January 18, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC Wouldn’t it be great if we could just know how to be the healthiest, happiest, and most fulfilled versions of ourselves? Of course, there’s something to be said for embracing the trial-and-error journey of finding what works for you, but we also have an untapped resource for discovering which healthy habits maximize longevity. People are living longer than ever, especially in parts of the world known as the Blue Zones—so, wouldn’t it be wise to simply ask these long-living people their secrets for how to live a long life? That’s exactly what the nine-part documentary series The Human Longevity Project sought to do by visiting more than 50 locations worldwide—including the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, the small island of Guernsey in the English Channel, and Okinawa, Japan—to interview locals of the longest-living and healthiest populations on the planet in addition to experts, healers, and doctors. “I always suggest to listen to the elders. The elders have plenty of experience, and they know how things work.” —Salvatore Scanu, 94 Below, find seven insights that folks in their eighties, nineties, and beyond share in the documentary that point to how to live a long life that’s happy, healthy, and fulfilling. Because, as Salvatore Scanu, 94, from Italy, points in the doc, we stand to learn a lot. “I always suggest to listen to the elders. The elders have plenty of experience, and they know how things work,” he says. 1. Work hard and lead an
Category: Travel
Taking a device break can inspire *major* emotional growth—at any age
January 18, 2020 at 01:30AM by CWC In the digital age, distancing ourselves from phones and gadgets can be a challenge—especially for kids. But for Taryn Toomey, founder of The Class by Taryn Toomey, her daughter’s choice to leave her iPad alone wound up boosting her self-awareness. Here, the Well+Good Council member talks about the lessons her family learned while taking an analog-only trip. Screen time for children starts small, often with an educational show like Sesame Street. And yes, when my children were toddlers and I was rushing to make breakfast, sometimes I was very grateful for the presence of Elmo. But over the years, a build starts to happen—a few more shows here, a YouTube video there—until eventually kids get their hands on an iPad. That’s what happened in our family, anyway. About four years ago, both of my kids had iPads. Each morning, they’d rush to pick up their devices, and they’d quietly sit glued to their videos and games. I set boundaries around iPads—they were never allowed at the table, for instance—but still, I felt a growing unease with how my children were interacting with technology. My kids were constantly yearning for the iPad. I witnessed them transform into little zombies while watching it. And I worried about the effects this was having on our family. I felt a growing unease with how my children were interacting with technology. This was on my mind a few years ago, when my oldest daughter and I were preparing
The definitive ranking of boutique fitness locker rooms with the best beauty supplies
January 18, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC My old apartment had a scary bathroom that I hated using. To avoid it, I’d book evening hot yoga classes at Y7 Studio so I could shower there. The shower lines are much shorter in the evening, and the Malin+Goetz shower gel they provide smells so good you forget all about the 60 minutes you spent slipping around in your own sweat. Boutique studios have seriously upped the gym locker room game—so much that you may go out of your way to shower at the gym. If you’re ever out of shampoo, or, like me, have a bathroom straight out of a horror film, you can literally just shower at the gym. Where is the best place to go, you ask? We’ve got you covered. The 7 best-stocked boutique studios locker rooms for showering at the gym Photo: Kiehl’s best body lotion: EQUINOX While not exactly boutique, Equinox set this luxe standard when they partnered with Kiehl’s back in 2009. The Crème de Corps ($40) is a real stand-out. It’s packed with ingredients like beta-carotene, cocoa butter, and sesame, which fight free radicals, moisturize and soften the skin, respectively. It’s so good, one of our writers swears by it to nourish her dry skin. Photo: Chanel Best serums: THE CLASS BY TARYN TOOMEY I don’t know about you, but Chanel serums aren’t exactly at the top of my restock list. Feel like a French girl and do your skin routine at The Class
How Instagram’s love of food pics has shaped how chefs approach their cooking
