September 10, 2019 at 02:01AM by CWC From the moment I wake up, my to-do list is already running through my mind in neon lights. It’s a lot for only having been conscious for five seconds, which is why finding out crafty ways to re-center myself before jumping out of bed can be a pretty invaluable tool. Enter the 5-3-3 breathing technique, an invention of basketball coach Dominique Williams that’s designed to focus your energy before your day truly begins. “5-3-3 is a meditation designed in the spirit of Buddhist meditation and martial arts training,” says Coach D. “The method uses breath work as the concentration for mindfulness and insight, along with martial arts breathing techniques for rhythm and increased endurance.” Williams designed the 5-3-3 to motivate athletes, but it works for anyone whose mind feels unfocused and frenzied. Quick, clipped inhales and long, drawn out exhales are both part of the practice. Meaning, on a physical level, the diaphragm (which Coach D calls the body’s “space maker”) is expanding, the brain is receiving in influx of oxygen, and the lungs are expanding while the core is contracting. Studies have shown that deep breathing techniques can calm the respiratory and cardiovascular system, while faster breathing (known as Kapalabhati in yoga), is said to create energy. “Much like a team huddle and chant that keeps the motivation, focus, and morale up throughout the course, 5-3-3 relieves discomfort, anxiety, and creates a collective focus,” says Coach D. Here’s how to get more
Category: Yoga
7 under-$50 leggings that stand up to even your sweatiest, most high-intensity workouts
September 10, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Workout clothes are akin to sushi in my mind: I’m extremely wary of a deal or discount. And so, I often admittedly question just how good a pair of inexpensive workout leggings that cost under $50 could possibly be. Now, before you start rolling your eyes at my choice to continually spend more on workout leggings than many pay for actual real-life everyday wears, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that you’ve never been in a heated yoga class, sweating it out 110-degrees, trying to balance on a single toe while your top rides up and bottoms slip down. The thing is, I tend to go to so many sweaty hot yoga classes these days that I can’t possibly keep up with the laundry. So I’ve started buying more. And more. And more. All that money spent on leggings, though, has had me on the hunt for more affordable options that actually work. And guess what? I’ve found not one, but seven that have passed my test for performance wear. And spoiler: I’m pickier than most. From Danskin, Adidas, Target, and more, find my favorite workout leggings under $50…that are actually awesome, price tag aside. Photo: Danskin Danskin Classic Supplex Body Fit Ankle Legging, $36 These were actually my first legging loves back in the day before I turned to other trendier (… and pricier) options. But honestly, maybe I should have just stuck to the classics. The tights I’ve
‘Cross-fiber friction’ saved my stiff neck—and made me feel 2 inches taller
September 09, 2019 at 10:53PM by CWC Every once in a while in yoga class, a magical thing happens: the teacher comes up behind you during savasana and gives you a neck massage. The five-second act of other care is worth the entire $30 drop-in free, in my opinion. But you don’t have to leave your house to give your neck tender loving care. Once you know about cross-fiber friction foam rolling, you can get that “Ooh, ah!” feeling in your very own living room. At this year’s Wanderlust 108 festival in Brooklyn, Julie Wu—an instructor with RAD roller—taught me a valuable lesson in foam rolling. Even though most of us are trained to just move the device north and south to knead out tension, a little east and west action is good, too. That’s why Wu had the group at Wanderlust place a Rad Rod (a tiny, tube-like roller) just beneath the nape our necks and wiggle it right and left as well as up and down. It felt like a euphoric out-of-body experience, and I walked away from class feeling like a gazelle. That is, a taller, more agile version of myself. A horizontal approach to foam rolling is called cross-fiber friction foam rolling. Rather than running the foam roller along the length of the muscle, you’re going against the grain of the muscle fiber. For example, if you’re trying to target your quads, roll the tool from side to side rather than from knee to hip. When
