Category: Relaxation

January 22, 2019 at 02:48AM by CWC No matter what type of workout sparks joy in your life, any trainer will tell you that there’s one vital component of recovery that every exercise junkie needs to add to their routines: foam rolling. But just as there is no one-size-fits-all equation for a fitness regimen (you may love bootcamps while your best friend swears by barre class), there’s no universally effective foam-rolling move, either. In fact, you can—and actually, should—be catering your foam-rolling routine to your workout for the sake of an effective recovery. “A full-body routine is always beneficial for all workouts, however different workouts require different mechanics that emphasize certain muscle groups over others, and each workout will have different primary movers that drive our capabilities,” explains Corinne Croce, DPT, cofounder of New York City’s Body Evolved. “It’s wise to perform sport-specific foam rolling drills so you are focusing on the muscles that drive the work and effect performance the most.” So whether you’re tapping it back on the spin bike or down dogging it out on your yoga mat, here’s how to cater your foam rolling routine (which, FYI, can be done before or after your sweat sesh) to whatever specific workout is on the menu. And yes, your muscles will thank you later. If you can’t get enough running or spinning: Inner thigh foam rolling drill: Keep your legs from feeling the usual day-two soreness with two easy moves following an intense cardio sesh. “The inner thigh muscles (adductors) are powerful

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January 21, 2019 at 09:30AM by CWC Worse than overripe, unsalvageable avocados and sleeping through that early-morning Soulcycle class you’re paying for no matter what, breakups have got to be near the top of the list of Things That Suck. In addition to the emotional quantum physics required to figure out all the “whys” (like, “why did he sleep with my my bestie?” or “why did I stay with someone so negative for so long?), there’s the real physical pain of heartbreak to contend with as well. So when I split with my ex, I braced myself for the worst—or at least what I thought was the worst: My new…uh…scent was one lonely-hearts-club side effect I simply didn’t see (or rather smell) coming. I had an intense case of breakup BO—as in, hot-garbage-can, roasted-carrots-rotting-under-the-stove, just-stopped-showering odor.  As it turns out, breakup stank is a totally real thing, courtesy of breakup sweat, which is—yep—another totally real thing. “When you’re going through a breakup, it’s natural for a stress reaction to be triggered in the body, which can cause all sorts of physical manifestations, like stress sweating,” says One Medical Provider, Natasha Bhuyan, MD, who confirms breakup sweat is activated by the same process as stress sweat—just with a different cause. (Cue: side-eye @ my ex.) Breakup sweat is activated by the same process as stress sweat—just with a different cause (cue: side-eye @ my ex). And it makes sense, right? Breakups are stressful. But why the smell? Stress and breakup sweat are, quite simply, entirely

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January 19, 2019 at 08:21AM by CWC If I’m spending an hour in the gym, you better believe that I’m trying to get the most out of my time there. And that usually means: a full-body burn that pushes your muscles (and your sweat glands) to the max. But ask any trainer worth their barbells and they’ll tell you that low-intensity cardio is a integral part of any workout regimen. While walking on the treadmill for 45 minutes or pedaling away on a recumbent bike may not feel like the most exciting (or admittedly, most efficient) ways to exercise, they’re still critically important for rounding out your routine. (And a part of this year’s trend toward cortisol-conscious workouts.) “It’s just as important to have steady-pace runs and low-impact workouts as it is to have those higher-threshold workouts. And being able to balance the two not only makes you more versatile, but it really kind of lays the foundation,” says Aaptiv trainer Megan Takacs. “It’s almost like you don’t want to go into a sprint workout without having an endurance pace, and that low-intensity training is really the foundation for any other workout you might do.” “Low-intensity stuff breaks up the training at a certain threshold that brings your body back down to a normal level of operation, so that when you go to do the high-intensity you’re not burned out.” —Trainer Megan Takacs She suggests introducing slower-paced, lower-impact cardio sessions into your routine twice (maybe even three times) a week

