January 21, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC I’ve gleaned beauty secrets from all types of experts, ranging from top dermatologists to facial yoga instructors and everyone in between. But I’m very excited to spill what a French skin-care routine looks like, according to my latest resource: Mila Moursi, a 70-year old Parisian facialist who has decades of skin-care knowledge under her belt. Moursi has a unique background—she studied (and taught classes on) aesthetics and cosmetic chemistry before treating the faces of stars like Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock. “The combination of my education and years of experience taught me that beauty is from the inside-out,” says Moursi. “A good product can be amazing, but if your lifestyle is not good, you’re jeopardizing the product.” For example, right along with your skin-care regimen, she stresses the importance of “beauty sleep,” eating healthy, and staying hydrated. To help bolster her 360-degree philosophy on beauty, the Parisian skin pro is all about consistency in your regimen and feeding your complexion the right ingredients. “I love peptides and amino acids,” says Moursi, since these even and brighten the skin, and she’s a big supporter of hyaluronic acid, because “it really plumps your face like a glass of water for your skin.” Keep scrolling for more of Moursi’s skin-care tips and the four things you should always do to your skin. 1. Focus on cleansing “A lot of people don’t know how to cleanse properly,” says Moursi. First of all, she recommends that you use
Category: Yoga
I’ve tried it all, and this is the only tool that releases my neck and jaw tension
January 21, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC For someone who lives by the beach in Southern California—AKA one of the chillest places on the planet—I am surprisingly tense. I grind my teeth when I sleep and often find myself with a clenched jaw while I’m working at my computer, trying to meet a tight deadline. I scrunch up my shoulders while I’m navigating rush-hour traffic. Massage therapists are shocked by the size of the knots in my neck. I’ve tried to loosen up through yoga stretches and a variety of CBD-laced lotions, but nothing has ever given me more than a few hours’ relief. Until, that is, I discovered the Empress Wand ($65), the newest facial tool from skin-care brand Wildling. A cousin of the ultra-buzzy gua sha, the wand was designed to release muscle tension in the face, neck, and jaw while reducing facial puffiness, stimulating blood and lymphatic flow, and sculpting the facial contours. According to Wildling cofounder Gianna De La Torre, an acupuncturist and intuitive healer, jaw tension is extremely common in our digital age but no one’s really talking about it… yet. “When the head is tilted forward, as it is when looking down on a phone or computer, the jaw bears the burden of the weight of the head,” she explains. “When the head goes forward, the shoulders hunch, and this postural position is a recipe for tension.” Left unchecked, this can lead to headaches and neck stiffness. This is where the Empress Wand comes
Checks+Balanced: How a freelance publicist living in Puerto Rico budgets for wellness
January 21, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC Do you know how much money your friends make? What about how much their rent is or how much is in their bank accounts right now? I’m guessing no. Even in a world where questions about menstrual cups and the ins and outs of sex are completely (and blessedly) normal to ask, somehow the ever-ubiquitous use of money remains a touchy subject for many. People want to live their healthiest life ever, but—#realtalk—it can add up. Have you ever wondered how your colleague who makes less than you do (or so you think) can afford to buy a $5 matcha and a $12 chopped salad every day? Or how your friend is able to hit up $34 fitness classes three times a week? It’s enough to make anyone want to ask, “Ummm, excuse me. How can you afford that?!?” That’s where Well+Good’s monthly series Checks+Balanced comes in. By lifting the thick, tightly drawn curtain to expose how much women of varying income brackets spend on wellness, we’re spreading transparency and hopefully providing some inspo that’s possible to copy. Because no matter how much you make, it’s possible to cultivate healthy habits that work within your budget. This month, Marcy Fitzpatrick, a 32-year-old freelance public relations director working remotely in Puerto Rico, reveals exactly how much she spends on nonnegotiables (like, hello, rent) and the healthy habits that are important to her. Here’s how her budgeting and spending looks after she swapped her Los Angeles lifestyle for the Puerto Rico cost of living.