January 17, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Picture this: You’re at brunch with your crew, right in the middle of telling your friends about some major drama going on at work. You’re momentarily interrupted by the waiter bringing over your order of avocado toast. It looks amazing—vibrant green avocado slices and bright pink pickled beets piled high atop a thick slice of perfectly-toasted sourdough—just like how you saw it pictured online. Quickly, you pick your phone off the table and snap a few pics to share on IG Stories. Your work story can wait just a sec. Without a doubt, if you haven’t been part of this similar scene first-hand, you’ve definitely seen it play out around you. Of Instagram’s billion plus monthly users, food and drinks are top interests, coming in only after travel and music. Some foods even seem to be crafted specifically with the platform in mind: would the unicorn food trend of 2017 even have existed if it wasn’t for people obsessively taking—and sharing—photos of their food? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adeline Waugh (@vibrantandpure) on Jun 9, 2019 at 6:50am PDT If you spend half an hour making your toast look like this, you better believe it’s going on Insta. To be clear, I have no problem with the convergence of the food world with Instagram. I believe food is meant to be fun, and finding new ways to beautify it (even if it’s for the ‘gram) is a
Divorce under 30 isn’t unique, but it is often uniquely isolating and lonely
January 16, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Calla* remembers exactly what it was like realizing at age 28, a year into her marriage, that it wasn’t going to work. Before she and her husband got married, she thought they were on the same page about everything: having kids, their finances, and how their general future together would look. But quickly, it became clear that they didn’t seem to share the same vision anymore. They didn’t even seem to share the same values. For Calla and her husband, the process of getting divorced was quick, which felt bittersweet to her. Not having kids or owning property simplifies a process infamous for being awful, but that ease can also feel devaluing of what was once a promising future. “It kind of makes me sad how easy it was because I don’t want to undermine the commitment of marriage—but it was very easy, just signing a paper and being done with it,” she says. “We didn’t even have to go anywhere together because it was all done over email.” Though statistics show many are getting married later than they used to (according to the United States Census Bureau, the average first marriage age for women was 23.9 in 1990, and now it’s 28), people like Calla are still getting married well before turning 30. And for an estimated 10 percent, divorced, too. Even without experiencing the messiness that often comes with the process of dividing assets, Calla says her divorce was uniquely terrible
Williamsburg is basically ‘Wellnessburg,’ and we have the healthy travel guide to prove it
January 15, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyrxwk3JFsI] Ready to plan your wellness-rich Williamsburg itinerary? Watch the video for inspo. There isn’t much Well+Good video producer and host Ella Dove hasn’t tried in the name of wellness (horseback yoga, anyone?) So naturally, we tend to trust her opinions on what’s worth trying and what’s plain weird—no matter where we are or what we’re considering giving a shot. That’s precisely why we’re taking you on a new adventure: What the Wellness: Travel Guides, where Dove visits her go-to wellness destinations in her favorite cities and neighborhoods across the country, highlighting her favorite healthy locales. In this inaugural edition, we’re touring four places in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which may as well be called “Wellnessburg.” One stop along the way? East River Pilates. Even if you’ve never been to Williamsburg, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of East River Pilates founder Kimmy Kellum and strengthened and toned your body thanks to her tough Trainer of the Month Club sets. If possible, though, swinging by the IRL outpost of East River Pilates for a class is worth your time. And not just because it offers a variety of options for its reformer classes (like springboard classes and privates sessions), but because, as Dove points out, it fosters such an inclusive and uplifting community. “Every time I walk in here, I just feel, like, a rush of good energy,” Dove says. “I just think it’s a really fun place to…torture myself in a Pilates class.”
