak, trainer and founder of Achieve Fitness in Boston, says that paying attention to weight distribution in particular is the key to keeping your body safe and functional well into the distant future. “You can get away with inefficiencies with [improper balance] in the short term, but in the long term if you’re looking for optimal health, strength, and longevity, you’d be really well off if you were mindful of your weight distribution during all exercises,” writes the coach in a recent Instagram caption. Why? Proper weight distribution forces your center of mass to land smack-dab in the middle of your stance, ensuring that you don’t place too much weight on any one body part. View this post on Instagram IS YOUR SQUAT BALANCED?! – What’s up, Achievers?! @jasonlpak here with a quick post talking about squats. So, one thing we’re always looking at when we coach our members is not just their form and alignment, but their overall balance when executing an exercise. You can have a “neutral” spine, hit below parallel, put a lot of weight on your back, and still not be as efficient as you could
Reformation and New Balance just teamed up to drop sustainable sneaks that couldn’t be cuter
October 03, 2019 at 03:21PM by CWC I am notoriously bad at emails. At the time I am writing this, there are upwards of 38,000 emails in my inbox, and I have no doubt that is giving many of you anxiety….sorry. Obviously in this sea of newsletters, work deadlines, and chains I’ve been on since the better part of 2009, it’s hard for a message to stand out, but New Balance managed to do just that. The sneaker behemoth just announced that they’d be partnering with Reformation on a line of sustainable sneaks. This gets me going for two big reasons: The first is that I live to know things, well, first, and the second is that I can’t get enough dad sneakers in my life. Nothing makes me want to use ten exclamation points in a row more than the fact that these two things came in one glorious package. The collection, which contains three sneaker styles in five exclusive color ways, is New Balance’s first sustainability-led collab and Reformation’s first foray into sneakers (the brand launched a sustainable footwear line earlier this year). The sneakers are made from chrome-free suede, and the tannery they tapped uses a chrome-free tanning method (chrome can become carcinogenic when not handled properly). The tannery also has a Leather Working Group gold status, the highest level for environmental compliance a sustainable practices in the leather industry. The linings, laces, and labels of the sneakers are made from post-consumer recycled polyester, and the shoe inserts
Anxious Or Achy? Try This Mindful Break Today At Work (At Your Desk!)
October 01, 2019 at 12:03PM Although we believe that mindfulness is an essential factor in optimizing our wellbeing, we realize that sometimes it can be difficult to find the time to enter a meditative headspace, especially during a busy work day. That’s why we love Breathe Empower Achieve: 5-Minute Mindfulness For Women Who Do It All by Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW, as it offers actionable tips to practice meditation wherever you are–from the desk, to the gym, to the supermarket, the list goes on. Here, Moralis offers a 5-minute meditation for those of us who want to add a little mindfulness in the workplace. By reconnecting with our bodies, we can not only release physical tension but also calm our minds and bring us back to the present. This little 5-minute mindfulness session could have long-lasting effects for your nine-to-five. Each of us has a signature pattern of holding stress in the body—there are certain muscles we tighten and common areas of tension. For some, anxiety manifests as fierce pressure, as if the head were stuck a constricting vise; others bemoan a constant, aching discomfort in their neck and shoulders; while some suffer from stomach ailments that send them sprinting for the nearest restroom when worries abound. While we may be highly attuned to a few of our signature stress patterns, others may be more sporadic and inconspicuous, requiring some routine mindful sleuthing on our part. Soon after I began practicing mindfulness it became clear to me that the
5 yoga poses that banish bloat faster than you can say ‘namaste’
September 30, 2019 at 04:17PM by CWC Yoga class has reputation for relaxing you from head-to-toe. Not to be graphic, but your bowels are totally included in that. Amanda Sauceda, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian shared a post on Instagram of a five-pose, bloat-relieving flow that will “help you get pooping.” Beth Cooke, a New York City yoga instructor, previously told Well+Good the reason why a simple vinyasa flow can get your gastric juices flowing. “Because you’re moving around—maybe you’re twisting or maybe you’re folding—you’re pressing on your intestines, the air that’s already in there has to go someplace so it’s natural, and it happens, and I just pretend that I don’t hear it and I keep it moving.” Personally, I’ve felt these effects first-hand. Letting one rip in downward is practically a yogi’s right of passage. But if you happen to need to bid farewell to bloat—and fast—roll out your mat and try Sauceda’s moves on for size. 5 yoga poses for constipation View this post on Instagram Constipation yoga flow ⠀ ⠀ All of these poses are designed to help you relax and get your bowels moving.⠀ ⠀ Here’s the order I like to use for these moves..⠀ ⠀ 1. Downward-Facing Dog⠀ 2. Cat-Cow⠀ 3. Wide-Knee Childs Pose⠀ 4. Seated Twist⠀ 5. Wind-Relieving Pose⠀ ⠀ Honestly, you can mix and match these moves in any way that feels good to your body.⠀ ⠀ This gut friendly yoga flow can help you get pooping. Make sure to
This lower-body stretching series is the perfect warm-up for runners
September 30, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObddmVyXD4] Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, our brand-new fitness series, where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, Nike Master Trainer and run coach Traci Copeland is taking us through a running workout warm-up routine. When it comes to running workouts, it can be tempting to just get up and go—especially when it’s 55-degrees, sunny outside, and all you want to do is pound some pavement while the latest Lizzo blasts in your AirPods. But as Nike Master Trainer and run coach (and all around motivating human being) Traci Copeland shows us in this week’s Trainer of the Month Club and United States of Running workout, your running warmup is actually just as important—if not more!—as the miles you’re logging. In addition to being one of the best forms of cardio you can do, running is also a pretty intense workout for your lower body, which is why it’s important to get your glutes, quads, and hamstrings prepped and ready before you hit the road. (BTW: Have you heard that we’re training for a 5K and a 10K race?) Loosening up ahead of time can not only help you go longer and faster, but it can also help you avoid some of that second-day soreness after a particularly grueling