You don’t even need to stand up to do this full-body Pilates workout
September 09, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vyRsb0lRzg] Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, our brand-new fitness series, where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, Kimmy Kellum from East River Pilates is taking us through a full-body Pilates workout. Oftentimes, I’ll joke that I wish I could crawl through my workouts. But that doesn’t really work. The next best thing (besides seated yoga or exercising while lying down)? A Pilates workout that you can do on all fours. I’m not kidding. Our Trainer of the Month, Kimmy Kellum—fitness goddess and founder of East River Pilates—is here to prove that, to reap the perks of Pilates, you don’t even need to stand up. So you can do this week’s Pilates workout while staying on your hands and knees. That’s not to say it’s going to be easy, though. “What I love about this workout is that it is deceivingly difficult,” says Kellum. “It looks really simple, but it’s really hard if it’s done well.” Oh, and another thing? It’ll help you out if you deal with lower back pain on the reg (read: me). All it takes is 13 moves, about nine minutes, and you’re going to feel a true burn without ever having to be on your feet. Keep scrolling to try it for yourself. Try Kellum’s
15 gifts for every plant lover in your life, from your work wife to your woo-woo BFF
September 09, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC We all know someone who’s, like, the ultimate plant lady. Her home features gorgeous greenery in every room. Her desk at work has the cutest mini succulent next to her monitor. When other people whip out their phones showing people pictures of their kids or cats, she shares shots of the magical greenhouse she visited upstate filled with exotic snake plants and fiddle-leaf figs. Hunting for the perfect gift for a bonafide plant lady can be tricky. The last thing she needs is more flora or fauna. Fortunately, there’s still tons of botanical-themed presents beyond the obvious potted succulent from Whole Foods. Rounded up here are 15 picks for plant people of all types. Keep reading to find one that will make her heart bloom. Scroll down for 15 fun gifts for plant lovers. Photo: Seeutek 1. For the person who takes succulents in like stray cats: Seeutek plant stack rack, $37.95 So many succulents, nowhere to put them. It’s a conundrum many a plant lady has found herself facing. Instead of giving her one more plant baby to mother, give them a podium to stand upon, with this handy-yet-chic plant stack rack. Photo: The Sill 2. For the person who loves surprises: The Sill plant subscription, $35 Getting a new plant every month will give your plant-loving friend something to continuously look forward to. Choose between a subscription of plants for beginners, pet-friendly plants, or low-light plants. They can be shipped anywhere
Reiki? I don’t know her… so I had experts break down the energy healing practice
September 07, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC Of the holistic healing modalities gaining in popularity—acupuncture, healing stones, qigong meditation, to name a few—reiki remains one of the most opaque. And if you’ve seen reiki therapy performed, with a practitioner hovering their hands a few inches above the person they’re treating, it can seem pretty out there. So, I asked a few reiki experts to break down the practice for me, including how to do reiki on yourself. What is reiki? “Reiki is an alternative therapy commonly referred to as energy healing,” says Leslie Saglio, life coach, reiki practitioner, and yoga instructor. “It was introduced in 1920 by a Buddhist monk [named Mikao Usui] in Japan. Then it was brought to the U.S. through Hawaii in the 1940s and then to Europe in the 1980s. The word reiki itself comes from the Japanese language. Rei means universal consciousness, and ki means life force energy.” On her website, reiki master Kelsey Patel describes the practice by writing, “Everything in life is, on a scientific level, made up of energy. Your body is made of energy. Everyone is energy. And, as energy, we have the ability to emit and absorb energy as well.” Following that philosophy, during a reiki session, a practitioner will either place their hands directly on the client’s body or let hover them above the body in order to channel the life force energy through their hands. “It allows any stuck or stagnant energy to basically release itself,” Saglio says.
