December 28, 2018 at 05:00AM [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFOBDoZf7oU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] If there’s anyone you should be taking notes from on how to create the ultimate healthy home, it’s Venice, California-based Pilates instructor Karen Lord. After walking up the potted cacti-lined stairs of her airy bungalow and taking a step inside, one thing instantly becomes clear: This rockstar trainer definitely practices what she preaches. Lord’s house is just as calming as she is during her Pilates sessions. The plant-filled oasis has an abundance of natural light, providing the ultimate mood-boost, whether she’s playing the guitar or sweating it out in her home studio (sometimes even with her pup!), which comes complete with a reformer and ladder barrel for spine exercises. And instead of filling every kitchen cabinet with plates and mugs, there’s one special area reserved for her self-proclaimed supplement addiction. “It’s a healthy addiction,” she says. And there are plenty of finds worth adding to your own collection as well. “This Quinton Hypertonic—they’re little glass vials, and it’s just sea water. When I get my period, I have really intense endometriosis on the first day, and this helps stave off the pain by raising my blood pressure.” As for her bedroom, Lord keeps things extra Zen by drawing the shades and, instead, getting a light glow—and all sorts of loving energy—from rose quartz lamps. With the help of an eye mask and a diffuser for her own special essential oils blend, it’s a seriously soothing space. “I put eucalyptus, frankincense, some lavender, and a little bit of citrus so
Category: Relaxation
I turned to yoga to heal after a breakup—this is what happened
December 27, 2018 at 10:00AM About ten minutes into a vinyasa flow, I’m standing with my hands at “heart center” (over my newly-broken organ), and the yoga instructor tells the class to set an intention for our practice. “This could be something you need in your life today,” he says. “Dedicate your practice to this now and channel it throughout the class.” My intention, as of late? To find self-love. I’ve recently gotten out of a four-and-a-half-year-long relationship, I’ve just completed with my Saturn Return chaos (you know, that major and trying life-change that happens around the age of 29), and I’m in need of a serious reboot of my sense of self-worth. While many newly exed may turn to boxing (the bag’s a great target) or hygge with a truly inspiring Netflix programming, yoga seemed to be the perfect outlet for my heartbreak. It’s not new to me, but there’s just something so relaxing about the sense of clarity that comes post-vinyasa. It’s something I wanted to explore further, and more consistently, once my life’s foundation seemingly shattered. “If you take a moment to pause and clear your mind by focusing on your breath, you’ll have a better chance of looking at things through a clear lens after class.” —Beth Cooke “Yoga gives you a chance to quiet the mind so you can sort out not only the physical body but the emotional body,” says Beth Cooke, a New York City-based yoga instructor. “When you’re emotionally charged, your thoughts can
Here’s the best music to enhance your meditation—and not totally distract you
December 26, 2018 at 07:00AM ICYMI, pretty much everyone is anxious and stressed the F out. In a reader survey conducted by Well+Good, 95 percent of participants say they struggle with stress, and 92 percent say they struggle with anxiety. So it’s not a big surprise that more people are seeking out meditation and mindfulness—both of which are well-documented at helping relieve stress and anxiety. According to data released from Google, search interest in mindfulness increased by over 430 percent since 2004, and searches for meditation music is up over 500 percent since 2004. However, while your ’90s playlist may help you crush your long run, but chances are that pump-up music isn’t exactly going to help you focus on your breathing. So if Backstreet Boys are out, what will work? Before you pick out your meditation soundtrack, it’s good to know when it’s actually helpful to incorporate music, versus when it’s better to sit in silence. According to Angelika Alana, an expert for meditation app Happy Not Perfect and a mindfulness and strategy coach to millennials, it totally depends on your personal preference. “When it comes to meditating, the challenge most people tell me they’re facing is simply starting or sustaining a practice,” she says. “So, the most important thing is that you find the practice relaxing. If that means music, go with it. If that means silence, go with that. There’s no right or wrong here.” That said, Alana does say there are certain times when music really can enhance your
The guaranteed way to make and exercise more challenging? Do it on a stability ball
