August 12, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Even in a world where questions about menstrual cups and the ins and outs of sex are completely (and blessedly) normal, 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’s budget allows her to hit up $34 fitness classes three times a week? It’s enough to make anyone want to ask, “Ummm, excuse me. How do 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. ad_intervals[‘401626_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘401626_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); This month, meet Madelana, a 29-year-old living in New Jersey who’s in the midst of a career change from media to becoming a chef. Scaling back her full-time client services job to part-time in order to attend culinary school led her to cut back on expenses, but living healthy remains a priority even while she’s budgeting for school. In fact, her whole Instagram account, @itscalledbalance, is devoted to her wellness philosophy. Keep reading to
Category: You and your body
Is it possible to socialize with just a few work friends without seeming cliquey?
August 12, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Having friends at work is good; cliques at work are bad. But when you’re only inviting a select few of your coworkers to grab a drink after you clock out, it can feel impossible to avoid a Mean Girls situation. In this week’s Good@Work column, career expert Amy Odell—whom you may know as the former editor of Cosmopolitan.com and founding blogger of New York magazine’s The Cut—explains how to keep your water cooler banter from making the office feel like the high school cafeteria. Question: Is it possible to go to lunch—or get drinks or do anything after work—with just one or two coworkers without coming across as cliquey? I often feel like kindergarten-birthday-party etiquette of “invite the whole class” applies, but in this case, doing so can make hanging out socially feel like a business meeting. ad_intervals[‘414612_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414612_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Answer: Jobs are hard. Jobs are emotionally taxing. This is why we need to make friends with colleagues, the people who understand the precise ways in which our souls are sucked from our hardening heart centers every time we step foot into the office and spend excruciating precious hours in meetings that could have been an email. (I know this sounds grim, but show me a person who has loved their job for four full years and I’ll show you a Whole Foods with soft toilet paper.) Going to drinks with work friends after
Here’s what a healthy, balanced plate looks like when you’re vegan
August 12, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC We called it: 2019 is truly the year of plant-based eating. The products have never been better, and given people’s growing awareness of the food industry’s outsized impact on climate change, many are finding that the time is right to make the switch (or gradually transition into) a vegan diet. However, the restrictions inherent to a vegan way of eating can make it daunting for some. “Veganism excludes all animal products—meat, dairy, eggs, fish, seafood and even honey,” says Seattle-based Ginger Hultin, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. But there are proven benefits, says Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. “Vegan diets seem to offer protection for obesity, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and death by heart disease,” she says. To it off pull off in a healthy way, Rizzo says people need to be smart about eating a well-balanced diet filled with fruit, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. And it requires being smart about the right vegan macros intake to ensure you’re getting enough protein, iron, B vitamins, and good fats, which typically are more easily available in animal foods. ad_intervals[‘414205_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414205_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); Not sure how to build that vegan plate? Here’s what a well-balanced meal looks like on a plant-based vegan diet that eliminates meat, dairy, and eggs. Photo: W+G Creative Start with at least half of a plate’s worth of veggies Obviously, a vegan diet involves a lot of
The 7-minute, plank-centric yoga flow will fire up every part of your core