I’m a movement specialist, and this is the best stretch based on your height
January 20, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC First things first: Everyone—and I do mean, everyone—needs to stretch. No matter how active you are, how flexible you feel, or how stiff your joints seem, consistently and effectively stretching your body is necessary for a long, healthy, and active life. Without doing so, you can experience aches, pains, and consistent tightness. However, the best stretches for you may not be the same as those for your best friend, who is a few inches shorter or taller. Though it isn’t a big difference, yoga instructor and movement specialist at Yoga Wake Up, Emilie Perz says folks at different heights tend to get sorer in various spots. “The reality is that stretches are not one size fits all,” she explains. “To optimize your body’s flexibility, try exercises that are designed with height in mind to lengthen and open the most commonly tight areas of the body.” Keep scrolling for your guide to height-based stretching. For those 5’5” and shorter The most common height for women in America is 5’4″, so we’re guessing these stretches will apply to many of you. Those under 5’5” can put a strain on the upper body, like the neck and shoulders by straining or reaching excessively. Certain stretches, however, can give you a much-needed break and bring some relief to your back, neck, and calves, which can commonly find themselves sore if you’re under 5’5″. Forward Fold When you first hear your alarm clock sound, start your day with
A music scientist explains how to hack your playlist and make your workouts more effective
January 20, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Picture this nightmare of a situation: you’ve mustered up all your remaining energy after a long day of work to pack your running shoes, sports bra and towel, only to realize once you got to the gym that you forgot your headphones. You now have a tough decision to make: go back home to get your AirPods, or tough out a workout that’s sure to feel a lot more monotonous and challenging? If going back home to retrieve your headphones so you actually survive this workout sounds like more, well, your jam, you’re not alone. “There have been scores of research papers and controlled studies demonstrating that music enhances athletic performance significantly,” says Eric Stensvaag, curator and writer at Feed.fm, a program that works with music scientists to curate motivating playlists for every situation.“Music can also create an increased commitment to exercise, resulting in people working out more frequently and for prolonged periods.” Specifically, a study from the journal Ergonomics found that participants who boosted the tempo and volume of their music while on the treadmill ran faster than those who didn’t. Bonus: The study also found their quickened pace maintained their perceived effort, which increased their endurance. Turns out your best training session yet doesn’t involve hiring a personal trainer. Here’s how to create the perfect playlist so you breeze through your next workout. Consider your workout type The music you bring to a sprinting sesh on the treadmill is going to
What the first new moon of the decade means for your big-picture goals
January 19, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC Over the last few weeks, we’ve experienced some of the most intense aspects that this generation will see. With the Saturn and Pluto conjunction in Capricorn happening opposite a lunar eclipse in Cancer, deep-seated issues likely surfaced, inviting you to devote some attention to handling past issues. The universe asks you to commit to what feels most urgent and pressing while commanding intimacy with yourself as you claim your sovereignty and integrity. This focus on transformation will continue throughout 2020. Now, as the sun moves out of Capricorn and into Aquarius on Monday, January 20, the mood shifts into the broader thinking that air signs provide. While still fierce, the sun in Aquarius heralds a time when progressive ideas instigate evolution, and connection with like-minded people elevates possibility. Along with the shift from Capricorn into Aquarius, the sun joining Mercury in Aquarius expands the periphery of perceived potential. Also happening on Monday is the moon moving through its balsamic phase, which invites you to release what you no longer need. As the moon wanes back to new, that invitation remains clear: Take time to digest how you’ve changed and continue to change. Develop a sense of coherence around who you are becoming, and actively seek to shed your commitment to the old. To support you with this, engage your tools of transformation: journaling, therapy, yoga, meditation, and contemplation of any kind can all help you. But come mid-week, you’ll be challenged by tension
These sleek wearable weights take functional fitness to a whole new level
January 19, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC The quickest way to turn any move into an ab workout is to engage your core—this much we know to be true. But the quickest way to do the same thing for your arms and legs, sans dumbbells? Add a set of wearable weights. While the term “wearable weights” may have you thinking of a ’90s infomercial starring Richard Simmons, hear me out. Strapping some extra pounds to your forearms and ankles is the most no-brainer way to up the ante on everything you do… whether you’re using them in the gym or simply while sitting at your desk. “In addition to being discreet, the added light resistance burns an additional 25 to 30 percent on your current level of activities,” says Vicky Waterman, founder of Wearable Weights, a brand that makes seamless-looking wraps that add weight without any bulk. “Most weights are placed in the hands or lay on the joints, which isn’t the safest option, but with these, the weights are equally and proportionally distributed across the entire arm or leg.” So unlike with dumbbells, having these wrap-around weights are meant to provide your muscles an even burn throughout the targeted area without having to change positions or exercises (like you would when holding actual weights). View this post on Instagram SUMMER SIZZLE A Cool Sweat Seshwith Vented Mesh! @wearableweights @lexe.burgamy @annavandelden @lagreehtx #wearableweights #sweatsesh #fashionfitness #fitnessfashion #summerworkout #summerfashion2019 #lookgoodfeelgood #bringontheheat #lagreefitness #pilates #fitnessmodel #shreditwithweights A post shared by Wearable Weights
7 secrets to living a long, fulfilling life, according to people in their 80s, 90s, and 100s
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
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 to know if you need to strengthen or stretch your hip flexors—because, ouch!
January 17, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC The hip flexors are one of those regions in the body that you never notice until they’re epically sore. Most of the time, pain eeks into the creases of the hips after a particular grueling core workout or in the aftermath of a long run. Given that the hip flexors are a set of muscles, however, it can be confusing to know whether you should strengthen or stretch (i.e whether they’re weak or just tight) them to help alleviate your soreness. First, an anatomy lesson: Your hip flexors connect the top of the femur to the lower back, hips, and groin, and play a pretty big role in how you move each and every day. “The main purpose of the hip flexors is to stabilize the core,” says fitness pro Katrina Pilkington, NASM-CPT. “They also are integral in the function of movement throughout walking and running.” Because most of us are living out our days as desk zombies, Pilkington says that we tend to make the sitch worse. “Remaining in a seated position for the majority of the day can cause the hip flexors to be tight—and your hip flexors will remain weak if they aren’t strengthened during exercise,” she says. The TL;DR is that everyone with a day job (You! And you! And you!) could stand to strengthen and stretch their hip flexors. If you want to know which to prioritize, Pilkington and trainer Prentiss Rhodes, NASM-CPT, are about to give you the