December 25, 2018 at 03:00AM The surefire way to make any exercise move harder? Do it on a stability ball. Stability ball exercises are a $20 way to take your floor routine to the next level, adding a bonus level of dynamism to your workout. “Adding a stability ball to an exercise can take a basic move from ‘I can do this in my sleep,’ to ‘this is the most challenging thing I have ever done,’” says Tiffani Robbins, director of the sculpt program at NYC’s Fithouse. This happens because your core has to fire up to do work in addition to whatever other exercise you’re doing, and that means a major payoff. “Stability balls challenge both balance and stability, which are a part of functional training that should not be overlooked since they are a huge aspect of our daily lives,” Robbins tells me. “Working with any type of unstable surface or object will automatically recruit additional muscles when performing certain moves. When adding a stability ball to an exercise, your core will have to engage more to find balance than when you do the the move without it.” That added muscular engagement ultimately has other positive side effects, too. “There are two standout benefits that come to mind when I think of the stability ball: Improved spinal stabilization and increased use of muscle fibers during a given exercise,” explains Nicole Petitto, senior manager of group fitness and co-creator of the Pilates Remix class at Equinox. “The stability ball is also ideal for increasing
Sniff on these essential oils next time you feel a headache coming on
December 21, 2018 at 09:52AM If you’ve ever been around someone who smells like they bathed in cologne, you’ll be very aware that some scents can make your head pound. (Personal flashback: Getting hotboxed by Acqua Di Gio in a high-school driver’s ed car.) But it turns out that sniffing essential oils for headaches can have the exact opposite effect. “Essential oils can help alleviate headaches a few different ways,” says chemist and pharmacist Lindsey Elmore, PhD. Some of these benefits are physical. “They may relax certain muscles around the neck, face, and head to help relieve tension that can trigger headaches. They also may induce a significant increase of blood flow to the forehead after local application,” she explains. Essential oils may also help “block pain transmission, desensitize pain fibers, and reduce inflammation,” adds neurologist and headache specialist Sara Crystal, MD—a medical advisor for migraine treatment startup Cove. But there may also be a mental component to using essential oils for headaches, says Dr. Elmore. “The aromas of essential oils help to release emotional blockages and can be calming to the mind,” she says. (Helpful if your headache is caused by an overly chatty coworker or an energy-vampire sibling.) Photo: Getty Images/PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou So why do I have a headache in the first place? It’s fitting that essential oils attack headaches from so many different angles, because the condition is extremely complex. According to Drs. Elmore and Crystal, there are a ton of reasons why you might have one in the
Peace out puffiness! Here are the causes and derm-approved ways to nix it
December 21, 2018 at 04:25AM We’ve all been there…A fun night out on the town can turn into a not-so-chic morning after. But, surprise, surprise this post isn’t about ditching a hangover—it’s about another holiday season party foul: facial puffiness and swelling. It can sneak up on you when you least expect and throw a wrench in your a.m. beauty routine. To start, what exactly should you look for to know if your face is puffy? Typically, the symptoms include heavy eyelids, prominent puffiness under eyes, and a heavy jawline. However, Francesca Fusco, MD, a dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology in New York City highlights one benefit “A subtle sign that people might ignore is actually quite nice: the diminishment of fine lines. Mild swelling makes lines disappear.” Other subtle signs of facial puffiness that people might ignore are nasal congestion and watery eyes. “Some of the symptoms of facial puffiness include swelling of the face, firmness to the touch and mild redness,” explains Roberta Del Campo, MD, a Miami dermatologist. Beyond merely aesthetic changes, occasional swelling can have more dramatic end results. If you notice more serious symptoms ranging from persistent headaches, vision changes, stomach pains or shortness of breath, you should 100 percent consult your doctor to make sure that nothing worse is going on. To set the record straight on the causes of facial puffiness—and how to get rid of it—we reached out to a handful of derms to help us decipher the mystery that is facial puffiness. Keep
9 fashion-forward athleisure pieces that’ll make holiday dressing comfy and cool
December 20, 2018 at 05:02AM The holidays are that special time of year when wearing your pajamas to the airport and lounging around your parents’ house for hours on end in your sweats is completely acceptable. The mere prospect of wearing “real clothes”—AKA jeans, dresses, and tops—suddenly feels like a dreadfully unnecessary task, and, in fact, it is. An equally comfortable and stylish alternative to your faded tees and holey sweats are fashion-forward athleisure pieces (and yes, leggings fall into this category). When comfy is key, the trick to looking more pulled together is finding those just-stylish enough pieces that are performance-inspired but built a little more for form. Then, it’s a matter of pairing them with relaxed essentials like an oversized sweater, fleece-lined legging, or knitted jogger—when you’re feeling particularly driven, stretchy jeans are an easy way to level up athleisure staples without feeling like a comprise in comfort. The effect is the epitome of cozy-cool and a look that your family (and onlookers you encounter during a grocery store run) can’t judge you for. If you’re planning to spend the rest of 2018 catching up on Netflix and face-masking on the couch, check out these nine ultra-stylish athleisure pieces that are equal parts comfy and chic. Real clothes, see you in 2019. Photo: Bandier All Access Tune Up Track Pant, $145 Track parts are one of those pieces that look as great with a button-down and heels as they do with sneakers and a tee. For laid-back luxe at