August 12, 2019 at 02:01AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YInYh05-4tE] 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, Val Verdier is teaching us a yoga sequence that’s all about the core. When I think of yoga, I tend to think of it as an all-over workout—rather than a butt-sculpting, arm toning, or leg strengthening exercise specifically. Yoga pro Val Verdier, who’s our Trainer of the Month this August, has proved me wrong. This week? Verdier’s taking us through a core-activating yoga flow, and while it obviously works your entire body from head to toe, it gives your abs and obliques a little extra kick. “This is a little core sequence—it’s more about isolating the muscles so you can really feel engaged throughout the whole practice,” she says. “We’re not going to focus on repetition and all the sit-ups, but we’re going to engage [the core] the whole time and get the body moving.” You’ll definitely feel your abs quaking by the time you hit savasana. ad_intervals[‘414427_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414427_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Try this 7-minute yoga for core-focused flow, courtesy of Verdier 1. Bridge pose: Lie down onto your back, feet hip-distance apart and arms by your side. Reach for your heels to
3 ways to trick yourself into becoming a mindful snacker
August 11, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Have you ever started a movie with an overflowing bowl of popcorn, then looked down just minutes later to see an empty bowl and tons of crumbs on your shirt? (Guilty.) Mindless snacking happens to the best of us, but the secret to overcoming it (and enjoying that popcorn instead of just shoveling it into your mouth) lies in identifying the motivation for your munchies. “Mindless snacking can be caused by boredom, loneliness, stress, or being unprepared for hunger (reaching for an option we don’t really want because it’s easy and there),” says nutritionist and food blogger Alexandra Dawson. “Mindful eating is awareness of how the food we choose to eat—how we eat, how much we eat, and why we feel like eating—affects our whole beings.” Who else can relate to the I’m-bored-so-I-guess-I’ll-eat mentality? The way to beat this mindset is… well, by doing the opposite of snacking mindlessly. “Mindful eating is awareness of how food—how we eat, how much we eat, and why we feel like eating—affects our whole beings,” Dawson adds. ad_intervals[‘408082_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408082_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); Before you say ‘easier said than done,’ Dawson has some great tips on how to actually incorporate the practice into your daily relationship with food. Tip number one: Dawson keeps her pantry stocked with options that don’t require effort, but still leave her feeling satisfied, like JUSTIN’S® nut butters. “I love adding JUSTIN’S® Peanut Butter to smoothies
Here’s why you’re always bloated by the end of the workday
August 11, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC If you’ve never performed the ceremonial task of unbuttoning your jeans once the late afternoon bloat comes around, you’re either lying or simply have some serious will power. So, what’s the deal with this 3 p.m. meh feeling that has us counting down the hours until it’s no-pants time? We asked Eliza Savage, RD at Middleberg Nutrition to share some tips to reduce the bloat. “In practice, I find that the biggest offenders for afternoon bloat are excessively large salads containing various gas-producing vegetables at lunchtime, lingering food intolerances such as dairy and gluten, and too much seltzer,” she adds. So you mean, you can’t just drink five seltzers and call that hydration? Another part of your daily intake that might affect your midday discomfort is the amount of grains you’re ingesting. “For many people, grains can be difficult to digest,” Savage says. “From a more macro perspective, eliminating grains from the diet automatically reduces intake of unhealthy, cheap foods that contain processed flours and sugar, it also promotes active participation in food preparation and label reading,” she adds. ad_intervals[‘393987_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘393987_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Before you cross off all your favorites from your snack-time lineup, though, we have good news: FitJoy Grain-Free Pretzels nix the grains that can potentially be the culprit of your unwanted bloating—so your fave salty, crunchy snack-time classic is still on the table. Plus, with cassava and chickpea flour plus Himalayan
Venus is your wing woman right now to go for your relationship goals
August 11, 2019 at 02:04PM by CWC The week begins on the heels of Jupiter—the planet of good luck, good fortune, and abundance—stationing direct. Happening on Sunday, August 11, at 9:37 a.m. Eastern, the great giant of the sky begins to move forward in the sign of optimism and growth (Sagittarius). On top of that, Mercury, which clears its retrograde shadow on August 14 (holler), enters into Leo on Sunday as well, adding to the positive fuel of the week ahead. It’s safe to say that the week ahead initiates us into a new chapter of 2019. The star-studded lineup commands you to open your heart and lead with courage. With the sun, Venus, Mars, and Mercury in Leo now—while Jupiter travels direct—we can expect things to feel passionate, contagious, blunt, and bold. Add to the mix that the sun and Venus conjoin in the sky for their kiss, aka a cazimi, it’s safe to say that the week ahead initiates us into a new chapter of 2019. As if that weren’t enough, on top of this, we have a full moon in Aquarius too. Boom. The star-studded lineup commands you to open your heart and lead with courage. ad_intervals[‘414639_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414639_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Venus and the sun align at the same degree of the sky roughly every nine months forming what’s called a Venus Star Point. This annual meet-up offers you a moment to solidify a vision for yourself as it