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January 18, 2019 at 01:49PM by CWC Whether you’re trying to amp yourself up for a road race, relax before bedtime, or just indulge in a satisfying ugly cry, it’s only natural that you would turn to your favorite music—whether it’s Ariana Grande or The Smiths. Science has established that music has a powerful effect on our moods—even music that makes us cry can help us feel better. Meanwhile, a 2013 review of more than 400 studies showed that “listening to music has clear benefits for both mental and physical health,” the authors write—including helping us relax, improving immunity, and lowering anxiety before surgery. That’s why music therapy is considered a valuable tool by medical professionals. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), music therapy can involve listening to, writing, or moving to music; traditionally, sessions are led by a credentialed therapist in both inpatient and outpatient settings. (So, very different from just listening to Amy Winehouse on repeat after a breakup to feel better.) What exactly are the benefits of music therapy? When music is used as a form of therapy for patients facing specific illnesses (in addition with other conventional treatments like medication and lifestyle changes), it can actually provide some science-backed benefits. Here’s what people can get from music therapy: 1. It can help lessen depression symptoms A 2015 review of existing literature around music therapy and depression by Dutch researchers found that patients who participated in music therapy, in addition to more standard treatments (like medication

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January 16, 2019 at 07:53AM by CWC If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you’ll most definitely be familiar with the “om” symbol—whether it was swinging from a mala necklace at the front desk, painted on the studio wall, or tattooed onto the lower back of the girl down-dogging beside you. (It may seem a little basic now, but Indra Devi, the iconoclast who brought Hatha yoga to the west in the 1940s, would have definitely approved.) Yet despite the fact that it’s absolutely everywhere, have you ever stopped to consider what the om symbol meaning is actually? It’s a lot more layered than you might think, according to Vidya Shetty, an Ayurvedic counselor at YO1 Wellness Center in New York’s Catskill mountains. First, we should clarify what the spoken word “om” means. “Om is the primordial sound from which the entire universe was created,” Shetty explains. “It’s debated that the patterns of sound waves around the sun and the sound wave patterns of om are similar.” Originally found in the Vedas, a collection of Hindu texts written in India between 1500 and 1000 BCE, om is also referred to as “Shabdha Brahman”—”God as sound” or “God as vibration”—and the “Anahat,” or “unstruck” sound. Chanting “om” at the beginning and end of a yoga class is thought to help us tap into that universal energy. “Om connects us to our practices in a deeper way, creating spiritual awareness,” says Shetty. She adds that the vibration and rhythm of chanting “om” out

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January 15, 2019 at 02:07PM by CWC By Leigh Wingus and Beth Anne Macaluso Filed under bad surprises: finding out your ex is seeing someone new, learning your milk is expired after pouring it into your coffee, and random eye twitches that come out of nowhere. Why do bad things happen to good people? While it’s definitely annoying, chances are a little bit of eye twitching (or eyelid myokymia, if you’re nasty) every once in a while isn’t a real cause for concern. Basically, it happens when the muscles around your eyelid spasm, forcing your lid to move involuntarily and making it feel like your lids are extras in a horror movie. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s annoying AF, and more than a little disruptive to day-to-day life. (Thankfully, the phenomenon is usually too small for your friends, partner, or coworkers to notice, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. So there’s that!) If this sounds familiar and you’re looking to get your eye twitching under control, here are a few things that could be causing it to go haywire—and a few things you can do to start dealing with it today. Why is my eye twitching, you ask? Here are some possible causes: 1. You’re not getting enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. And according to Robert Graham, MD, not getting enough sleep could be contributing to that whole eye twitching thing. So if you’re

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January 15, 2019 at 12:49PM by CWC If you opt for a high-impact or cardio classes, you’ll find yourself breathless at least once during your workout. It’s a guarantee. Figuring out how to breathe when running is tough. But you definitely have the power to keep your breathing pattern from completely sabotaging your endeavors, according to Aaptiv running coach and CrossFit trainer Meghan Takacs. Instead of stopping to take a (literal) breather, the coach recommends forcing yourself to inhale and exhale deeply without breaking stride. “Taking that deep breath mid tempo run can deliver more oxygen to your body and therefore help you run more efficiently,” she says. “The key to preventing lung and leg fatigue is to breathe deeply. That will help expand your diaphragm.” If you’re still not sure whether you should breathe through your nose or mouth, Takacs recommends the latter. Inhaling and exhaling through your mouth allows you to take in more oxygen (the good stuff!). “It also relaxes the muscles in your face, which helps you relax and breathe more efficiently,” she says. Whether you’re putting your endurance to the test with extra mileage or a brutal HIIT sequence, Takacs explains that regulating your breathing at the start of the workout will help you learn to train smarter. “I always tell my listeners to sync their breathing pattern with their lower body cadence,” she says. “When you body gets into a flow, it’s easier to maintain pace and form. Keeping your breathing central and steady—belly breathing—helps to avoid shallow

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