Category: Relaxation

October 04, 2018 at 04:00AM It’s Saturday and I’m joining up with my friends to download on the week that’s just zoomed by. I show up a few minutes early, and as I glance around for them, I notice that our meeting place is already packed. I shouldn’t be surprised, I live in New York City after all, but considering it’s 9 a.m. and the spot in question is the Central Park running loop, where we plan to knock off miles the week’s to-do list, I somehow am anyways. Unlike the gym, which is dominated by bulked-up bros, the path around the park seems to be filled predominantly with women (yeah, a few dudes can be spotted here or there, doing their best shirtless Bachelor audition impressions). But I imagine that in these tense times we’re living in, these women are here for the same reason that I am: to decompress mentally and connect emotionally with their friends. And while they’re connecting, these women are pushing themselves to smash PRs and log never-before-seen mileage. Quicker paces and packed race courses are the epitome of women supporting women, and I for one, can’t get enough of it. “The beauty of running is that it’s a sport that can be selectively engaged in to meet others and create lasting bonds, to independently release stress, and to achieve personal goals,” explains New York City sports psychologist Leah Lagos Wallach, PsyD, who’s board-certified in biofeedback. “Alternatively, many women choose to run solo as a way to

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October 03, 2018 at 10:29AM After the 2016 Olympics in Rio, everyone was talking about two things: the powerhouse U.S. gymnasts, and Michael Phelps. Or, more specifically, those giant, circular bruises all over Phelps’s ridiculously ripped, gold medal-winning body. What were they? Was he OK? Did someone punch him repeatedly, and in a perfectly symmetrical motion? The bruises, of course, were from his cupping therapy. Phelps is part of a growing group of stars relying on cupping —a suction cup-aided bodywork technique that’s been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, said to speed up recovery by reducing tension and promoting blood flow. What is cupping therapy, anyway? Cupping was a widely performed in ancient times to reduce fevers, arthritis, and gout. Now, it’s mainstream thanks to celebrities—hi, Gwyneth—and high-profile athletes, who use it to reduce inflammation, provide pain relief and relaxation, and promote overall wellbeing. Marissa “Isang” Smith, co-owner of On Point Sports Care in New York City, uses cupping in her clinic to help patients who are experiencing musculoskeletal pain and tightness. “A typical case would be when an active individual comes in and explains that they just started bootcamp or finished a WOD at their CrossFit gym, and now they are insanely sore or experiencing slight pain somewhere,” says Smith, a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist. “The most common areas I place cups include the upper back, lower back, quads, calves, and hamstrings.” She claims that by doing so, patients can recover faster from training or injury. The

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October 02, 2018 at 05:34AM As founder of the crazy-popular blog The Stripe and host of the Bad on Paper podcast, Grace Atwood is constantly on the go. But whether she’s at a yoga retreat in Sweden or snapping picture-perfect selfies for her 107,000 Instagram followers, the Brooklyn-based wellness aficionado always prioritizes self care. “As I get older, I’ve realized I can’t be a good friend, daughter, sister, employee, or boss without taking care of myself first,” Atwood says. “It’s kind of like that airplane-safety video: You have to put your own oxygen mask on before anyone else’s.” And while self care still gets a bad rap for skewing toward the indulgent, being time consuming, or manifesting as prohibitively expensive, the soul-nourishing rituals certainly don’t need to be. “Who has time to spend an extra hour every day dry-brushing their skin and then rubbing themselves in essential oils and then meditating for an hour?” Atwood questions. “Sometimes [self-care] means doing things like paying your bills on time so you’re not stressed, regularly going to the doctor, and actually getting enough sleep and exercise. It’s about putting in the work to ensure you’re well taken care of physically, mentally, and spiritually.” —Grace Atwood, founder of the Stripe Still, she’s always always been into beauty, pampering, and preaches the importance of taking care of yourself without feeling guilty about it. Interestingly enough, it’s advice she didn’t prioritize for herself until after the 2016 election. “When life is challenging and there’s a lot going on in

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October 01, 2018 at 06:30PM When you think of the ultimate friend hangout, DIY facials, snacks, and multiple selfies probably factor into the mix. Not on that list? Getting fitted for a bra. But at our recent at our recent Girls’ Night In party, we had all of the above. We teamed up with Aerie to flip the script on everything meh you associate with bra fittings (awkward, confidence-killing, and just plain groan-inducing) by treating New York City women to an exercise in empowerment—and a comfy bra that makes them feel like the powerful change-makers they are. Oh, and the manis didn’t hurt, either. More than 80 women showed up to meet with Aerie’s bra fitting specialists (and soak up the sleepover vibes with mocktails, manicures, and meditation with Kelsey Patel) at a dreamy loft in Midtown. Many women found out they were actually an entire size different from the bras that filled their closets. The result? Surprise was the most common reaction among the women, many of whom found out they were actually an entire size different from the bras that filled their closets. “This was my first time getting a bra fitting,” one guest said. “Putting the Aerie bra on after taking off my current bra felt so perfect.” And there was more. “They took more time to actually measure me and explain why I was that size,” said one Well+Good reader who brought her mom as her date. “That was the best bra I’ve ever put on,

