February 27, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC It’s Sleep Week at Well+Good, which means we’re investigating what’s keeping everyone up at night, how fatigue is impacting our lives, and how we can clock some better shut-eye once and for all. Here, sleep expert and author of the forthcoming book The Woman’s Guide to Getting Over Insomnia, Shelby Harris, PsyD, shares her nighttime routine and how she puts all her intel into practice. I have an 8-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, so the first part of my evening is all about them. I work from home on Mondays and Fridays, while on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I get home around 5:30 p.m. My husband has a demanding work schedule, so sometimes he’ll get home around 6:30, while other nights he doesn’t getting home until after 11 p.m. Early in the night, I help my son with his homework, play with my daughter, and make dinner. We eat around 6 p.m., and then I’ll do the dishes and spend time playing with the kids. If my husband is home, he’ll help out, too. Sometimes I don’t finish the dishes, but I don’t stress about it. As a sleep doctor, one thing I’ve learned is that having enough time to relax in the evening is more important than finishing chores. Sleep is not an on-off switch. As a sleep doctor, one thing I’ve learned is that having enough time to relax in the evening is more important than finishing chores. —Shelby Harris, PsyD
Category: Relaxation
How to say “let’s *not* catch up” without being rude
February 26, 2019 at 11:42AM by CWC When a chance encounter with someone I barely know ends in the phrase “we should catch up,” my internal eye roll is a Liz Lemon-level “masterpiece.” I smile, of course, but on the inside I’m thinking: We’ve talked maybe twice, ever and Do you even know my last name? and I have approximately 1,500 self-care rituals the FONC-filled human within me would prioritize before hanging out with you. It’s harsh, I know: But according to life coach Mandy Morris, bestselling author of Love…It’s How I Manifest, learning to say “no” to invitations you’re not genuinely stoked about is one more way to set those “healthy boundaries” we’re all striving for. When I ask the coach for the best escape routes for those run-ins that end with the “Let’s…” line, she says there are a few options—all of which will keep you honest about how you want to fill in your free-time (without coming across as a huge jerk). First, if you’re speaking to someone you’ve yet to exchange personal information with, she says offering them your email—rather than your digits—is your best bet. “I usually say something like, ‘let me give you my email’ because normally, if someone really wants to see you and it is genuine, giving out an email instead of a phone number will make them more apt to think through the process of really reaching out,” she tells me. If they do indeed slide into your inbox, you’ll know that they’re really, really invested in making that
Shhh! Don’t tell anyone, but these recipes for Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi are super simple to make
February 26, 2019 at 08:20AM by CWC Is there a better pinch hitter than Trader Joe’s when you’re in a bind for dinner? Walking down the freezer section is pure easy meal heaven: There’s the cauliflower (and now broccoli and kale) pre-made pizza crusts, an insane amount of wholesome microwavable meals, and—maybe the most popular of them all—the beloved cauliflower gnocchi. While traditional gnocchi is made from potatoes, flour, and egg, these better-for-you morsels give you the same taste and texture the low-carb and vegan way, with only a few ingredients. In fact, cauliflower makes up 75 percent of the final product. But that standby cauli-gnocchi and red sauce dish can get old, fast. So the next time you stock up (by like, buying 20 bags at once…only me?), try one of these dishes for inspo. 1. Cauliflower gnocchi with pesto You can’t go wrong with plain old pesto on your gnocchi—and a sprinkle of vegan mozzarella on top. View this post on Instagram Today, I’m grateful to live in a world where frozen cauliflower gnocchi exists im including my instructions for cauliflower gnocchi here because it’s a common question I get. Anyway, this is my famous cream-cheese pesto over @traderjoes cauliflower gnocchi topped with @miyokoscreamery mozzarella! I hope you’re all having a fabulous Monday. BTW has anyone tried intermittent fasting? I’m thinking about trying it out to help with my digestion and wanted your thoughts! _______ Cauliflower gnocchi instructions: DO NOT FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ON BAG. Turns out mush. 1.