If you can’t touch your toes, try these yoga stretches for flexibility
September 06, 2019 at 09:31PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-_d5hkoIj8] Raise your hand if you felt personally victimized by the Presidential Fitness Test when you were in grade school. Sorry to bring back terrible memories for most of us, but please recall the shuttle (aka bean bag) run (side note: What? Why? So many unanswered questions.), the pull-ups, and the “sit-and-reach” flexibility test. I think the last one was the most scarring for me, as I was definitely not flexible, and I can still picture my classmates watching me as I struggled to touch my toes. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of these activities, it just seems a little, well, mean to have to do that in front of your fellow schoolmates. This may be part of the reason why, even though I have improved my flexibility since then, I’m still a little hesitant to go to yoga. “One of the biggest reactions I always get when I say I’m a yoga teacher is, ‘Ugh I can’t do yoga, I’m not flexible, I can’t touch my toes,’” says yoga instructor Tess Koenig in the latest installment of our Good Moves series. “Yoga is so not about touching your toes.” (Read: yoga is for everyone!) But if you want to improve your flexibility, these stretches can help. Koenig recommends investing in a few props: yoga straps, a blanket, and a block. If you don’t have those, she says you can sub in a book for the block, and use a
The “1-minute method” will have you working out even when you’re not feeling it
September 05, 2019 at 09:34PM by CWC If my sore muscles need a recovery day from working out, I’m all for it—I’ll happily set up shop on my couch to rest (and watch Curb Your Enthusiasm until I fall asleep). But it’s those days where I really want to hypothetically work out (yet can’t seem to get moving) that are especially frustrating. Sometimes, it just feels like there’s a mysterious force of gravity at work that’s preventing me from lacing up or schlepping to the gym despite my best intentions (really though, it’s just my own willpower). But in the depths of a Livestrong Facebook thread filled with people’s own fitness motivation tips, I’ve found actual gold. Want to literally trick yourself into a workout? All you need is one minute. “Tell yourself you’re going to do just one minute of yoga, or one minute of squats, or one minute of push-ups—whatever it may be—and once you get started, you’ll likely end up doing more,” the true genius writes. They’re 100-percent right—getting started is often the most mentally challenging part of any workout. Trainers back this up. “I love this concept,” gushes fitness instructor Mark Osmundsen, creator of Movement Culture Co. “It’s simply Newton’s Law—an object that gets in motion will stay in motion. If you can just start by getting up and moving, the endorphins will take over, and before you know it—you’ve done a full workout.” Ahh, so it’s not just physical fitness, it’s physics, you guys. Even the
The strength-training move you need to balance your body after yoga
September 05, 2019 at 07:31PM by CWC As a newbie rock climber, I’m quickly learning that the physical strength required to scale a cliff is no joke. Give me a yoga mat and I’ll handstand and chaturanga to my heart (and muscle’s) content. Which is why it was an exercise in humility when I found myself trying—and failing—to pull my body toward the artificial rock wall in a New York City gym. When I rely on my yoga practice for strength, am I leaving something out? I couldn’t quite put my finger on the frustrating muscle disparity. That is, until an Instagram post from Charlee Atkins, trainer and founder of Le Sweat and Le Stretch, incited a no-duh moment for me. “[Y]oga is a heckuva lotta ‘pushing’ and I’m in need of some pull!” writes the trainer. “If you’re a yogi or a regular practitioner of yoga, I highly recommend incorporating these ‘pulling’ exercises to help balance out your body for the long run.” It’s so true—right!? There are about a million yoga poses out there, but the vast majority involve pushing your weight away from the floor. Not pulling your body toward something. If you, too, have been feeling the repercussions of that imbalance, don’t sweat it (or rather, sweat your way through it). Atkins shared her workout for doing just that: The 4 best pull workouts every yogi needs to do at the gym View this post on Instagram UPPER BODY FOR YOGIS ⠀ We just closed Day 4 of yoga training
These boots were made for walking…like, a lot
September 05, 2019 at 05:35PM by CWC You’ll find plenty of shoes and sneakers you can wear all day without getting any number of miscellaneous body aches. But comfortable boots (that aren’t unintentionally hideous) are hard to come by. Such practical shoe unicorns do exist, however, if you’re willing to do a little legwork. Wondering how to spot a pair? There a few features to keep in mind while shopping for comfortable boots, according to Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder of Gotham Footcare. The first is shock absorption. Some products and brands will let you know whether their boot has this feature. If not, look for things like rubber soles and try bending the shoe—if it bends in the middle of the sole, this mean it doesn’t have shock absorption and is generally not great for foot support, he says. Despite what you may think, flat boots aren’t ideal for your foot health. Not in the slightest. “I recommend avoiding boots that are completely flat. They will contribute to pronation and collapse of the arch, which may contribute to planter and posterior heel pain, shin splints, knee pain, and back pain,” explains Dr. Cunha. I’m definitely not interested in dealing with this combination of problems. Something else to keep in mind, according to Marion Parke, DPM, a podiatrist-turned-shoe-designer, is that “our feet tend to swell throughout the day and you want to provide some room for that. When it comes to shoes, millimeters count.” To factor this into your footwear purchase,