5 ways to participate in effective activism, according to two experts
January 15, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC As we begin living in 2020, it’s hard not to feel frustrated, confused, and concerned about the state of the world. Less than 48 hours into the new year, the Department of Defense issued a statement announcing a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. Iran responded on Wednesday by firing ballistic missiles at two Iraqi air bases housing U.S. forces. In the same week, the devastating effects of climate change have been thrown into stark relief: Australia’s wildfires have burned through 15.6 million acres of land since September, destroying nearly 2,000 homes and claiming the lives of at least 25 people and 1 billion animals. Thousands of miles away, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico—a Caribbean island heavily affected by climate change over the last 20 years—in what some residents are saying exceeds the devastation that Hurricane Maria wrought two years ago. And the tragedy doesn’t stop there. From an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks in New York City to mass shootings across the country, the unsettling news cycle has led some to release fear in search of effective forms of activism. Activist Deja Foxx advises people to leverage the tools they have at the moment, starting with their smartphones. Foxx, who is the founder of GenZ Girl Gang and served as Influencer and Surrogate Strategist for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, believes social media can be used to effect significant change. “I see a lot of people saying it’s just ‘clicktivism’ and
6 luxe African safaris that are making wellness a serious focus
January 15, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC The idea of luxury African safaris most commonly conjures dreams of peeping majestic animals in their natural environment. And, sure, that’s a fair primary focus of such a travel experience, but the trip can be so much more. While offering health-boosting benefits that accompany communing with nature, the pace of a safari also caters to wellness-oriented wanderers who relish rising with the sun, enjoying nutritious meals, relaxing during ample downtime, stargazing, and hitting the sack at a reasonable hour. To that point, many lodges for luxury African safaris have incorporated well-being elements—like yoga classes, in-room massages, and sound healing—into their offerings to provide travelers a more holistic experience, says Rachel McGuire, an Africa and safari specialist at luxury travel agency Scott Dunn. “There are a number of options that do a fantastic job immersing visitors in the wonder of the continent, while delivering a major dose of R & R.” Rounded up below are six of those options. Read on for 6 luxury African safaris embracing wellness in their offerings. Photo: Singita Kwitonda Lodge 1. Singita Kwitonda Lodge Rwanda “Singita Kwitonda Lodge near Kinigi, Rwanda, combines the thrill of gorilla trekking with gracious hospitality and modern accommodations,” says McGuire. Not only do suites come with all the creature comforts you’d want—including private plunge pools and heated floors—but the expansive bathrooms feature massage tables for tension-melting rubdowns in the privacy of your room. So, after being able to watch critically endangered gorillas live freely
Reframe your life with a positive spin by cultivating an abundance mentality
January 13, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC After years of studying personal development, there’s one thing I know for sure: your mindset is everything. The way you think and how you view the world can impact how you experience life—whether you realize it or not. For example, I’m willing to be that you have at least one person in your life who just never finds anything to be good enough. They always have something to complain about, they’re stingy with money, convinced that they don’t get what they deserve, and are never satisfied with their situation. Compare that person with your most positive friend. They’re excited about the future, maybe, and are open to new experiences and possibilities. They’re generous, grateful, and generally positive—even when going through hard times. These people on paper might have similar finances, similar family dynamics, and similar challenges. But how they experience those challenges is totally different—because one of these people has successfully cultivated an abundance mentality. What does it mean to have an abundance mentality? An abundance mentality believes that there is more than enough for everyone and has trust that all your needs will be met. “It’s a mindset where possibilities exist and things in your life, including relationships, resources, money, love etc., feel energetically open and as if they’re happening for you and your highest good and the highest good of others,” says Kelsey Patel, wellness expert, reiki master, and author of the upcoming book Burning Bright: Rituals, Reiki + Self-Care to
The universe has big (uncomfortable) changes in store this week, and you’d be wise not to resist them
January 12, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC The week ahead brings paradigm-shifting, game-changing, energy. Starting Sunday, January 12, when Saturn and Pluto perfect their conjunction at 22 degrees of Capricorn, the cosmic weather commands you to declare your most sincere intentions for your life. The process may lead you to experience some cognitive dissonance as you reconcile expectations you may have held for your life versus the reality that’s emerging now. While this reality might not match your previously held expectations, it’s essential to be open to what’s developing rather than cling to an outdated vision for your life. As these two titans of the sky, Saturn and Pluto, conjoin, Mercury, the planet of communication, joins forces with them. This influence of Mercury commands you to use your words and speak your intentions; it asks you to commit to your truth. Warning: This effect might not feel gentle and can easily be mistaken for chaos rather than productivity. Like the Hindu goddess Kali Ma, who breathes creativity into life first through the force of destruction, Saturn, the planet of structure, aligning with Pluto, who represents ruthless transmutation, breaks down that which doesn’t serve you, opening up the potential for what does. Understand that surrendering the old you creates space for the new, allowing for your life to unfold in alignment with the highest order. The changes you are experiencing now are karmic and decades in the making. To make the most of the transformative energy, consider who and what are