A face-mask queen shares her favorite self-care habits that follow 2 rules: being easy and fun
August 11, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cis51mm3Md4] Want to learn about her whole self-care routine? Watch the video here. It makes sense that Golde CEO and co-founder Trinity Mouzon Wofford practices what her brand preaches by relying on the classic face-mask routine as one of her favorite self care practices. What’s ultra-refreshing about her approach to claim some joy (and serious glow), though, is the back-to-basics recipes she loves to slather on. For instance, Golde’s Clean Greens Anti-Pollution mask is a powder-to-gel formula that only requires you to add in a few drops of water, mix it up with your fingers, then finger-paint it onto your face. The application itself is part of the lax, happy adventure—and bonus points for the superfood ingredients being 100 percent edible. “To mix it up it’s really easy,” Wofford says in the latest episode of Self-Care Nation, Well+Good’s YouTube series that investigates how different people practice—you guessed it—self care. “You just take around, like, a teaspoon or so of the mask powder, and then pour a couple of drops of water over it, and then I just like to stir it right up with my finger. I think the key to building out a beauty and wellness routine that you are going to keep up with is making sure that it’s really easy and it’s fun.” ad_intervals[‘413857_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413857_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “The key to building out a beauty and wellness routine that you are
Online dating closed the coffin on meet-cutes—and that’s really a great thing
August 11, 2019 at 12:04PM by CWC There comes a time in every relationship where you will have to answer the question: “So… how did you guys meet?” It can be tempting to come up with something like, “Oh, my heel got stuck in a manhole cover and a dumpster was rolling down the street right at me and he jumped to save me.” (Yes, I did just reference The Wedding Planner and now you are 100 percent going to watch that tonight, you’re welcome.) In an age where so many people are meeting their significant others on dating apps, it can feel a little less special to say that instead of meeting in the wild, you met on Hinge or Bumble. But instead of feeling this pressure to have an amazing meet cute, we should all just embrace the new way we meet romantic partners. I have met people IRL in very meet-cutesy ways, and I’ve met people on dating apps. And I have fallen victim to the over-romanticization of relationship origin stories. It’s easy to watch movies like When Harry Met Sally and The Holiday and wish for my very own swoon-worthy moment. But in the end, aren’t we all just looking for love? Who cares if you find it IRL or on your phone (like, with another human via an app not a Her sitch.) ad_intervals[‘414140_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414140_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Let me just throw this out there: in a
You guys, stretch mark cream is a total scam
August 11, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC The spiderweb of white lines first appeared on my thighs when I was a junior in high school, and they’ve stuck around ever since. I know now that stretch marks are incredibly common—I challenge you to find me a woman with nary a stripe—and are scars that form when the collagen and elastin in your skin ruptures due to a quick change in size, which often happens during pregnancy, when someone gains weight or muscle quickly, or goes through puberty. (At first they appear red, then fade to white.) But for teenaged me, recovering from an eating disorder, they were a reminder of the fact that I was a bigger than I used to be. To appease my disordered thinking that told me my stretch marks were A Problem, I loaded up on creams and gels that promised to banish them. I wish I knew then what three dermatologists have since confirmed for me: Stretch mark cream is a complete and total scam. Once you have the white stripes, Virginia-based dermatologist Lily Talakoub says, “don’t waste your time or money on stretch mark cream, because it won’t do anything.” Oh, the money I’d have saved! “There is a greater chance of [stretch marks] going away when you treat them at the early stages,” Dr. Talakoub says, because “the redness can be treated with a laser that decreases the vasculature under the stretch mark and prevents that stretch mark from expanding.” “Don’t waste