Yes, Nickelodeon, I’m a grown woman who is afraid of the dark and sleeps with the light on
February 26, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I think my nyctophobia turned my partner into Sandra Bullock in Bird Box. At least, that’s who he most reminded me of the other night when I saw him wearing the sleep mask he uses as a shield from the light I desperately need to stay on all night. Without it, my anxiety soars sky high and my heart pounds. All of this is because—to answer that famed Nickelodeon-prompted question—I am indeed afraid of the dark. Or, maybe I’m just afraid of Samara from The Ring. I don’t find it a coincidence that I started sleeping with the light on after watching the film in 2002, but many find it puzzling that my fright has extended so many years. I’ve found that being an adult and simultaneously having a fear of the dark prompts so many questions from the few people who know about it, and the tonal subtext is often, “Why—and why would you ever share that information?” I get the judgment. See, nyctophobia, as Healthline has taught me with a not-so-necessary air of condescension, tends to dissipate with age. However, my fear really isn’t that huge of an anomaly. One doc says an estimated 11 percent of the United States population is afraid of the dark, making it a more common phobia than a fear of heights. And unlike with heights, where the visual stimuli is responsible for the palpations, nyctophobia is more rooted in the anxiety of having impaired vision, invoking a feeling
“I’m a runner on Team USA. Here’s what I eat every single day”
February 25, 2019 at 05:02AM by CWC How exactly do you fuel for a 10-mile trail run, full-body strength training, and another workout in the afternoon? That’s a daily question for 26-year-old Team USA track and field athlete Colleen Quigley, who’s expected to compete at the 2020 Olympics. Quigley is just as passionate about healthy eating as she is about running. After studying dietetics at Florida State University, she launched her own site to share ways to eat healthy, and publishes a weekly newsletter full of yummy recipes. Quigley, who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, has spent recent weeks in full-on training mode with her teammates at Altitude Camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. And it’s paid off—on Saturday, Quigley won her first national title, beating out fellow Team USA track member Shalane Flanagan in the Women’s Mile at the USTAF Indoor Track Championships. View this post on Instagram Winning is fun, but winning in New York City is the best!! Had to borrow a line from my teammate and mentor @shalaneflanagan at the finish line because it was really a f*#% yeah moment for me last night winning my first US Title in my favorite city! If you want a big moment like this, you gotta work really hard then when the moment is right you have to take a risk and put yourself out there for all to see. I was the woman in the arena last night. I knew that even if I came short, at least I
How to keep FONC (fear of not chilling) from sparking a bad case of the Sunday Scaries
February 24, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC In 2019, scheduling “me-time” is kind of a big deal. JOMO (joy of missing out) has dethroned our old pal FOMO, and we’re all editing our personal mission statements to read something like, “Prioritizes hygge above all else.” But what happens when something (ahem, life) gets in the way of your non-plans, and you find yourself longing to cancel everything in favor of falling into your Netflix queue? According to Elizabeth Kott and Stephanie Simbari, co-hosts of the That’s So Retrograde podcast, you’ve got a case of FONC: fear of not chilling. You know you have FONC when your busy schedule causes mild panic about when you’ll have time to treat yourself to some necessary R&R. “It’s kind of the opposite of saying yes to everything,” says Kott, who coined the term in the pod’s most recent episode. “It’s like, I’d rather be home chilling or chilling with friends. If there’s a really busy week, or a really busy few days of the week in a work sense, then I try to allow space for relaxation,” she says. There are also some compelling scientific reasons to take the occasional time out from our jam-packed Google Cals. “Human ‘downtime’ is not like the ‘rest’ of a car or a computer,” Matthew Edlund, MD, writes in Psychology Today. “With human downtime, the body is continually learning, especially when asleep.” This proves especially true for creatives. Referencing a study conducted in the 1980s on Berlin students practicing the violin, Dr. Edlund
Oversized blazers are spring’s easiest fashion trend—here are 5 ways to wear one
February 23, 2019 at 12:32PM by CWC What I’m about to say might sound incendiary, but what if you left your leather jacket hanging in your closet this spring and swapped it for another reliable throw-on-and-go: the oversized blazer? With a little more tailored flare, it’s a worthy alternative, especially considering some of the chic styles being released right now. Its relaxed fit will make you feel like Jane Birkin with high-waisted denim, the epitome of Parisian chic when thrown over a little white lace dress, and have you channeling your inner ‘80s working girl when styled with matching trousers or shorts for a full-blown suit. Shopbop Fashion Director Caroline Maguire sums it up best: “There’s something really classic and timeless about a blazer,” she says. “A strong statement blazer in a bold color or print screams power.” When it comes to shape, Maguire is all about those on the larger end of the spectrum. She observes, “We’re seeing a huge ‘80s movement as of late, especially with oversized plaid blazers. Shoulder pads are making a return, and I love to add them in to give tops some extra structure.” And as for styling, there’s a lot of room to play with personal style. Wear a tuxedo blazer by day with denim and by night with a satin mini skirt, use the new topper to add some unexpected color into your look, or streamline the already-bold with a more classic menswear style. Maguire suggests her own twist on tailoring: “If