Earl Grey tea is steeped with healthy benefits that can boost your immune system and fight inflammation
December 20, 2018 at 04:12AM With all the fancy wellness beverages at your fingertips—from frothy matcha lattes to creamy turmeric-packed golden milk—when’s the last time you had something as simple as a mug of brewed tea? At the grocery store, there’s a seemingly endless amount to choose from: the sleepy-times, the tummy-soothing gingers, and the mood-boosting peppermints. But an often-overlooked option might just provide some of the most impressive benefits of all. Earl Grey has been around since the early 1800s and has quite a unique flavor. The black tea base has a hint of citrus thanks to the addition of bergamot oil, which comes from a funny-looking orange commonly found in the Mediterranean that more closely tastes like and resembles a lemon. Aside from the bright taste—which is ultra-energizing and refreshing—it also comes with plenty of health benefits. The next time you’re craving a cup of something cozy, you might want to reach for some of these OG tea bags. The benefits of Earl Grey tea 1. It’s high in antioxidants The base of black tea in Earl Grey brings on all the health benefits. According to Amy Gorin, RDN, and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area, it instantly gives you a boost of antioxidants: something that helps out your overall well-being in many ways, including combating inflammation and fighting off free radicals. 2. It decreases your risk of disease Because of all the antioxidants in Earl Grey, drinking the tea also helps decrease your risk of many different diseases—many of which are
Hey, Sagittarians and Capricorns: Here’s how to get psyched for your holiday-season birthday
December 18, 2018 at 07:06AM If your birthday falls during the holiday season, I have to wonder whether you pissed off someone important in your past life. Like, you weren’t necessarily a serial killer or anything, but maybe you committed some sort of old-timey, horrific fashion faux pas? Because it seems like having a holiday birthday would be the worst and, based on what my friends who were born between the end of November and January say (AKA my Sagittarius and Capricorn pals), that’s pretty accurate. When your special day of birth is eclipsed by the likes of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the 1,456 holiday parties people are invited to, it’s easy to feel left in the festive dust. After all, everyone is already celebrating everyone else—giving gifts to all the people they know—so how do you make your birthday stand out and feel important? The doubled-up presents, couldn’t-be-more-belated birthday wishes, and general existence overshadowed by the holidays can be enough to make even the most practical and reserved of Capricorns want to scream. With that in mind, I tapped astrologer Juliana McCarthy, author of The Stars Within You, to share tips for keeping yourself and others psyched about your very special holiday birthday. If you’re a Sagittarius Poor Sags: Your birthday falls either around Thanksgiving, or when it seems like everyone you know has holiday-party plans basically every weekend. If you’re a Sagittarian (November 22 to December 21) whose bday is closer to the November end of the calendar, you may
Don’t waste your $$$ on a “foot detox,” says this podiatrist
December 18, 2018 at 05:03AM If you’ve been to a spa or alternative health center lately, you may have seen something called a “foot detox” on the list of services. As intriguing/mysterious/totally bizarre as it sounds, you should def take a sec to learn more about the trend before forking over your cash. Foot detoxing claims to remove toxins from your body via the soles of the feet, usually by soaking the feet in an ionic foot bath, or by sticking special adhesive pads to the bottom of your feet before you go to sleep. Both methods are said to draw out the “toxins” and “heavy metals” that allegedly accumulate in the body while you’re busy living your life. Proponents of the practice (and manufacturers of foot detox products) say that the treatment supposedly helps with: High blood pressure Diabetes Depression Insomnia Disease prevention If that sounds too good to be true…that’s because it is, says Alan Bass, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist and spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association. “I don’t use this term loosely, but [foot detoxes] are nothing more than a scam,” Dr. Bass says. “If these things worked, everybody would be doing them.” Ahead of our interview, Dr. Bass attempted to look into the medical literature around foot detoxes and found that there isn’t really any. “I tried to find [research] on the medical side—any types of studies, any real, double-blind studies that would prove something like this works. I’ve seen nothing,” he says. “There was one study