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October 01, 2018 at 10:39AM At around this time each year, the days start getting shorter and shorter until, *sigh*, you find yourself logging your morning miles in the pitch dark. The truth is: No matter how many endorphins are pumping through your veins post-sweat sesh, the lack of daylight could still saddle you with a bad case of the winter blues. If it does though, the solve might be as simple as switching up the lighting in your space. According to Science Direct, using a decor method known as “daylighting”—which involves designing your home to incorporate as much natural light as possible—has been linked to better health, productivity, and even economic benefits. But since not everyone (read: those who dwell in itty-bitty NYC apartments) has access to unlimited reserves of sunshine, Arch Daily reports that designers are turning to LED lights to mimic the mood-boosting effects using high-tech LED lights. The most impressive of which actually acts as a stand-in skylight. The smart tech comes in various models that run the gamut in pricing and features. This $250 one, for instance, displays a single image of a blue sky, and allows you to alter the intensity of the LED based on your needs, and the natural light cycles of the day. So if, say, you were working from home, you could dial up the brightness for maximum productivity. Then later on, you could dim the device a warmer, less intense light temperature in time for dinner. “Warmer light and lower light levels have been shown to slow

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September 30, 2018 at 02:00AM Netflix’s new original film Nappily Ever After is a tale as old as time for women of color. The movie centers on the complicated intersection between hair and identity—in particular, the idea that a black woman’s social acceptance is dependent upon the condition of her hair. Doesn’t sound like much of a fairy tale, does it? It’s a straight-up impossible standard to live up to, beauty or otherwise. And the movie’s main character, Violet (played by actress Sanaa Lathan), struggled with it from an early age. Vi’s mother came from an era before the feminist and Civil Rights movements, and she impressed upon her daughter that straight, smooth locks attract Prince Charmings and perfect endings. But achieving such tresses often involves painful, pre-dawn hair appointments with hot tools and harsh chemicals—not to mention that this beauty ideal left Vi with a paranoia about having a hair out of place, preventing her from living her best life. No swimming or running in sprinklers as a kid. As an adult, it means being an obsessive weather watcher and never having “sweatin’ out my blowout” sex with her hot doc boyfriend, Clint, played by British actor Ricky Whittle. It’s definitely not glamorous, which could be why black women’s hair isn’t often a storyline mainstream media embraces. For that reason alone, Nappily Ever After is worth watching. (If we want more diversity in our entertainment, we have to show the industry there’s a demand for it.) [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xh9XFxo2Hg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] I’ve watched the

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September 28, 2018 at 09:12AM As many of us learned the hard way in college, weed and alcohol aren’t exactly the most graceful pairing. But CBD—cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis that’s credited with soothing anxiety, improving sleep, and more—must be a different story, right? After all, bartenders are now mixing it into cocktails, so you’d assume it would be relatively safe (and might even make your martini feel extra relaxing.) Well, the first thing to keep in mind is that the interactions between CBD and alcohol haven’t been rigorously researched. But based on the studies that have been done, it doesn’t seem like there are any immediate adverse effects of mixing the two substances on a one-off basis. In fact, you might not notice anything unusual about your buzz at all. “In the [small] studies I’ve seen, there wasn’t a noticeable difference between people who had alcohol and those who had alcohol with CBD. Their experiences were in line with what happens when you have alcohol [alone],” says Jackie Harding, a scientist at cannabis research and development company Cannabistry Labs. “It’s not like you’re going to feel better if you have CBD when you have a cocktail.” (Although CBD affects everyone differently, so it’s a good idea to know how your body responds to it before you start adding it to your happy-hour order.) Cannabis Feminist and Hempia co-founder Jessica Assaf agrees with this sentiment. “Because there is no euphoric ‘high’ associated with CBD, the immediate benefits are subtle,” she says. Yet Assaf

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September 27, 2018 at 12:46PM If you’ve ever struggled with depression, you know how debilitating it can be. It’s like a hazy cloud has settled over all the things that once made you happy, and simple acts like brushing your hair or taking a shower can feel like next-to-impossible chores. Depression is a serious mental health issue, and you should always seek professional help if you’re suffering from it, especially for a prolonged period of time. And while tried-and-true treatment methods like talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and antidepressants can be incredibly helpful, there are also holistic treatments for depression that can make a world of difference in your road to healing. Read on for lifestyle shifts you can institute today to help treat your depression holistically. 1. Give your gut a makeover A wide body of research has found that if we’re not nourishing our gut health, our mood will suffer. As New York-based therapist Alison Stone, MSW, points out, our gut is practically our “second brain.” “In addition to affecting our dopamine and GABA production [‘happy chemicals’ needed for healthy brain functioning] it’s estimated that the gut is responsible for up to 90 percent of the body’s serotonin production,” she explains. “Since inflammation has been linked to depression, following an anti-inflammatory diet is an important step in creating a happy, healthy gut” and mind. To do this, start by reducing your sugar intake, ditching the processed foods, and (sorry)—eliminating alcohol. 2. Take a break from social media While social

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