This $3 drugstore buy will turn your shower into a zen lavender forest
February 22, 2019 at 08:20AM by CWC If I told you that I’d found a quarter-sized pampering product that has totally transformed my shower routine, would you believe me? I swear, it’s not a white lie: On a trip to the drugstore to CVS to buy toilet paper and dark chocolate (super chic, I know), I stumbled across $4 “Lavender Scented Effervescent Vapor Tablets.” The small white discs—which look a lot like TUMS—have since infused the 15 minutes I spend conditioning and exfoliating with the oh-so-calming smell of Provence. Since one package contains exactly three tablets, each blissful shower will set you back a little more than $1 a pop. You simply place one tablet on the floor of the shower directly beneath the stream. Then, like an Alka-seltzer tablet fizzing in a drink, the tiny shower-boosters slowly melt at your feet, releasing a heady lavender scent that permeates through the bathroom. All-in-all, it takes about five minutes for the water to crumble every last bit of the tablet, but the aroma sticks around long afterward. (TBH, I sometimes count detonating one of these babies as “cleaning” the bathroom since they smell so fresh.) Like an Alka-seltzer tablet fizzing in a drink, the tiny shower-boosters slowly melt at your feet, releasing a heady lavender scent that permeates through the bathroom. Since lavender notoriously takes on the ZZZ’s-inducing powers of Mr. Sandman, I prefer to schedule this ritual right before I’m about to dive beneath my covers. And just to make the
I work out at a movement salon where I get my Pilates with a side of soup
February 22, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Around the country, but especially in New York City, there’s a never-ending supply of hip and trendy workouts and studios to sample. And that’s great…for some people. Don’t get me wrong, I like to work up a sweat, but I make it my mission to stay away from fitness that doubles as an Instagram opportunity. That adds a level of social anxiety that I work out to actively escape from. So after flirting with a number of workouts and studios over the years, I’ve decided to stick with the first one I ever crossed paths with: Sal Anthony’s Movement Salon. Sal Anthony’s first opened its doors in 1998, when Pilates was still a workout you had to spell out for people. To this day, the studio remains wildly untrendy. Its decor has a noticeable lack of the Pantone color of the year. There’s not a stitch of Shibori-dyed fabrics. And, for heaven’s sake, don’t expect to see whatever the plant du jour is anywhere near here. Despite all of this, the studio remains a looker, with its high ceilings and iconic stained-glass skylight. The decoration, and the studio itself, is organized chaos, and I can’t get enough. The walls (and really all of the surfaces) are covered in a random assortment of photos, posters, and artwork. I am particularly fond of the photo of Gandhi that I stare at while on the Reformer. In direct contrast to its clutterbitch aesthetic, the quiet classes at Sal Anthony’s could double as meditation.
The more-is-more, high-tech facials to bookmark (for your complexion’s sake)
February 22, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC When I first started booking facials, they were pretty straightforward: The esthetician would essentially slather my skin with a bunch of decadent beauty products, perhaps do some extractions, and voila—I’d be left with a glowy, hydrated, refreshed complexion. Lately, though? Facials have become multi-hyphenate experiences wherein the face is poked and needled and lit with LED lights to get a complexion boost. “By combining multiple modalities into one treatment, practitioners can enhance their clinical results and help their clients take the stress out of self care by maximizing their time,” says Stefanie DiLibero, founder of Gotham Wellness, a center that offers cosmetic acupuncture with add-ons like facial cupping, LED light treatment, and microcurrent stimulation. Facialist Ildi Pekar agrees, noting that “by utilizing effective natural techniques along with modern technology, we can provide results for common skin concerns and repair your glow with a customized nurturing experience.” I must admit I’ve had the thought during regular facials that I could mimic the same thing at home in my own bathroom—but because high-tech facials accelerate the the results you’re looking for (which isn’t exactly something you can do at home) I really feel like they’re a good way to get bang for your buck. “Adding on extra high-tech machines can help you achieve an accelerated and more long-lasting result,” says Pekar, who uses a plethora of add-ons from microcurrent machines (to tone) to oxygen therapy (to revitalize) and radio frequency (to tighten). “Adding on extra high-tech