Hold up: We’ve all been exfoliating our skin wrong this entire time
September 30, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Just as there are many ways to eat an avocado or do an oblique exercise, so too are there many ways to exfoliate your skin. As a beauty editor, I thought I’d heard them all (and knew exactly which ones not to try for myself), until Ada Polla, CEO of Swiss brand Alchimie Forever, brought an entirely new method to my attention: Scrubbing your skin with an oil-based exfoliant when it’s dry, instead of wet, will help you reap its maximum skin-softening benefits. Because oil and water don’t mix, using an oil-based exfoliant (like Alchemie Forever’s Gentle Refining Scrub, $45) on dry skin is the best way to ensure it’s working to its full potential. “Physical exfoliation to dry skin is very much an ‘old-style European’ way to exfoliate the skin versus the American way that incorporates a lot of water in all skin-care steps,” says Polla. “Part of the benefit comes from massaging the product into the skin in true European gommage fashion, which does not work on wet skin.” In case you’re reading this and wondering, “WTF is a gommage?!”, allow me to explain: The term gommage comes from the French word “to scrub,” and usually refers to products that utilize a combo of gentle physical and chemical exfoliants to remove dead skin cells from the surface. And while it may seem like the question of using them on dry versus wet skin should come down to preference, it actually comes down to
15 date night ideas for married couples to shake up the dinner-and-a-movie routine
September 28, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC I’ve always found it kind of odd that every fairy tale ever ends with “…and then they got married and lived happily ever after.” I mean, don’t get me wrong—the setup can be great, but it’s also forever, which means sometimes the vibe is bound to shift from elated and smiley to bored and complacent—especially when it comes to date night ideas for married couples. In real life, after the figurative honeymoon period (and literal honeymoon) ends, you’re less likely to find yourself swept off your feet than with your feet kicked up, marathon-watching vintage episodes of Friends. To be clear, I’m not suggesting marriage is a bummer, but it can definitely become routine. But all that a stale routine needs is some fresh inspiration. And the good news on that front is that relationship expert Susan Winter says injecting some novelty into date night ideas for married couples shouldn’t be a tall task. All it really requires is the reintroduction of a sense of adventure and an element of play. And maybe Yelp. Adventurous date night ideas An adrenaline rush can be good for you and doesn’t need to be limited to rewatching your favorite horror flick. Again. “The adventure date is designed to break away from routine,” Winter says. “It’s not just a Friday-night movie or Saturday-night Netflix and pizza; the adventure date shakes things up. It’s a chance for each partner to expand their personal limits and interests.” Pushing past
Experts want you prioritize having friends younger than you—here’s why
September 27, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC I hit adulthood long before the concept of body positivity was a widely held and authentic mainstream thing perpetuated by brands, models, and other voices of influence. I felt, largely as a byproduct of the world in which I was raised, I should despise my imperfections, including those related to my healthy and normal human body. So when a friend nine years my junior began showcasing her body all over Instagram in photos captioned with affirmations, I was baffled. Wait, I thought. She doesn’t hate herself? I looked for cracks in the facade but quickly realized she wasn’t faking it; she actually feels good in the skin she’s in. And when I clued her in on my internal struggle, she was shocked. Her stance is that no amount of negative self-talk will change the fact that your body is yours—so what’s the point in hating it? She’s totally on the money and has since inspired an epiphany in me to learn to love my body. This experience led me to change my stance regarding wide discrepancies in friend ages. I once worried about how connecting with someone who makes my pop-culture references feel like history class would reflect on me, but not anymore. The stigma, though, isn’t uncommon. Clinical counselor Karla Ivankovich, PhD, says it’s rooted in the experience of childhood. When we’re younger, she says, maturity levels tend to differ vastly between children of various ages, even when those ages aren’t so
How to get rid of acne when you have sensitive skin and everything is irritating
September 27, 2019 at 03:10PM by CWC As if dealing with acne on its own wasn’t frustrating enough, handling acne and sensitive skin at the same time is a double-whammy that will have you asking: “Why me, universe?” Since most zit treatments work by aggressively attacking the dirt and excess sebum deep within your pores, they can often leave skin—especially sensitive skin—irritated. That means that your pimples may technically be improving, but you’re suddenly left with a whole other set of problems you’ve got to deal with. “Those with sensitive skin may have a particularly hard time treating acne because many pimple products can be irritating for sensitive skin types,” confirms David Lortscher, MD, dermatologist and founder of Curology. “They contain ingredients that can be drying, irritating, or comedogenic, especially for sensitive skin.” So what the heck are you supposed to do? Instead of opting for the usual active ingredients in prescription retinoids—like tretinoin and tazarotene, which can irritate certain complexions, dermatologist, Hilary Baldwin, MD suggests reaching for a different form of retinoid (that you can get over the counter) called adapalene, such as La Roche Posay Adapalene Gel ($22) or good old-fashioned Differin ($9). This ingredient tends to be a bit kinder to sensitive skin, according to her. (Need to brush up on your retinoids? Check out our latest episode of Dear Derm.) [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-Uii3ZJD8] “All other things equal, [tazarotene and tretinoin] irritate the skin more than adapalene does,” she tells me. That’s usually A-OK for the skin types